COMMUNITY COMMENTARY
by Jim Wagoner We patriots of Maui expected November 6th to be a wondrous day in our lives . It would be a day of remembrance – similar to Neil Armstrong ’ s walk on the moon . We expected there would be toasts and merriment with high expectation for the good of mankind and the future of America . Our many upcountry conservatives gathered in the conference auditorium of Grace Church in Pukalani , bringing their own special family food delights to the loaded banquet table . Within minutes of the time Sue and I were seated , candidate Mitt Romney conceded the election to President Obama . My disappointment was one of the saddest moments of my life . The realization that conservatives , Christians in particular , had just suffered a terrible defeat . I was in no mood to commiserate with others or have dinner . We left within an hour and that beautiful banquet table had hardly been touched . Two months later , I am not debating the election . President Obama will be our president for the next four years . Yet in my humble way of thinking , I honestly can ’ t make myself believe that the state of Wisconsin went Democrat . Please consider Wisconsin ’ s recent history with me : Governor Scott Walker survived a recall election five months prior to the presidential election . He is the only Governor ever to sustain his office from a recall election and he did it by garnering 53 % of the votes cast . Governor Walker and President Obama represent such opposite values , I can ’ t imagine any
It ’ s Hard to Believe
of that 53 % voting for President Obama . In passing , Walker turned a $ 3.6 billion deficit into a surplus his first year in office . Further consider that Tommy Thompson was once elected to four straight terms as the Governor of Wisconsin . He was their statesman of renown and competed for an open U . S . Senate seat . He was beaten by a three term U . S . House member with no legislative achievement . Her claim to fame was that she was the first “ outed ” lesbian in congress . How thrilling . Finally consider Wisconsin ’ s native son Congressman Paul Ryan . Ryan is well recognized as one of the world ’ s most brilliant intellects in economics . And there is more to respect , Paul Ryan was selected to run for Vice President of the United States . Guess what ? The state of Wisconsin voted for Joe Biden . This is incomprehensible . I don ’ t believe for a minute the vote tally for Wisconsin was correct . Also consider the state of Florida that went Democrat . This is the land of Jeb Bush – an honest man with tons of energy who turned the state upside down with his 8 years in office . Florida achieved great strides of prosperity under his leadership . Foremost in his bio however is that Jeb Bush took a broken school system , like Hawaii ’ s own , from a state ranking in the high 40s to one of the top three in the nation . Connie Mack IV , is also a Floridian – a more pleasing or powerful name cannot be imagined for a politician . His father Connie Mack III , served 4 years in the US House and
12 years in the US Senate . Presently Mack the Fourth , has served 6 years in the US House . His record of getting votes shows an average of 65.2 % of votes cast . As a congressman he was an outspoken opponent of federal bailouts , he was a supporter for cutting federal spending , he co-sponsored an amendment to the constitution that required a “ balanced budget ”, and he was a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge . In my register he did everything right . Yet he was defeated by Senator Bill Nelson , a career politician , with nothing to show for his 24 years in Washington DC . Senator Nelson ’ s single claim to fame is that he once hitched a ride on the space shuttle Columbia for 6 days as a payload specialist . If he were a Republican , he would be my number one RINO . As Florida is the land of Jeb Bush , it is also the land of Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Rick Scott . Senator Rubio is the nearest thing to a Jack Kennedy I ’ ve ever witnessed . And yes , this rising Republican Star can talk too . In Governor Rick Scott we have something special . Upon finishing high school he joined the Navy . After completing his enlistment , he went to college and on to law school on the GI Bill . Governor Scott ’ s motto agenda is to insure that every family in Florida has the same opportunity to live the American dream , to provide children an opportunity for an education and every adult an opportunity to a job . Right on Governor . Like Wisconsin , I can ’ t believe that Florida
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Pono Press , March 2013 , Page 7