Posted on 01/25/2004 2:55:17 AM PST by ConcCons
Hey folks, new member here. As a Christian conservative (with environmental leanings), I *want* to believe in our current president. I want to believe that our current struggle is just. But the President's policies have just been too inconsistent. As a result, I'm beginning to form a picture in my head that seems to properly connect those disparate dots, but the resulting image is very disturbing -- and disillusioning.
I'm hoping that by presenting my doubts among other conservatives, others who may be more knowledgeable and have different points of view can help me to make sense of it all and see the wisdom in the President's policies.
a) There are too many questions about the way we reacted on 9/11. Fighters that could have been over Manhattan in time to intercept the 2nd plane were flying in at half-speed. In fact, our reaction that day looks like the Pentagon WANTED this to happen. It almost reminds me of the Star Trek episode "The Defector", if there are any Trekkers here.
b) The President is so concerned about terrorism and hostile ME governments that he attacks Iraq. And yet he fails to see the wisdom in working to dispel the 10 or so million illegals in our country and militarily protecting our borders to try to prevent any more from entering. Bush's new policy will encourage more illegals, more foreigners draining our system. It will make nothing better that I can see.
c) He wants to eliminate overtime benefits for a wide range of workers who usually work crazy hours. My field, 3D animation, would be affected. Do you know how many hours a visual effects artist can work in a week? The equivalent of TWO regular business weeks. And he wants to see to it that I don't get fairly compensated?!? This alone has me thinking Democrat this November.
I applaud the President's moves with respect to gay marriage. I applaud the partial birth abortion ban. I applaud the way things are slowly improving in Afghanistan. (Iraq still seems up in the air.) But...
I despise his environmental policies. He wants to make the entire country look like Houston. He wants us flooded with illegals just so he can secure more Latino votes. He wants to eliminate OT pay for many professional workers because.... why does he want to do that?!? To save the government money and balance the budget? To help businesses save money by abusing their workers? Doesn't he realize that the middle class is the backbone of this country --and his voters?
Anyway folks, thanks for the chance to vent. I welcome your points of view. Show me for wrong. Please. I want to vote for Bush this fall, but I've got to be sure that he's the Godly, honest, sincere man he wants us to believe he is. As a born again Christian, I have a special feeling for a President that supports those views. But I need to be sure that he isn't just a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I agree completely that granting amnesty to illegal aliens is wrong. However, that issue has nothing to do with Iraq. Your attempts to connect them cast doubts on your own credibility. Maybe you have a sincere concern, but these two issues are different.
The president isn't forcing anyone to change benefits for any workers. He wants to ease federal mandates around how employers handle their employees. In many cases, changing the law will allow employers and employees to find mutually beneficial arrangements that are different from those currently in place. Nothing the president does forces your employer to change how overtime is paid. The difference is that the president wants to give both sides more room to negotiate with one another.
The president does not want to make the whole country look like Houston. Many environmental policies place unnecessary restrictions on American businesses. These policies make manufacturing in America less competitive with manufacturing overseas. By making the policies less restrictive, the president is helping to keep jobs in this country.
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