Is Donald Trump changing right before our eyes? He appears to be a more serious candidate in remarks to the press. After the last debate, Trump appears more interested in policy than his opponents. He never ceases to surprise me.
Saturday Trump was scheduled to appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC; he has withdrawn. Although “conservatives” and the media do not describe it in this manner, CPAC is a meeting of Republicans who are not allowed to stray from their party’s format. There is no room for individuality if you want to receive this groups approval.
It was announced today that Trump will appear at rallies in Kansas and Florida.
“Because of this, he will not be able to speak at CPAC as he has done for many consecutive years,” the campaign said. “Mr. Trump would like to thank Matt Schlapp and all of the executives at CPAC and looks forward to returning to next year, hopefully as president of the United States.”
Trump has been a popular speaker at the gathering. His tirades resulted in an emotional response from those attending, and were often the highlight of the ‘white man’s event.’
In an unrelated story, Trump has recanted his statements about torture and killing the families of terrorists. After much criticism from former intelligence officials, he offered the following statements.
Trump said “that the United States is bound by laws and treaties” and that he would “not order our military or other officials to violate those laws and will seek their advice on such matters.”
He added, “I will not order a military officer to disobey the law. It is clear that as president I will be bound by laws just like all Americans and I will meet those responsibilities.”
Who is Donald Trump? Is he the man who attracts large crowds of supporters with outrageous rhetoric, or is he a man who has realized that he could actually become the President of the United States, and is accepting the fact that a huge responsibility could be his in the near future?
Rubio and Cruz have already criticized him for not attending CPAC, claiming that he is not a true conservative. That would be a good thing for the Republican Party, and our nation’s people. America does not need conservatives or reactionaries; we need a Republican who believes in personal freedom and less government control of our lives.
For those of us who want to see our nation move forward, ‘conservative’ has become a synonym with obstructionism. The political definition of a conservative is: “Tending to emphasize the importance of personal responsibility and traditional values and to oppose depending on government for social services.”
The latter part of this definition is where the falsehoods begin. Extremists in the Republican Party, led by Ted Cruz, want to remove all social programs. However, he supports the one-percent and its efforts to increase profits while the middle class is disappearing, and income inequality grows.
Taxes paid to the federal government should be returned to the people. In the beginning of our nation, individuals did not pay taxes directly to the federal government. They were taxed by their states, which in turn paid taxes to the federal government so that it could maintain a standing army, and conduct business and negotiations with other nations.
The government now forces the American people to pay directly into its ‘coffers’ where it wastes nearly 50 percent of taxes. We have a bloated Defense Department, overpaid legislators, and many of our tax dollars are spent supporting other nations; not the American people.
Conservatism has failed the American people.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Photo Courtesy of Gage Skidmore
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