An Open Letter to the GOP After the 2012 Election

This was a very disappointing election result. Never have I seen a man so unqualified to be President become President, and then see him fail at his job while fanning the flames of class warfare in a cynical effort to get re-elected. Then my fellow citizens swallowed the whole shtick hook, line and sinker! I take only minor comfort in the retained control of the House. I am disturbed at the GOPs San Diego Charger-like ability to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory in the Senate. Two pro-life candidates stepped in it, and threw away a great opportunity in two red states. The failures at the Presidential and Senatorial levels are egregious and in need of serious focus by party leaders and GOP voters.

First, I place strong blame on the part of party leaders and candidate recruitment. This year could have, and should have, been a very strong year for GOP gains in the Senate and taking back the White House. Instead we managed to find weak primary candidates to run against a weak Democrat field. The NRCC, NRSC and RNC clearly need new blood. People under the age of 50 are desperately needed; people from the various parts of this mosaic that is the American electorate are required. Finally, we need to have more women and minorities on the general election tickets. Without the GOP getting younger, more dynamic and more reflective of the American populace we can count on never winning a national election again.

Next, the GOP primary voter needs to shoulder some serious blame. The Tea Party influence has been a positive and a negative for the GOP. The ideas and passion the Tea Party brings to the table is vital. However, the problem is in the lack of big picture intelligence. The Senate could, and should, be in the GOPs hands right now. Were it not for Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Ken Buck, Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin the GOP would most likely have won those seats, giving it control of the Senate once again. The Tea Party is looking for purity and not viability. I agree with the adage of voting for the most conservative candidate that can actually win in the general election. I would much rather have a Republican I agree with 75% of the time, than a Democrat I agree with 5% of the time. We have got to be smarter than we have shown the last few election cycles. If GOP primary voters don’t adopt this ideal, we are going to see this country quickly turn into a single party rule country for the first time in 200 years.

Another issue that plagues the GOP is messaging. I wonder if there are any Republicans that have marketing degrees or have worked successfully in advertising. Conservatism works! Americans generally agree with conservative positions on the size of government, taxation, and foreign policy. However it seems our team has no message, or messenger, that can express this in a way that reaches the minds, and more importantly the hearts, of Americans. We have had no such candidate on the national stage be able to do this since Reagan. Not the first Bush, Dole, W, McCain or Romney. There are those in the party that I see with potential for this. Going back to my first point, those candidates are the young guns. Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Nikki Haley are great. I also have high hopes for Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Elect Ted Cruz and Gov. Susana Martinez. What I wouldn’t give for J.C. Watts to get back in the game! Any way you look at it, our hope lies in the youth and future of the party. When another old, white guy raises his hand, let’s all agree to say “thank you, but no thank you.”

Let us not forget the principles that make this the Grand Old Party. We believe is small central government. Let us not be afraid of states crafting their own solutions even if they involve a strong state government. We need to face the facts that some states want that. Let us be the party that does it the best, and not the party that says government never works well. When there are opportunities at the state and local level for public/private partnerships, let us embrace them. Let’s talk about the ingenuity of the American people. Let’s talk about how government, in its proper limited role, can help our economy excel and its people live better for it. Let us not demonize those who are here because they seek a better life for themselves and their children. Let us find a way to make it work and make legal immigration easier and more fair. Let us be the best ambassadors of our ideas, take them to the people and to the world. What we hold dear works. Let us not forget that.

2012 may be a jagged pill to swallow. We will need to lean hard on the House, and support their efforts to thwart a progressive lurch to the left. Then we need to focus on 2014 and retaining the House, defeating enough Democratic Senators to take back the Senate, and defending the Constitution against the liberal/progressive movement. We need to be smarter than we’ve been, while still showing that we care about every American. Let us follow the words of Christ, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Class size, schmass size (mixed bag, mixed results)

Contrary to popular belief, and the position of the teacher's unions. Class size doesn't really seem to be a leading indicator on student performance. Looking at the countries that round out the top spots, there is no consistency in class size to teacher ratio.

Top performing countries (compared to the U.S.)
1)  South Korea    30-1 (higher)
2)  Finland            20-1 (lower)
3)  Canada           14-1 (lower)
4)  New Zealand    18-1 (lower)
5)  Japan              28-1 (higher)
6)  Australia         23-1 (same)
7)  Netherlands     20-1 (lower)
...
14) United States   23-1

Though I don't doubt that it is a helpful factor to have less students per teacher, I believe the education system and its methodologies is a much better indicator of success.

2012 General Election Endorsements

President/Vice President - Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan (http://mi.tt/S3RyvW): This country is desperate for a leader who knows how to be an executive. Mitt Romney has succeeded in business, restoring the Olympics and running a state. He has a reasonable plan to secure a thriving economy and restore America's place in the world. Barack Obama's failures ave cost us 4 years of desperately needed economic growth.

US Senate - Elizabeth Emken (http://bit.ly/RDgGXy): It is time to retire Feinstein. She is an extreme liberal and doesn't represent most Californians.

Congress - Brian Bilbray (http://bit.ly/QspIbg): We can't afford Scott Peters. He was a key part of the SD City Council when it put the City in an enormous financial crisis.

CA Assembly - Brian Maienschein (http://bit.ly/WAi6qD): Brian has been a great public servant for SD, and I believe would represent us well in Sacramento.

Poway City Council - Steve Vaus (http://www.votevaus.com), Gary Vineyard (http://vineyardforpowaycouncil.com): Poway needs a change in the Council. These are two longtime residents who are pro-growth businessmen.

Prop 30 - NO: I have never seen a "temporary tax" in my life. When this expires they'll cry about how much money they are going to lose. Vote NO and make the politicians create responsible budgets that live within the means of the already collected taxes.

Prop 31 - YES: CA budget system is horrible. Making the politicians think more about the future is sorely needed.

Prop 32 - YES: Unions have a stranglehold on Sacramento, we need this to get power back to the citizens.

Prop 33 - NO: No need to change the law, if companies want to be more attractive they can lower their general rate.

Prop 34 - NO: The death penalty shouldn't be repealed, it should be enforce and more often.

Prop 35 - YES: I am all for tough crimes for those that would exploit the innocent among us.

Prop 36 - NO: If someone finds themselves in prison 3 separate times, I just really see no need to give them a 4th chance to defy society's rules.

Prop 37 - YES: Though most conservatives oppose this, I think people need to know what is in their food. This may not be perfect, but it is a start.

Prop 38 - NO: We spend enough on education, it just is poorly spent. No new taxes until reforms in place.

Prop 39 - NO: I generally support this, but since this law only spends the revenue on green projects, I think it is a wasteful law. The money should go to the general fund.

Prop 40 - NO: Though I strongly supported the redistricting commission idea, I did not like the news I heard of unions infiltrating the process.

I know there are other things on the ballot. If you want to know where I stand on endorsements for the Palomar Community College Board, Poway Unified School District, Palomar Health Board or Judge of the Superior Court (office #25) just send me an email: conservapendent@gmail.com.

Let's take immigration reform head on!

It seems with every Congress of late there has been this "attempt" to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Once that headline makes its way into the public discourse there are demonstrations by the left and right. One side is called racist while the other side is called out as open border advocates. The name calling does nothing to resolve the issue, and only increases the animosity between the respective factions.

Americans are generally right-of-center politically and pragmatic when it comes to policies poised to address major issues. The same goes for the immigration issue. Most Americans are PRO "legal" immigration and strongly against giving amnesty to (or rewarding) illegal "immigrants". Most Americans, especially in a post 9/11 world, want secure borders. This is most obviously the case with our porous southern border. Americans also want these big issues to go away, once and for all. To do this our elected representatives need to put down the guns of partisanship (Hatfields and the McCoys), and work together to bring about what Americans desire and not what the respective ideologies seek.
Here is what I see, at a high level, as sensible and comprehensive immigration reform.

1) Secure our southern border with a physical barrier where the terrain allows for it, and virtual barriers where terrain is an issue. The fact is that good, strong and tall fences work. They aren't pretty, but this is the small price we need to pay to put this behind us.

2) Create a temporary worker program. This program would acknowledge this nation's dependence on foreign workers to do certain work vital to our economy, especially in agriculture. Key to this program working is that anyone in the program would only be in the country for up to a certain number of years before being required to go back to their home country. There should be NO path to citizenship through this program (hence the name "temporary").

3) Hardest of the work is what to do with the current group of some 10-20 million people already in this country illegally. I would propose that there be a tiered system of dealing with this group. For those that wish to be a part of the Temporary Worker Program, they would need to pay a fine that is commensurate with how long they have been in the United States (the longer the violation the higher the fine). Also, if there have been any criminal offenses committed (any felony, violent misdemeanors) by any in this country illegally, they would NOT be eligible for the program and should be expeditiously sent back to their country of origin. Those eligible for the Temporary Worker Program will be allowed to stay in this country from the time they have applied for the program until they have exhausted their stay as a Temporary Worker.
For those that do not want to be temporary workers, but want to be U.S. citizens they will need to go back to their home countries and apply for legal entry into the U.S.  In fairness to all of the legal immigrants in this nation it would not be appropriate to give those that have broken our laws any reward for their behavior. As a kindness from this nation, those destined for their home country will be allowed to stay in the U.S. for up to 1 year from the passing of the legislation in order to make proper arrangements to go to their home country. Any that stay longer than the 1 year period will not be eligible for application as immigrants for 5 years.

4) Those who are facing punishment, persecution or violence in their home countries can petition an exception with the payment of the same kind of fine as the Temporary Worker Program, and will not gain naturalized citizenship any sooner than 10 years from the date of their application for exception.

5) For the children of illegal “immigrants” who under no willful decision of their own find themselves in the United States illegally, they should be offered a pathway to citizenship. However, this pathway should not be amnesty. They should be required to work for it through one of two pathways; 1) through enlisted military service in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corp, Army or Coast Guard, or 2) through enlisting in the National Guard, completing a bachelor’s degree or trade school certification from an accredited institution and the completion of a 10-month commitment to the AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). This pathway to citizenship should only be for people up to the age of 22, and whose family has been located in the United States for at least 4 years as of the time of the passing of this law. This pathway will only be open 18 years after this law has passed.

6) Finally, it should be made very clear in law that if children are born in the United States to parents that have entered this country illegally, they are of the same citizenship as their parents, not the United States. The 14^th Amendment needs this clarity to help prevent this immigration crisis from occurring again in the future.

I think this sets forth a strong, compassionate and sensible plan to handle our illegal immigration issues. I know not everyone would like this plan, especially the extremists on both sides of the issue. But I do believe that most people would find this a reasonable path for this nation to move forward. If only our elected officials could see their way past political bickering to actually do something for this nation, we would all be a lot better off for it.

Gearing up for 2012

I am getting ready for the 2012 election cycle.  In doing so I have created a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Conservapendent) and created a domain for my blog.  I am also on Twitter (@conservapendent), so be sure to follow me. 

Not only will I be putting out informative articles from great information sources, but I will also be commenting on the candidates and their campaigns.

My opinions are my own, and I WILL be giving my opinion.  I will be covering a range of topics that are important to this nation.  Those topics could be considered my own personal political platform.

Finally, I desire to be a source of information on government, particularly the kind of government the Founding Fathers intended (not what we have today).  So when I can I will be posting history/government lessons.

I am looking forward to 2012.  It is going to be an election of great impact for this great nation.