To my fellow Americans who chose to pull the lever for our current President:

Will you be able to look your children in the eyes and know that your vote helped further saddle them with a debt they won’t likely pay off in their lifetimes, let alone allow them a shot at unbridled, unabashed success?

What our nation has done, through its bailouts; through its stimulus; through its massive, insatiable spending is tantamount to maxing out your credit cards buying Band-Aids to put over a deep tissue gouge. The United States of America has maxed out its income, its credit card, and has taken out loans with your future as collateral, to pay for temporary solutions today. Let’s return to that deep tissue gouge for a moment. It’s certainly easier to cover it up and throw some ice on it than it is to go to the hospital and have the doctor pull that needle and thread through your flesh over and over again until the gouge is sewn up. Only then can it begin to heal. The former is what we’ve done to the auto industry; to the financial industry- and every other bailout and subsidy to come down the pike with this administration. You see- the stimulus merely slapped a Band-Aid on each one of those situations. But kiddos- the gangrene is coming because the PROBLEM is still there. The reasons for a business or industry failing are still there. Bailouts did not address those issues. They merely bought time.

Much like bailouts thrown at failing businesses, handouts in record numbers are being given to a group of Americans who can no longer find work in this economy (thanks now to Obama’s, not just Bush’s policies), as well as people who have now become complacent with government as their breadwinner. Except it’s not some benevolent king sitting on a stockpile of gold coins, doling it out to the destitute–it’s YOU and ME when we open up our paychecks and see that we’re getting a little less each time while the government gets a little more. You see, we’ve reached a point in our history where the takers now outnumber the makers; those who pay no federal income taxes nearly outnumber those who do. Ladies and gentlemen, while we enjoy our handouts, KNOW that the bill is coming due.

Let me explain myself with an example. Doubtless you all remember the devastating 2004 tsunami in Thailand. There is a video from an upper floor of an oceanside hotel where the tourists begin filming a strange phenomenon. The water began to drastically recede, revealing a unique view of the ocean floor most don’t get to see. People are seen venturing out, further and further, collecting shells and other interesting objects from the ocean floor. No one is paying attention to why the water is receding- they’re only interested in the newly revealed ocean floor. Suddenly, those filming the video see the wave. Gasping, they yell to no avail to the fools on the exposed ocean floor, but it is too late. The immense wall of water is coming, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. They watch in horror as it overtakes the people as it crashes across sand and into the towns to lay destruction upon them. The beach goers got their sea floor treasures. . . at the cost of their lives. Nobody thought to ask WHY the water was receding, thus no one thought of the consequences of venturing out so far.

Am I saying that we’re going to DIE as a result of this election? Of course not. (And if you thought that’s what I meant- close this page. Seriously.) No- rather the foolish tourists venturing out to explore the exposed ocean floor represents our expectation as a nation that we can keep spending like we do without questioning what the cost is. The wave represents the bill. It IS coming.

By electing this president once again, America reaffirmed its desire to keep venturing farther out onto that ocean floor. My fear, truly- is that there will not be enough time to deal with our actions before the wave comes- a which point it is too late. I have written these words so many times that it seems my fingers and the keyboard have it fully memorized. I thought that the more I showed my fellow Americans the truth about this administration’s dismal record, they would become convinced that reelecting him would be dangerous. How many times have I said this? I’m tired of the words. This president called George Bush’s debt immoral, yet he alone has accumulated more debt than all the presidents from George Washington to Bill Clinton COMBINED. Each and every one of us now owes just a little over $50,000 of the national debt. Our government only takes in 6 billion dollars a day, yet spends 10 billion. We were promised lower unemployment numbers, and yet we’re still worse off than under Bush. We have astronomical numbers of food stamp recipients and Americans below the poverty line. And even worse- we have members of our legislature claiming that food stamp recipient increases was a way to grow jobs. Gas prices are up from $1.73 in 2008 to a national average of $3.46. The president rammed his healthcare plan through without a single solitary vote from the other side. With this same healthcare plan we were told that this would actually bring costs of insurance down; meanwhile, not only are employers DROPPING coverage in order to stay solvent, but those of us lucky enough to have insurance have seen our premiums go UP. (Personal note: I’m now paying biweekly what I used to pay MONTHLY, in a comparison between pre-Obamacare passage and post-Obamacare passage) We’ve seen this president capitulate to our enemies while openly snubbing our allies. We were systematically lied to about Benghazi, as our President and his spokespeople openly denied the fact that it was a terrorist attack; meanwhile we discover that it not only was, but they were receiving blow-by-blow video feed of the attack, and yet they let four Americans die. This has been the most divisive presidency we’ve seen in generations, as this man has pitted American against American by drawing a line in the sand with race and economic status; even telling voters that “voting was the best revenge.” Revenge against what, Mr. President? You and your party have been in power the last four years! I really could go on, but I frankly don’t feel like it. The aforementioned should be enough to fire ANYONE, especially the man tasked with leading our nation.

To be certain, we can hold out a hope that the next four years the President will reach across the aisle (which, incidentally he virtually hasn’t done much of). But if he didn’t do it in the 4 years during which reelection hung over his head, what would possess him to do it now that he has nothing to fear from voters? He doesn’t have to worry about appeasing a middle-of-the-road crowd anymore…he’s already won. I’m not holding my breath for any bipartisan action from this White House. Incidentally- why is it that it’s always the GOP that must capitulate and compromise? Why, when bipartisanship is discussed, it’s always those of us on the RIGHT who must shift? I remind you those of you who talk about how little the Congress works with White House, that the President had two full years with both the House and the Senate to do whatever he wanted, and he chose to push Obamacare through. The House, once won by the GOP, then put forward bills, such as that crafted by Paul Ryan, to deal with the financial crisis, yet the Democrat-run Senate flatly refused to hear them. Why, then-is it always the right that must cave? Enough.

For me- this realization that we had begun to lose what we were came in 2008 with the election of a man not even qualified to serve as a CEO; let alone hold the most powerful office in the world. I was consoled somewhat by the fact that many people chose him out of a desire to be part of history; that is, that they didn’t really choose him out of an appreciation of policy. Then came Obamacare, rammed through in the dead of night without a single Republican vote, and I thought of the nationalized health care system under which I lived for three years in Mexico, and under which my husband lived for most of his life–where Mexicans lucky enough to have enough money to use the expensive private hospitals can do so; otherwise they must take a number (literally) and wait. And then came last night- and it became crystal clear. In the face of everything I just discussed- America chose to reelect the most unsuccessful, irresponsible president our nation has ever seen. They bought his unabashed lies about Mitt Romney, and chose to ignore the president’s own record.

I grieved- honestly- and I’m still a bit shocked. The idea that we would elect a man who, as part of his shameful presidential legacy, has become the only president endorsed by the Communist Party of America among other radical groups- was just unfathomable. Why are these endorsements important? A group does not publicly endorse unless it feels that the endorsed holds beliefs that will further that group’s stated goals. The reality is what it is, however- and America chose. It chose the permissive parent willing to give the child whatever he or she wants regardless of consequences. And honestly- this is human nature. Who votes out a gift-giving Santa Claus in favor of a guy telling them that they should be their OWN Santa Claus? This is exactly what happened- it was a choice between the American-dream concept of creating your own prosperity versus having the government create a false sense of it for you.

I’ve moved beyond sadness, however, and I refuse to let this government define my patriotism. I refuse to let this government define my future. The famous scene of the Pearl Harbor epic “Tora! Tora! Tora!” in which Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is depicted after the attack has been running through my head all day. Though this is the stuff of Hollywood- the words ring true nonetheless: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” I am filled with just such a resolve.

We cannot spend ourselves rich. We cannot protect ourselves by pleasing our enemies. We cannot help the poor by making the rich poor as well. It’s just as simple as that. We became the greatest nation on earth for a reason, and I’m not about to let that slip away.

Along with the likely fictitious quote from the Japanese Admiral, Esther 4:14 has been running through my mind as well. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

We were all born in this generation for a reason- for such a time as this. And like many generations before us have been tasked with defending our principles and our freedoms abroad, ours has been tasked with defending it here at home. For we must remember this:

“A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have….”-Thomas Jefferson