Being a journalist, I am privileged to be able to speak to a number of people from all walks of life on various topics.  A big concern I continually hear lately involves the seemingly chaotic state of the current administration and what appears to many to be a president and Democrat-run majority in Congress who are disconnected from the people and who have no sense of direction or understanding of the problems facing this nation.

In order to make sense out of these concerns and grasp why so many Americans feel cheated, frustrated and angry, we need to first realize that we were recently subjected to an economic disaster born out of a mixture of bank deregulations, political and corporate corruption and greed. It should be pointed out that President Obama is not solely responsible for the economic mess or even the problems with illegal immigration. Let’s not forget that bank deregulation of the regulations established by the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act, which was established because of the 1929 market collapse, started in the early 1980’s culminating with the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act which allowed banking, insurance and investment companies to merge and operate within each other’s industries.  And, Republican presidents have also dropped the ball in securing our southern border with Mexico. But what is upsetting to many Americans is the radical response to the nation’s economic woes by President Obama and the Democrat held Congress.

The problem is not that Obama has no sense of direction because he has a very keen sense of where he is and where he wants to be. And the problem is not that he doesn’t understand the problems facing this nation, because he does.  The problem arises because his solutions are motivated by his set of beliefs, visions and goals that are alien to most Americans and run counter to the founding core values of this nation. He is far more interested in changing this country than he is in running this country. In short, Obama and the Democrat majority in Congress are systematically changing the American political way of life from that of a Republic to a Marxist system of government.

Aside from the fact that Obama admitted to attending socialist meetings and reading Marxist literature and being supported by the Communist Party USA during the primary election, his grandparents attended a church known as “The Little Red Church” due to its promotion of Communism while his mother was a Communist sympathizer and his father wrote a thesis entitled “Problems With Our Socialism” that advocated communal ownership of land and the forced confiscation of privately controlled land. With his close friendships with such people as Frank Marshall Davis, his mentor and a confirmed Communist, and his 20 year relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright who preached black liberation theology, which is grounded on Marxism one gets a feeling that Obama’s political sentiments reside strongly on the left.

Obama’s connections with family and friends who were Marxists do not prove that he himself is one. However, what does prove he is a Marxist are his actions, which are not currently accepted by a majority of Americans, and embarked upon without any regard for the US Constitution. The fallout from Obama’s Marxist methods can be observed in the accelerated increase in government spending, the enactment of government run healthcare, nationalizing large segments of America’s free economy, little or no regard for private property, proposed amnesty for illegal aliens and largely ignoring the wisdom of the US Constitution by bypassing Congress. We can, and should, correct economic mistakes with enforcement of existing laws, reforms and proper regulations but beyond that, Obama is trying to correct what he views as an evil society with a new Marxist system of government. He is treating many diseases with the wrong medicine.

Obama promised to do exactly what the American people wanted done; namely a change from an economic system that saw the rich receive every benefit and privilege while the common citizen struggled to make ends meet. And change from a system that allowed a few powerful corporations to take down the economic system, and never feel the full impact of their reckless behavior while the common citizen who was harmed the most by corporate America’s greed-fueled gambling was also forced to accept unjust pain and bail out those responsible for the meltdown.  The ironic twist about Obama’s wanting to give more economic pie back to the common person is that he is simply substituting big corporations with bigger government, and dismantling the US Constitution in the process. He is trading our freedom for his misplaced protectionism and its false sense of security.

The Republicans under President George Bush made serious mistakes, which set the stage for radical change via the past presidential election. And, we, as a nation, voted for Obama and the change he promised. Our mistake was that in wanting to rid ourselves of our headache we nearly cut off our head. 
When people ask can it really be true that our sacred Constitution is being systematically dismantled, I suggest they read a very identifiable paragraph and to concentrate on the final sentence of that paragraph. It reads, “We hold these truths to be self evident 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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” “Consent of the governed,” means that government gets its power from the people.  The founding fathers specifically wanted a small government that worked for the people.  This core conviction is not followed by both the Obama administration and the majority held Democratic Congress. It appears that Obama could care less about our consent. As an example, Arizona, a state within the United States of America, seeks federal protection from an invasion from Mexico, a foreign country, and instead of providing the requested assistance, Obama criticizes Arizona’s desperate methods to protect itself due to the abandonment of federal government protection, praises Mexico and its president even though Mexico encourages its people to invade Arizona and looks to haul Arizona into court so that it becomes completely defenseless against the invader.  

And, to their political demise, many Democrats in Congress are obediently, albeit blindly, following and casting their votes for the Marxist agenda of the president. In doing so they are going against the wishes of their constituents who now understandably feel voiceless. They are not following the consent of the governed. The belief by many Americans is that a vote for a Democrat this coming November means a loss of freedom and liberty.

Brave radicals who put people first and limited the size and scope of government founded our country.  Their legacy and our history is a country that cherishes freedom and liberty but Obama and the Democrats in Congress have misinterpreted the outcome of the past presidential election to mean that this country is now ready for the death of the republic and a new Marxist nation.

The people of this country still want change. But now, included on the list of demands by the people that too many wealthy have too much power and that there needs to be real accountability in our economic system, is the demand that Obama and the Democrats that voted for his Marxist agenda be removed from office.

This is truly the American way; to use your vote, the most powerful tool given to us by our founding fathers, and rid this nation of Marxism. This is the true radicalism that shook up and changed the world in 1776. Our government was meant to serve the people. It should never serve itself and expand itself at the expense and peril of the people. Neither this president, nor any other president is more important than the people. And, there is no greater truth than the one which states that no economic problem is too great, no social issue too insurmountable when the nation that is confronted by such challenges has within its borders a government that is by and for the people and has a loving God as its foundation.

How important is this coming election in November? You have never cast a more important vote. As a child, when you were in school, you were made to read and comment on the events that shaped the country’s history. You are now in the midst of such an event. Whether you like it or not, you are a witness to a great struggle to preserve our Union, the United States Constitution and the liberty it protects. And the stakes can’t get any higher. In the thick of battle when your energy is low and your outlook even lower, think of the words of John Adams and choose your next course of action. “A Constitution of Government once changed from freedom can never be restored. Liberty once lost, is lost forever.”

**The views expressed in this column represent only those of the author and not the board or membership of the Juniper Park Civic Association.