There is a better way

By Tom Quiner

A conservative voter swung by my house last night for a glass of wine.

We talked politics, of course. He told me he’s voting for the Libertarian candidate. He acknowledged that he could never vote for Hillary. But he said he can’t vote for Trump either, expressing his feelings something like this:

“I have small children. Trump does stuff everyday that I teach my kids is wrong. I wouldn’t be able to let them watch the President of the United States on television for fear he’d set a bad example for my kids.”

There’s no good defense for the argument, because he’s right.

There was a book out a number of years ago called, “All I really need to know, I learned in kindergarten,” by Robert Fulghum. The book presented basic rules for decent living and for getting along with people, stuff like:

√ Play fair.

√ Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

√ Don’t hit people.

√ Clean up your own mess.

Perhaps Donald Trump skipped right over kindergarten and missed these basic building blocks of civilized behavior. Sure, he doesn’t physically hit people, but he hits people everyday with his insults and put-downs and name calling.

What about Hillary? In most respects, she’s worse.

So who will I vote for?

I am a conservative. Conservative ideas are smart, tested, and just. I will vote for the candidate most likely to advance conservatism’s “A Better Way” as espoused by Congressman Paul Ryan above.

Just about every problem facing America is fixable. The economy, for example, could be fixed fairly quickly beginning with things like tax simplification and lower corporate and capital gains tax rates. Writing in the Wall Street Journal today, a Hillary supporter, Alan Blinder, said Hillary’s way is better. What is the first thing she’d do? Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Talk about doing exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has also misdiagnosed the cause of Obama’s economic malaise. He blames it on free trade, even though data reveals how free trade has freed millions from poverty. I’d love to hear him talk as passionately about scaling back the tens of thousands of regulations imposed on us by Team Obama that drains the economy of its vitality.

I shall listen closely these final few months of this marathon election cycle to finalize my vote. I will pull the lever for the man or woman most likely to sign conservative legislation into law that reverses the economic and moral rot afflicting this nation.

 

8 Comments

  1. Harlan Bergman on August 3, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    Don’t forget. Mr. Trump has said he would appoint a conservative to the SCOTUS, and he has said he is pro life. If he is being truthful about those two things, I would not hesitate to vote for him. Plus, if something happened to Mr. Trump, I think Mr. Pence would be a good replacement.



    • quinersdiner on August 3, 2016 at 7:51 pm

      Three excellent points, Harlan. Thanks for writing.



    • oarubio on August 4, 2016 at 9:33 am

      I agree with Tom — good points voters need to remember.



  2. Cheryl cibula on August 3, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    I don’t think either one of them is fit to be President. But I also know one of them will pick a Supreme Court Justice that will be conservative and not liberal. That Judge will be in office long after the next elected President is gone. The Supreme Court has changed the morals of this country by making laws they had no right to, such as Gay Marriage. Senator Grassley has worked hard to give us the opportunity to vote someone in office that will help even the balance of influence in the Supreme Court. We can kiss his efforts good-bye if we allow Hillary in office.



    • quinersdiner on August 3, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      Good points, Cheryl. Thanks for sharing!



  3. oarubio on August 3, 2016 at 6:40 pm

    Hillary leads all in the “moral rot” department!



    • quinersdiner on August 3, 2016 at 8:47 pm

      Tony, I agree, I just wish Trump wasn’t in the hunt, too.



      • oarubio on August 4, 2016 at 9:34 am

        Sad, but also very true.