Greetings everyone!
I pray you all had a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year as I wish everyone a great 2010. My new year rang in watching my alma mater, Tennessee Volunteers, come up short in a bowl game in Atlanta against Virginia Tech. Doggone we lost to a team whose mascot is a chicken, turkey……well, some kind of bird!
While many of us enjoyed Christmas, I was very upset at two events that seem to best encapsulate the liberal Democratic leadership of the past year. First, on Christmas Eve, the shameful behavior of the Democratic Senators could no longer remain hidden in back room deals as they voted 60-39 to pass a 2,000+ page health care bill. This is a bill which passed only after the Chicago-style purchase of the votes of Senator Nelson of Nebraska and Senator Landrieu of Louisiana. It took $400 million of taxpayer money promised to them in order to secure their “yea” vote. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida even sought to institute an amendment which would have exempted three Florida counties, Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade from Medicare Advantage program cuts. Seems Senator Bill Nelson understands election demographics very well as these are three of the heaviest Democrat counties in the State of Florida. It appears that not very much has changed since Mark Twain remarked that, “there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress.”
When Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Ron Klein demand that every American purchase health insurance or be guilty of a felony offense, it is an affront to our liberty and freedom. Where does it state in our Constitution that Congress has the authority to mandate individuals to enter into contractual agreement with a private business as a condition of citizenship? The Left likes to trot out the fact that car owners are required to own auto insurance but this mandates only covers a citizen’s privilege to drive. You don’t have to own and drive a car, let alone purchase auto insurance, as a prerequisite of being an American citizen. Liberals set out to punish “evil” insurance companies but instead, heeded special interest demands and helped insurance companies expand their customer base by forcing Americans to buy insurance whether or not they wish to. Auto manufacturers….Wall Street bailouts….and now insurance companies join in on the crony capitalism sweeping our nation’s capitol. It is obvious to all that politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Ron Klein love playing with our money while we wait for them explain to us why it takes $1 trillion to improve our healthcare system. Why does it require the creation of some 110 new government agencies? Why do the American people have to start paying for programs which will not take effect until 2013 or 2014? What will the government actually be doing with this increased tax revenue?
There are three things you never do in the time of an economic recession: print more money, borrow more money, and raise taxes…….and now you can see why I told Sean Hannity that President Obama and Congress, led by Harry Reid and Ron Klein, are failing. Unemployment remains at 10% and even higher here in our home state of Florida. Our debt has spiraled out of control and the Democrats can’t get enough of borrowed Chinese money. It’s time freedom and power returns to the people, responsibility returns to government, and leaders promote new policies that encourage growth.
The second event that troubled me deeply was the failed Christmas Day terrorist strike on a Northwest Airlines flight from the Netherlands to Detroit. The fact that this Nigerian student was able to board an aircraft headed to Detroit after warnings from his father, and being a known threat is beyond comprehension. When we needed it most, our bloated, bureaucratic, hopey-changey government was utterly incapable of fulfilling its first and most important mission: protecting its citizens. In a time in Washington where Chinese money flows like “saved” jobs, it seems like the one place government is not spending taxpayer funds is to protect us. In the war on terror and radical Islamic extremists, we have to win each and every time while they only need to succeed once to inflict catastrophic damages. I am sorry, but where was the President, where was Harry Reid, where was Nancy Pelosi, where was Ron Klein? Oh yea, they were on vacation celebrating the passing of the Senate’s abominable health care legislation.
What we fail to realize is that the terrorist actually did succeed because we now must live and travel in a state of terror. We are once again going to adjust our lifestyles and travel routines because of their threat. They continue to attack our freedoms and threaten our lives while our government tells us we can’t read a book or use the bathroom in the last hour of a flight. If threats like this weren’t so serious, the response by our government would not be so comical. Yet, there is nothing to laugh at when it comes to the safety and security of the American people. However, if I’m lucky enough to be sent to Congress by the voters, I have a message to the radical Islamic enemies who are intent on killing my fellow Americans: I do intend on giving you fellas a Southern fried butt kickin’!
While 2009 closed with more worrisome problems coming out of Washington D.C., January 1 begins a new year and the idea that we can rally our nation and our efforts to fix what has ailed us in 2009. I began New Years Day with a fantastic 6 mile run along Ft. Lauderdale beach where I watched a glorious sunrise. I reflected upon 2009 and what lies ahead for our nation and myself in 2010. There is something just serene about running early in the morning, just listening to the waves, and greeting other runners, a special breed. I find it is a time when I can be lost in my thoughts and focus mentally. My thoughts and prayers lead me to the exciting prospects that await us this year and, as always, thanks to everyone who helped the campaign prepare for our push in 2010. If you want more information or are new to our message, please find your way to www.allenwestforcongress.com for more information. Any help as a volunteer or in the form of a donation is greatly appreciated. Our opponent, Ron Klein, is well financed by liberal special interests and every donation to our team helps.
The best part of the New Years weekend was the first church service in the new year. I attend Community Christian Church in Tamarac, just up the street from where I reside. You always pray that the first message of the new year is something that will resonate for the entire year…..I was not disappointed. The message was a simple word, “Resolve”. If you want to understand, it was based upon Daniel and his story after being led away in captivity by the Babylonians at the age of 16. Daniel was hand selected for government service and was to be trained in the Babylonian ways. Daniel however, resolved that he would not depart from his Jewish ways, traditions, and faith. Even when thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel resolved to not depart from his beliefs. In the end, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar admired Daniel for his conviction, commitment, resolve, and elevated him to a greater position.
What is the lesson we can learn? We must resolve to stand and withstand according to the principles of our great country. America is being led by extreme liberal politicians, our version of the Babylonians. Now is the time to resolve to never back down from anyone challenging your belief in our Constitution and American values. Resolve to remain committed even when ridicule and persecution is heaved upon you, for a greater reward awaits.
In this 2010, I humbly ask you all to resolve that you will not grow weary between now and November 2, 2010. Stay focused on that which is at stake in America, our future and legacy. Somewhere, in your home, or at work, put up the word, “Resolve”, and stay committed. A year from now, a new Congress will be unveiled, it will be a body of legislators who shall be resolute in restoring our Republic’s honor, recommitting to our Constitutional principles, and reclaiming American pride.
And yours truly looks forward to again, retaking the oath which I first took on July 31, 1982.
Steadfast and Loyal,
Allen West
