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Guest Commentary
When Will Our Leaders Do What's Right for America?
By James L. Lambert
August 2, 2005

(AgapePress) - Several months ago I visited a Toys"R"Us store in Oceanside, California. My wife and I promised our child a toy, and the popular destination was this high-profile toy store. I was amazed to find the toys were almost exclusively made in China. It simply overwhelmed me. It was difficult to find a toy on the shelf that had not been made in mainland China.

This whole episode annoyed me because I realized that when Americans agree to trade agreements with other countries, we seem to always receive the short end of the stick. It wasn't that long ago that Americans were told that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was good for America. At that time our country had a relatively small but positive trade surplus with Mexico. Not anymore! After NAFTA, we now have a huge trade deficit with our neighbor to the south.

This week, with the president's arm twisting, the House of Representatives passed "CAFTA" -- yet another free trade agreement, this time with Central America. I wonder if our leaders really thought this one through. I am beginning to think that our leader's decisions really do not take into consideration what's good for America.

Do Congress and our president think more of striking deals that help some special-interest group or corporation, or are they really looking out for us? I am beginning to think that our leaders are too caught up in the politics of an important decision, like the above, to the point they ignore what is genuinely is in the best interests of the country.

It seems they are not concerned by some very basic economic, social, cultural, and structural problems that are occurring in America. Perhaps common sense is being thrown out the window because overriding factors have too much influence with our leaders. Things like retaining (or obtaining) political power, the influence of lobbyists, and money are taking precedence in our leader's decisions, instead of doing what is best for our country.

Here are some issues and specific examples that I believe are cause for concern:

A huge $7+ trillion federal deficit. (Please refer to the "National Deficit Clock" that appears on Kansas Senator Brownback's website.) Just to regularly service this growing expense, without even paying down the principal, we are now paying hundreds of billions of this country's annual federal budget.

Our leader's lack of resolve in protecting the American workforce is creating a much weaker American middle class which has been traditionally the strength of the American economy. (NAFTA has been a disaster to the American worker.)

Saudi Arabia has been a large supplier of American oil. Yet this same country is the home of the Wahabee sect of Islam, which spawned most of the 9/11 terrorists. Instead of focusing on creating more domestic oil and demanding better fuel efficiency from our automakers, our leaders fail to address this problem head on.

The traditional American family has long been viewed as the stabilizing factor in our culture. Yet our leaders in the U.S. Senate cannot even muster a 51 percent vote (though a 2/3 majority is required) for an amendment supporting traditional marriage between one man and one woman.

Corporate leaders continue to put profits ahead of common sense, placing voluntary limitations of distribution of pornography within their own companies (Cox Communications, Time-Warner Cable, Hilton Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Barnes & Noble Bookstores, most major satellite TV companies, most video/DVD distributors, to name a few).

Corporate executives from Hollywood and record companies care more about profits and "artistic freedom" than some of the negative influences they have on today's youth.

Protecting our borders are no longer a priority for many of our national leaders. They are more worried about political correctness than addressing illegal immigration head on. Our borders must be protected and our leaders need to do what is right for America -- not what is right for Mexico or any other country.

The vast majority of the major media outlets (NY Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Newsweek, Time, LA Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, SF Chronicle, Seattle Times, etc.) will never address the following issues objectively: religion, gay issues, illegal immigration, abortion, the war on terror, the need for morality in our society and culture, etc.. The leaders of the corporate media refuse to get involved. Fairness and objectivity in reporting the news is not a priority to them.

Our leaders should be concerned about the selling out of America. The recent debate over UNOCAL is a prime example. Common sense dictates that American companies should not be sold to a potential American military threat abroad.

Our leaders should recognize the tremendous cost of gambling to society. The government's own commission that studied the problem (during the Clinton years) confirms this fact. Yet our leaders lack resolve to seriously limit the gaming industry.

Corruption of all types -- political, economic, and otherwise -- should be vigorously prosecuted. Our leaders from all persuasions should put an emphasis on this and think of America first. While some progress has been made in this area, corporate and political leaders need to be put on notice that corruption will not be tolerated.

Obviously, we Americans must be vigilant in protecting our freedoms and be willing to stand up to leaders who do not lead. Today, more than ever, we need leaders who will take courageous stands and who are unafraid to oppose those who clearly do not look out for what is good for America.
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James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to AgapePress, is the author of Porn in America (Huntington House), which can be purchased through the American Family Association. He is a licensed real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.