	Bob Hostetler > Writing

If I Were Running For President

by Bob Hostetler

Boy, has this presidential campaign season lasted forever! And today, with primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, is very likely to decide little or nothing for the Democrat candidates. Meanwhile, the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, seems to be setting the stage for a campaign that energizes no one and confuses nearly everyone.

I’m so tired of it all. I’m so tempted to say, “Just wake me when it’s over.” I suppose it’s because none of the candidates awaken any hope or enthusiasm in me. There seems to be a surfeit of cynicism in the campaign and a paucity of common sense, both of which, when translated from a candidacy into an administration, bode ill for our future.

But then, what do I know? I’m no politician. I’m barely a grown-up (mentally, that is). But if I were running for president, I would make my campaign about roughly ten things:

1. National Security. I would pledge to bring our troops home from Iraq—the instant Iraq’s government is capable of taking over the fight against Al Qaeda there, and I would make the same pledge for Afghanistan. I would reassert the Bush doctrine that those leaders and nations who harbor, support, or tolerate terrorists will not be treated as friendly regimes. And I would do all I could to frame the issue of border security as a national security issue, which it is.

2. Taxes. I would promote a fair tax (that is, a national sales tax on retail purchases) and scale down the IRS to a tiny fraction of its current size and budget, doing my best to demonstrate that a simple and straightforward tax code would bring about greater freedom and more justice for our nation’s citizens, and bigger revenues for our nation’s treasury.

3. Government Spending. I would submit balanced budgets. I would veto any bill with earmarks. And if the need for armed conflict arises during my presidency, I would commit our troops only if I’m willing to make a compelling case for national sacrifice and belt-tightening for the duration of the conflict rather than scuttling all budgetary restraints.

4. Energy and the Environment. It is a shame that our nation has no cohesive energy policy…other than to coddle and cave in to environmentalist extremism at every turn. I would open ANWR to oil drilling. I would invest in the construction of new nuclear plants across the nation. And I would insist that these things be accomplished with a reasonable regard for the environment, but with a simultaneous public relations offensive designed to neutralize the silly, emotional, and manipulative response that will be sure to come from environmental extremists.

5. Education. I would promote reforms that give the poor and disadvantaged the same choice as the wealthy—that is, to send their children to schools of their own choosing, by means of a national school voucher system. This would, of course, send the teachers’ unions into paroxysms of rage, meaning that it would require a PR offensive like that of #4, above.

6. The Judiciary. I would appoint judges (who apply the law) instead of activists (who make up new laws) to every level of the judiciary. I would find more justices like Roberts, Alito, and Scalia to nominate to the Supreme Court. If Congress delays or ignores these nominations, as they’ve done with numerous Bush nominees, I will use the bully pulpit of the presidency to repeatedly call their hand.

7. Gun Control. The second amendment to the Constitution says what it says. I would veto any bill that infringes on the rights of the citizenry to “bear arms.” I would suggest that any legislator who sponsors such a bill address the constitutional right by proposing an amendment or revision to the second amendment as the only honest way to negate this fundamental right.

8. Health Care. I would take Thomas Paine’s position that “That government is best which governs least.” I would therefore state that the federal government’s contribution to health care would be concentrated on tort reform, regulatory reform, and tax reform. Since such reforms would of course be vehemently opposed by lawyers and many legislators, this effort would require the same sort of PR offensive as mentioned in #4 and #5, above.

9. Immigration. I would build a border fence. An actual fence. Attempting any cohesive immigration policy is nonsense unless our borders are secure. We must stop the flow of illegal immigrants. When that urgent need is addressed, then we can more productively address the question of what to do about those who (a) are already in this country illegally, and those who (b) are willing in the future to enter our country legally, through secure borders.

10. Life and Death. I would oppose abortion in any form, and promote the value of protecting the innocent and helpless. I would oppose embryonic stem cell research, and promote the value of adult stem cell research, which has already borne vastly better results.

There are more things I’d like to see, but that would do it, for my first campaign, anyway (and likely my last). Heck, maybe I’d call it “An Audacious Plan for America’s Future.” Or something about “Hope for a Change.” Or maybe not. In any case, this year’s candidates are safe; no one’s asking me to run. At least not yet. But the phone lines are open, and operators are standing by.

Hello?

Anybody there?

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