Dakota Beacon

Ever wonder why more and more people trust the federal government and the current administration less and less? It’s a fact and it’s not difficult to understand why when encountering such stories as this one that broke on Friday. Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democrat National Committee filed a law suit challenging Ohio’s early voting rules for the military. Ohio law allows military members and their families three additional days to complete the voting process. Rationale? Getting ballots to soldiers overseas in the field, securing the ballots once voted and returning the ballots in time for ballot counting is not equivalent to driving to a local polling place in Ohio to vote. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the tradition granting extra time for military personnel to vote dates back to the Civil War. The Obama suit claims there should be no distinction between voting in the community and the challenge of voting overseas.

In a battleground state like Ohio, disenfranchising a class of people like the military that generally lean to the right could help Obama in his re-election bid. This is Chicago thug politics at its worst. By the way, Obama is not challenging the early voting in non-battleground states.

Last week Senate majority leader Harry Reid took to the Senate floor and accused Mitt Romney of not paying his taxes. Not just his fair share of taxes, but his taxes for the past ten years. In keeping with his style of political mud slinging, Reid would not disclose his source. If Romney is as rich and delinquent as he is made out to be, the IRS would have investigated him long ago. Tax evasion is a felony. So is disclosing leaked confidential tax information. The IRS should be investigating Harry Reid. Unlike Obama’s Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner, Romney is no tax cheat.

Better yet, let’s see some real investigative journalism. Let the dominant media, who is so fond of Obama, uncover Barack’s relevant academic records and college writings. They would be far more relevant that Romney’s taxes.

One has to love the “loving” intolerant left. Have you followed the Chick-fil-A story? Dan Cathy, Chief Operating Officer of the fast food franchise, affirms support for the traditional family and the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. This is not an anti-gay policy as much as it is a positive pro-Christian position. Although the homosexual community comprises only 2% to 3% of the population, the militant gays would have the franchise renounce its affirmation of the dominant cultural value it subscribes to. Failing that, the militants revert to their totalitarian tactics of intimidation and vandalism. Will the hypocrisy, inconsistency, intolerance and bigotry of the left toward Christians never cease?

Decimating our military must be heartening to our foes. They need only watch and wait while we shoot ourselves in the foot. Unless the law is changed, our Department of Defense will be cut by $60 billion next year and another $500 billion over the next ten years. Currently 120,000 troops will have to be released soon.

The Budget Control Act adopted by congress and signed by the president last summer will cripple America’s national defense. Congress is now on vacation, will return for a few weeks until the November elections, then lapse into a lame duck session. On January 2, 2013, our national defense begins its rapid decline unless congress somehow takes action to stop it.

But this is just the start of the gutting of the military. The Budget Control Act also requires an additional trillion dollars in deficit reductions over the next ten years. It imposed a sequester to ensure it happens beginning January 2, 2013 unless congress passes an alternative debt reduction plan -- which it has not. Under the sequester, 50% of the savings must come from the Department of Defense. The other 50% will be spread throughout the rest of the federal government (HHS, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Education, etc.). All this is on top of Defense cuts of $60 billion next year plus the $45 billion already cut this year. This will result in a hollow force, a disaster for America.

During the debate last year, and for the sake of expediency, the Republicans caved in to the Democrat demands and we ended up with sequestration. May they all be hoisted with their own petards in November!

As the saying goes, “I love my country. It’s the government I fear.”

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).