How optimistic are you about America's future? Are you happy with the direction our country is heading? Consider the following:
Our country borrows at a rate of over $3 billion per day.
For every $1 created in economic growth, $7 has been added to the debt in the last four years.
Unemployment has been above 8 percent the past four years. (The actual unemployment rate is above 11 percent if you factor in those who have quit looking for a job.)
47 percent of Americans pay no income tax.
49 percent of Americans live in a home receiving federal assistance.
32 million Americans were on food stamps in 2009. There are now 47 million Americans on food stamps.
The new health care law plans to extend coverage to 30 million uninsured and it is yet unknown how costly this will be for families and businesses, as well as our country. (Remember, more government spending equals more government debt.)
Not only is the new health care law frightening from an economic standpoint, as a Catholic, I am deeply concerned with how this law attacks our religious freedom. As part of Obamacare, almost every health insurance plan will be required to cover FDA-approved contraception and sterilization services, as well as drugs that can induce abortions. These services are to be provided without copay, coinsurance or deductible, even for employers who morally oppose abortion and contraception (such as church-sponsored and affiliated enterprises).
I realize there are many complex issues to consider when deciding who to vote for, from the presidential level to local races. There are no perfect candidates or perfect answers. We have to be very careful when casting our votes, weighing carefully the facts and stated positions of candidates, as well as their moral fiber and past decisions and "track records," and make an educated decision as to whom will best lead our federal, state and local governments. As for myself, I fear for the future of our country if the above trends continue. High unemployment, increasingly larger government spending, attacks on our religious freedoms and bigger government (to mention a few) have been hallmarks of the last four years. President Barack Obama has said he supports further stimulus spending which would add to our ever-growing national debt. He does not have Americans' religious freedoms in his best interest, and his concern with life issues, such as abortion, is to figure out a way to make those of us who believe it is morally wrong pay for the taking of human lives whether we want to or not.
America has suffered enough from "hope and change."
Wendy Weingart,
Tiffin
