Two Bad Directions for our Country

It seems that whenever politicians speak, it makes me more likely to vote for their opponents.  It seems that the two most likely winners of the upcoming presidential election are likely to take our country in two wrong directions.

Barack Obama gave a speech in Detroit where he expressed complete and total certainty that people arguing for right to work laws were not expressing an economic opinion but a political one.  According to him we need to fight to make sure that union workers are able to legally prevent non-union workers from competing with them.  We should ignore any argument that the legal strengthening of unions during the 1930's was partially responsible for extended unemployment during that decade.  We should dismiss the naysayers who believe that making government bigger is harmful.  These are people who argue that the best days of America are behind us and don't want to rebuild the country.

On the other hand we have Rick Perry, unfortunately the most likely Republican nominee.  On the bright side he wants to reduce the size of government.  He has a good record of using the veto in Texas and would likely use it at the national level.  It is difficult to see him as someone who would come up with a new social program, which is not something that the Republicans should be doing.  The Republicans are supposed to be the party interested in reducing the size of government, not looking for new things that government can do.

What is unfortunate is that he seems intent on using the power of government to restrict choices that people make in their personal lives.  While his vetoes will likely benefit our country, he is likely to nominate justices to the Supreme Court that support these restrictions.  He openly opposes the theory of evolution.  This is not someone we should want to place in charge of a department of education.

In general Republican candidates have shown little interest in cutting military spending.  Much like the issue of smaller government, there is little evidence to show a major difference between the two parties on this issue.  Democrats have often increased "defense" spending.  I have heard very little from Rick Perry to indicate that he believes that we need a smaller military.  I believe that he supports a mission for our military that is broader than the one that I would support.  The same goes for Barack Obama.