SEVEN THINGS I AM LOOKING FOR IN THE NEXT PRESIDENT

SEVEN THINGS I AM LOOKING FOR IN THE NEXT PRESIDENT

It’s that time again. Slogans, promises, and book tours are in the air. Media pundits are prognosticating their presidential hopeful for 2012. Well-worn clichés are back – “grassroots movement,” “energy independence,” “create new jobs,” “yes we can” and so on. After a while, they all sound the same. What should we look for? Here are the seven things that I am looking for in the next president:

1. Someone who is a person of integrity. Any person who is unfaithful on the home front cannot be trusted on the forefront. This past week has shown that Americans still care about the character of our leaders. We need a President who has been faithful to his/her marital vows.
2. Someone who holds to traditional family values. The family is the building block of society. All great societies disintegrated when the home fell apart. We need a President who will unashamedly support and celebrate the traditional American family.
3. Someone who believes in a free market economy. Recent corporate scandals have led some to think that we need more government regulations in business. This has never worked for the best. Listen to Thomas Jefferson’s remark in his first inaugural address: “A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labour the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government…” We need a President who will fight greed but not capitalism.
4. Someone who believes in a strong military. To dismantle our defences is to assume that human beings are no longer sinful and prone to evil. There will come a time when the Prince of Peace will reign on the Earth but until then we need to heed George Washington’s dictum in his first annual address to Congress, “To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” We need a President who is not naïve about the constant threat against liberty.
5. Someone who believes in the value of human life. All life is sacred. Listen to the Psalmist: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139) When did freedom in America include the freedom to kill the innocent? We need a President who will stand for the rights of the millions of unborn.
6. Someone who stands for American exceptionalism. Our nation was birthed on the belief that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Amazingly, the American idea has worked! In fact, it has become a model for the rest of the world to follow. As Dinesh D’Souza remarks:  “This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world.” We need a President who will not beg forgiveness for being an American.
7. Someone who understands American history. The Bible was the most quoted source in our nation’s Constitution. Our founding fathers were well aware of the “hand of Providence” throughout the War for Independence. They prayed daily for God’s wisdom and protection. We need a President who will recognize and appreciate our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Is all this asking too much? Maybe. Then again, we are Americans and we demand the best.