Loren Lippincott
Voting has begun! Early voting began Oct. 7 in Nebraska, but the sad fact of this or any other election is that nationally only 67 percent of the population who are eligible to vote are actually registered to vote, meaning 33 percent of Americans are not registered to vote! During a presidential year like this one, only 54 percent (of the registered 67 percent) actually cast their ballots. This means only 36 percent of the total adult population votes in a presidential election and that 18 percent of the population actually decides the winner. Those statistics highlight just how much your vote matters!
Here are some real world election numbers that will underscore my point. Consider in the 2020 election Joe Biden won three states by only .03 percent of the vote and Donald Trump won three states by only .06 percent of the vote. You may remember the 2000 election where George W. Bush won by 537 votes in Florida out of the 100 million votes cast nationwide. In 2008 Al Franken won election to the U.S. Senate by 312 votes in Minnesota, Sen. Harry Reid won in Nevada by 428 votes in 1998 and incumbent U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota defeated challenger John Thune in 2002 by a mere 524 votes. Closer to our area, a multi-million dollar school bond passed in Genoa recently by a single vote!
When choosing a candidate one needs to look at the policies and principles held by that candidate. More importantly one needs to ask, does the candidate have a record that shows he or she can put those words into action and get the job done. As we have seen on the national level, the president, as head of the executive branch, wields a great deal of power through military might, fiscal policy and moral and judicial leadership.
In considering the candidates for that position in the upcoming election let’s compare and contrast the policies of Harris/ Walz and Trump/Vance: Harris opposes laws protecting kids from radical gender ideology, Trump supports them. Harris opposes serious border security, Trump supports it. Harris opposes cutting your taxes, Trump supports it. Harris opposes parental rights and school choice, Trump supports it. Harris opposes promotion by merit over diversity, equity and inclusion, Trump supports merit. Harris opposes a strong national defense, Trump supports it. Harris supports the World Health Organization Pandemic Treaty (which attacks the sovereignty of the U.S.). Trump opposes it. Harris opposes protecting free speech, Trump supports it. Harris opposes defending religious liberty, Trump supports it. Harris opposes second amendment rights, Trump supports them. Harris opposes judges who respect the constitution, Trump supports them. Harris opposes strong support for Israel, Trump supports Israel. Harris supports abortion at any stage of pregnancy, Trump appointed the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. Harris opposes de-funding Planned Parenthood, Trump supports it. (There is supporting evidence for each of the above statements.)
Then let’s look at the economy. Government numbers show inflation is up over 18 percent under Biden/Harris. Food prices are up over 34 percent, energy costs are up over 33 percent and the cost of housing is up over 19 percent. Under the Biden/Harris Administration, illegal aliens from 168 of the world’s 195 countries have poured into the U.S. over the past three years. Well over 25 million illegals are now here with hundreds of thousands of them having been convicted of very serious crimes. Meanwhile, 325,000 children have been lost at the border while there are reports of women being repeatedly raped and countless others sold as sex slaves.
This seemingly intentional neglect of our immigration laws by the current administration constitutes a crime and runs counter to the basic charge of a government’s charter which is to keep its citizens safe. The Biden/Harris team has gravely failed at this basic duty. Many say it is their intention to garner votes from these new people in our country and, in fact, the data shows new citizens vote Democrat 70 percent of the time. Another telling fact is that our government is giving four times the amount of money to illegals coming across the border than to our desperate fellow countrymen who are victims of Hurricane Helene which caused havoc recently in the Southeast.
As Ronald Reagan asked when he was running against Jimmy Carter in 1980, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Is your buying power the same? Are your neighborhood and country safer? Is the world a safer place, or more dangerous? Is justice (as it is being meted out by the Justice Department) blind or biased?
If the answer is no, then get out Nov. 5 and vote because your vote matters!
It’s not enough to just talk a good conservative game, you must get on the field and get involved and that starts by exercising your right to vote. As Andrew Carnegie said, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”
Loren Lippincott represents Legislative District 34 in the Nebraska State Senate. Read his column in the Nance County Journal.