I found this posted by a blogger on WashingtonPost.com and had to bring this over.  This really says a lot.

Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day– and on July 4 I celebrate America’s. This year is Special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped communist Cuba and a few months later I was in The United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress. I’ve thought a lot about the anniversary this year because the election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there.

In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought
Cuba needed a change, and they were right. When a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive and when the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They did not question who his friends were or what he believed in because when he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone agreed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said ‘Praise the Lord.’ And when the young leader said, ‘I will bring you change,’ everyone yelled, ‘Viva Fidel!’

Unfortunately nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner’s guns went silent the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was fully implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over — more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes.

You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I’m back to the beginning of my story.

This is an election year and I wonder .. can Americans fall for a young charismatic leader who promises change – without demanding full disclosure of what changes he will make .. how they will be carried out and what it will cost America?

Can THAT happen in America? Will it?

Manuel Alvarez Jr.
Sandy Hook, VA

This sounds very much like Obama.  He spouts things that polls show the majority want to hear, but never really states the cost or the ultimate effect.  It’s time to look at reality, what can the candidates do that will actually really help our country and what will the cost to the people of the U.S. be.  Change for change’s sake is not good.  Positive, efficient and effective policies are what we should be looking too.

Penalizing the oil companies won’t make them act differently, especially when history shows that companies usually end up passing most or all of those costs onto consumers.  Throwing billions of dollars at energy research without requiring results will only produce well paid executives and better-than-expected earnings reports.  Nationalizing health care may help a certain income level of people but by raising the taxes on the majority of the people that already have it and, if other countries that already have national health care are any indicator ( and they should be ), provide a lower overall ability to provide quality health care in a timely manner.

You may not be enthusiastic about Senator McCain’s ideas but his ideas are solid, responsible, positive ideas that are based in reality.  I, personally, like many of his ideas, that’s me, that’s my right.  It’s your right to disagree with me but is your argument for disagreeing voting for someone who is too inexperienced (or just out of touch with reality), or to work with a President who has a track record of solid ideas and is willing to work on compromises that allow both sides of the isle to come to an acceptable outcome.

Granted the story above has very little chance of becoming that extreme in the U.S. but why would you even want to take a step down that road?