He's not bright, but he espouses our values

Recent articles have given Republican candidates a failing grade by economics professors on their knowledge of basic economic principles. These same men and women are supposed to be the very people that lead us out of the deepest recession since the great depression. Similar, huge gaffs about the constitution, American and foreign history, military and nuclear capability, and  foreign affairs are minor speed bumps in a candidate's pursuit of the highest office in the land. Our focus instead is on how well the candidate conforms to our own personal belief systems, leading us down such valuable paths as prior infidelities, personal associations, and the house that they worship in. It's as if we think we can actually judge the character of a person through the lens of the media and the candidate's handlers. If the candidate reminds us of Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies because he has a nice smile, then he must be the sort of honest man that we need in the White House. It's just amazing the amount of distrust there is for highly intelligent people leading the way. We'd rather have George W telling us about the "nucular" threat from "eye-rack" because it's some dark force, in some distant land that we can rally against. No mention that it's complete hogwash.

It's time that we become more of a Rational Nation and make both our leaders today and those that want to be leaders prove their worthiness. Don't tell us how bad the plans of another are until better plans can be brought to light. Don't just say that your plan is better, but have firm data, from actual experts in the field can back you up. 9-9-9 is not a plan, it's a prescription for 9-1-1 which will require economic defibrillation. We deserve better than the load of horse-manure that we're being force fed. It's a simple economic model; we spend far more than we take in. We can either take a page from Greece or learn to spend only what we take in. With the expenses of Social Security, medicare/medicaid, defense, and servicing the national debt eclipsing all other expenses, these seem to be issues to address. If there's a candidate that proposes a balanced economic plan for these items, he can surely resolve the rest of the budget. A Rational Nation wants to vote on a well-thought-out plan, not hear about your faith journey. We want our children to live in the land of opportunity, not to serve the masters of our debts, made by ignorant parents. If the plan requires personal sacrifice, then let us plan ahead for it.

Be bold and demand the best from our elected officials because a Rational Nation requires it.