Moms Save the Nation: Elections and Trade Deficits

"Mom, which do you want: to die by poison, to be stabbed to death, or to contract a deadly disease?"

I'm cooking.

"None of them, please. I choose life."

"Aw, Mom, get serious! Which do you prefer?"

Believe me, I am serious. If some killer wants me dead, he has his reasons -- and his weapon of choice. But I don't prefer it and don't have to be party to it.

I feel that way about the Proposed Murder of Uncle Sam, too.

It seems pretty obvious that our "viable" Presidential Choices are being offered by some sleight-of-hand master mind: every option the media presents spells Death; death by communists or traitors or tyrants is still death.

I'm casting my vote for life.

The candidate I want is unlikely to win this election, but I intend more than merely standing or herding with the majority. My vote counts on many fronts. I know it will be heard.

~ God holds us accountable for how we vote -- and how we value the Constitution He inspired. My vote is an act of faith, offered in the hope that I shall receive His blessings as I need them. I expect, in this upcoming Season of Death, that we will all need God's help.

~ Parties get representation and placement based on how many votes are cast for their presidential candidates. The parties note and count up who is voting for whom.

~ To communicate that your party's candidate is too liberal/psychotic/morally unacceptable, vote more conservatively.  Choosing the Democrat option to send a message to the Republican Party has been working so well that we are all in a frenzied dance that moves only to the left! We make changes when we do things differently.

In similar ways, each family holds the key to the trade deficit.

We don't have to wait for convoluted laws with unintended consequences; we can solve problems ourselves. Particularly with food products, not bound by United States safety regulations, simply enact and enforce your own embargo. Growing your own or buying local is better for our economy and for the environment -- shipping US food to China for processing and then shipping it back to sell is bad logistics and can't really be cheaper! Buying fresh and eating local and seasonal foods is arguably a healthier choice for our bodies.

In practice, this may mean deliberately spending a few extra cents for a different brand. It may mean doing research, to find out if specific items "grown in" or "packed for" an address in the United States were actually "processed" abroad. It may mean doing without Happy Meal toys, bound for the landfill anyway. It may even mean eliminating a few Happy Meals, for frozen meats are often processed elsewhere.

Consider what could result if everyone in America swung $20 a month away from foreign products: The trade deficit would dry up. Our children could be meaningfully involved in a patriotic cause. The grip of materialism could be loosened. People would become more confident and capable -- and less motivated or frozen by fear.

Our votes count. Let's vote for life -- at the ballot box and at the stores where we shop.

Photos from sxc.hu. Courtesy of Luis Cuellar and prazert promvong.