Who Gets My Vote?

The Iowa Caucus' are just over 3 weeks away and I have yet to make up my mind on who to vote for. Of course no single candidate will be just what I want, so I have to decide who will best fit my idea of a good leader.

I have made a few decisions, though.

I am a conservative and no Democratic candidate will get my vote. I don't believe in universal health care, period. I believe that we, as a country, expect too much from our government. We have become complacent and too many of us believe that we are, somehow, owed. Handouts are not helping us economically, nor are they inspiring people to fend for themselves.

I don't believe I will be casting my vote for Rudy Guliani, either. Although I believe he is the one candidate who could bring both sides together, he is much to socially liberal for me.

And John McCain, though I completely respect his service to our country, has a record that, I don't believe, can be called conservative. I think he could end the war with us victorious. I also believe that he would provide amnesty and open our borders- WIDE.

Many people in my church would be disgusted by this, but Mike Huckabee won't be getting my vote, either. He is a fine man but his pastoral heart would bankrupt our country quickly. He invites people to view his record. I see more tax increases in Arkansas during his tenure as governor than during Bill Clinton's. I also see that he was for tax payers footing the bill for illegal immigrants to go to college and that he denounced a bill to keep illegal aliens from voting. I also believe that he would institute some form of universal health care. I think he will make a great Vice-President.

Ron Paul... Where to go with this guy. I admit that he is tempting with his "Stop the IRS" and "Stop NAFTA Super Highway" stuff. But he just makes libertarians look bad. And I am disgusted by the disregard for property his supporters show. Hello- those signs you are spray painting will all have to be fixed- with tax dollars! I think his campaign should be billed for everything that needs repaired.

Tom Tancredo I like. I've met him a few times and he is a guy who goes after what he believes in. Unfortunately he may be a bit too harsh for most people. I do applaud his stand against Western Union. Just look at all those tax-free dollars being sent out of the country...

Duncan Hunter... He actually got a double fence with a road in between for the Border Patrol to, ummm... patrol, and crime and drugs in the San Diego area dropped 90%. He sponsored the fence bill- which passed and has funding but has yet to really even begin. Unfortunately Mr. Hunter has not been in Iowa much. I don't know much about him.

So that brings me to Mitt Romney. I will admit that I am not bothered by Mr. Romney's religion. Do we believe the same? No. Does he have the same fundamentals I do? I believe so. I appreciate that he has been a business man. I think he would run our country like it should be run- as a very large corporation. Get rid of what isn't productive. Quit wasting money. He has a strong focus on family- very important- and can tell you exactly why he is pro-life after being pro-choice (I think you must be able to give a very specific reason as to why you changed your mind. I respect him for this speech he gave. I like a person who can say they were wrong.) I do worry, though, about the health care legislation that was passed in Massachusetts while he was governor. Everyone musy have health coverage. You pay for it yourself and if you can't (or it's not provided by your employer) the state pays for it. Not quite universal health care... but closing in on it.

And lastly, Fred Thompson. I like Fred, too. I think he's a straight forward guy. I believe he is conservative and his record from when he was in the Senate follows that path. He is very laid-back in his approach to campaigning- so much so that he is called lazy. I admire him for pointing out the stupidity of the hand raising in debates (Hello? Third grade?) and think that he is being overlooked for not being "rabid" enough, for lack of a better term. Laid back may be just what we need.

So, there I am. Four men to choose from. We will be meeting Mitt Romeny this week and plan to meet the other three at least once before the caucus. Hopefully by January 3rd I will have made a choice.