#M111
Questions for the Candidates
Copyright © 2012 James L. Melton
Preached August 19, 2012, Bible Baptist Church, Martin, TN
“Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes,
and I will make them rulers over you” (Deu 1:13)
“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth
over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (II Sam. 23:3)
“For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of
understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged” (Pro. 28:2)
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice:
but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Pro. 29:2)
“Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of
the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business." (Acts 6:3)
More Scripture could be given on this subject, but I think these verses are more than sufficient. God is very clear in stating that people should be careful to elect qualified leaders. With this being a major election year, and with election day rapidly approaching, I believe we might serve ourselves well today by considering a few questions for our political candidates. Whether you ask the questions to the candidates personally or whether you examine the records and speeches of the candidates with these questions in mind, either way these are the kinds of issues that need to be addressed, if we are to see any serious improvements in our country.
I recently heard a Christian say that he had put a certain political candidate on the spot by asking him his position on same sex marriage and abortion. That’s all that matters to some Christians, just one or two moral issues. Well, I’m here to tell you that you could end all same sex marriage in America and end all abortions, and the country would keep right on going down the tube. This nation is heading right into a global, communist-style, big brother government, and it’s going to take a lot more than a few simple-minded Christians to stop it.
If you want some questions to fire at some candidates, I’ll give you some questions that have the potential of making some serious improvements in our nation, if enough people were to get serious about them . . .
1. Do you believe that Sodomy in our nation should be a felony punishable by serving time in a federal penitentiary?
There you go. Now, that’s a serious question. Away with all this tender-footin’ around with “gay marriage” or “gays in the military.” These people are an abomination to God (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Deu. 23:17; Rom. 1:26-27; I Cor. 6:9; Jude 7), and their sin is sin whether they are married or not and whether they are in the military or not. Their so-called “lifestyle” should be illegal from sea to shining sea.
If you think I’m being too harsh, I call your attention to I Kings 15:11-12. Verse eleven says, “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.” That’s verse eleven, and it says that Asa did that which was RIGHT in the eyes of the LORD. Well, what did he do that was right? Verse twelve: “And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.” The issue was not keeping them from getting married or from joining the military. The issue was removing them from the mainstream of society so they couldn’t defile the land and provoke God to wrath with their sin! Yet, we think that we’re really getting tough with these perverts by not letting them marry! What a thing! What a bunch of sissies! Why, if that’s the best we can do, we’re bigger sissies than they are! Get them out of the land, or at least get them quarantined in a federal penitentiary.
2. Do you believe that abortion constitutes an act of murder every time it is performed?
Don’t ask any politician for their “position” on abortion. They’ll just be happy that you didn’t use the “m” word and then verbally dance around like a coward. These people are asking for your vote so that they can pass laws that affect you. Put it to them. If you believe that human life begins at conception (Psa. 139:13-16; 51:5; Pro. 6:16-17), then stop beating around the bush and deal with the real issue. A politician that can’t give you a straight answer to that question isn’t worthy of your vote or anyone else’s.
3. Do you believe the Democrat Party platform and record is socialist in nature and is leading our nation toward communism?
The socialist liberals in this country have been hiding behind that nice-sounding “Democrat” word for far too long. After eight decades of socialist policies being handed to us by the likes of FDR, Lyndon Johnson, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ruth “Buzzi” Ginsburg, President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, there is just no excuse for anyone over forty years of age to think that the Democrat Party is anything other than a power-mad monster set on creating a dependent society that bows down to a big brother government. Some younger folks are still in the learning years and I trust that many of them will get their heads screwed on straight in due time. Like Churchill said, “If you’re twenty years old and conservative, then you don’t have a heart; if you’re forty years old and liberal, then you don’t have a brain.” Amen to that, at least as a general rule. These people who have been voting for the same socialist-style Democrats for forty, fifty, and sixty years are just plain stupid. I don’t care if it’s you, your mother, and your grandmother. Every time these blockheads vote they push America closer to the edge of the cliff, and it’s about time somebody started saying it.
Don’t take this to mean that I am giving Republicans a pass, because I certainly am not. There have been numerous times through the years that I have refused to vote for anyone because the Republican choice was a moderate at best and I didn’t think he had enough fire in him to burn out even an ounce of Washington corruption. If all a man wants to do is “reach across the aisle” in a “bi-partisan” effort to work with Democrats, then I will usually not vote for him. He needs to see the Democrat Party as an enemy that needs to be defeated. It is chock-full of socialists and communists, and “working together” is an out-dated principle that should have been ditched at least twenty years ago. Anyone who disagrees with that is blind and needs to be informed, political candidates included. Friend, we’re in a battle for our nation, not an American Idol episode.
4. What are your plans for balancing the Federal budget and drastically reducing the national debt?
In only thirty years, we have gone from about one trillion dollars of debt to sixteen trillion. Before the 1970’s, the debt stayed between one hundred billion dollars and five hundred billion dollars for several decades. Then it started climbing and hit the one trillion dollar mark in the early eighties. Then two, then three, and so on. George W. Bush and Congress took it from six trillion dollars to eleven trillion dollars in only eight years. Then Obama and Congress took it on up to sixteen trillion dollars in only four years. The Democrats want to blame Republican wars and tax cuts, while the Republicans want to blame Democrat spending. The simple truth is that both are to blame because neither party has been serious about attacking the national debt. Thanks to this bunch of losers, we now have the financial future of our nation resting in the hands of communist China. Wonderful! Brilliant! One would almost think it was planned that way, huh? Has anyone read Proverbs 22:7 lately? How about Deuteronomy 28:12?
If you want a good question for a political candidate, ask him about the national debt. Ask him what he intends to do about it? Ask him if he intends to add to it with more spending to appease his voting base, or does he intend to upset the Washington apple cart by exposing wasteful spending and working to cut it from the budget.
5. What will you do to make us less dependant on foreign oil?
“Well, we need to work closely together with the EPA and our environmental organizations to ensure that we maintain the highest standards in protecting and preserving our land and water for our children.” That’s hogwash. No true American needs to “work closely together” with any of these environmental nuts. These people are nothing more than communist-minded regulators who want to regulate American businesses out of business and bankrupt the country so that their dream of a “global community” can be realized. You know, “Imagine there's no countries . . . It isn't hard to do . . . Nothing to kill or die for . . . And no religion too . . . Imagine all the people . . . Living life in peace...” (John Lennon) That’s what they want, and a politician who doesn’t realize that doesn’t need to be in office.
We need to start drilling for American oil at rocket speed, which will eventually bring the price of gas down to under a dollar a gallon, which lowers the price of transportation, which lowers the price of just about everything you buy—while creating jobs for hundreds of thousands of Americans. A politician who doesn’t understand that doesn’t deserve your vote.
6. What is your answer to the health care needs in America?
If he suggests any kind of government program, then he isn’t worthy of your vote. We have more government programs right now than we can keep up with, and they’ve done nothing but give us a $16,000,000,000,000 national debt and bunch of dead beats who sit around waiting for the next government handout instead of getting out and making their own way. There are something like two thousand government programs in existence today. I know that some are necessary, but most of them are not, and we sure don’t need any more.
The answer to the health care “crisis” in America is simply less government and less regulation. I think it’s called free enterprise, or freedom. I know that’s a foreign concept to some people, but it has been known to work when tried. Freedom will open up the market for competition among health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies, which means the paying customer will get the best deal, not the crooks in Washington who never cease in their lust for more power. Government programs and regulations only complicate things and empower the politicians. Anyone running for office ought to know that very well, and he doesn’t deserve your vote, if he doesn’t know it.
7. Would you support a constitutional amendment that requires voters to pass an informed voter qualification test?
It was never the intention of our founders to allow ignorant people to vote. If we’re going to fix this country, we’re going to have to stop stupid people from voting. After all, every time you cast your vote, some welfare bum comes along and cancels it with his vote for whichever socialist politician promises him the most in government hand-outs. This trend has grown to the point to where over forty percent of Americans receive some form of government benefit, and the number is increasing rapidly as the government grows and the private sector shrinks. We can’t keep this up without breaking the financial backbone of our nation (or at least what’s left of it).
In addition to the three present voting requirements (be a citizen, be 18, and be registered), I propose that we add two more requirements. One is that no one receiving free government benefits has a right to vote on the basis that such voting constitutes a conflict of interest. If you receive Social Security benefits that you paid in, then you can vote. But if you are drawing a check for sitting on the sofa and watching Oprah, then you are not a productive member of society, and you have no business voting. You can be a citizen, yes, but you cannot vote, just as a dependent child or an imprisoned convict cannot vote. No politician will endorse that plan, but it would be an interesting proposition to throw at them. Amen?
The second requirement that I propose is a voting booth test. When you step up to feel all good and patriotic about yourself at the voting booth, you must answer about ten random questions out of a pool of about one thousand questions on American history, the U. S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and so forth. If you can’t pass the test—say 7 out of 10 correct answers—then you can’t vote. That will put a dead stop to these ignorant fools dragging their dead carcasses into the voting booths every election day and pushing our nation closer to the edge of the cliff.
I know this sounds extreme, but that’s only because no politician has the guts to endorse such a plan. You and I both know that it is high time for something like this to be done. Major voter reform is absolutely essential to the survival of this nation. Don’t vote for any politician who disagrees.
8. What are your views on gun control in America?
True Americans believe strongly in our second amendment right to bear arms, and I don’t care what kind of arms it is. If you want to buy and keep an AK-47, then you have that right. The second amendment doesn’t specify or eliminate any particular kind of arms. If you want a cannon sitting in your front yard, then more power to you. Just don’t point it at my house. These people who say that they believe in the right to bear arms in one breath and then start making exceptions in the next breath are a dangerous bunch. Where do you draw the line? That’s just it: you don’t draw the line—the special interest groups and the politicians draw the line, and you can bet your boots that they will draw it way to close for comfort. The best rule is the second amendment, plain and simple.
You know, I read in my Bible that when the Philistines wanted to keep Israel in bondage, they issued very tight regulation (there’s that word is again) on things that could be used as weapons (I Sam. 13:19-20). If you give these politicians the power, they will regulate you out of every ounce of self defense that you have. As the saying goes, “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” If Washington wants to regulate someone, let them regulate the criminals by arresting them, convicting them, and then keeping them behind bars. That’s what we pay them to do. We don’t pay them to take away our guns. Any decent candidate for office will agree with that.
9. What is your position concerning Israel, the “Palestinians,” and the Arab nations of the Middle East?
Now, I’ll not go into a long thing on this subject since most Bible-believing Christians know that Israel is God’s covenant nation, and that God has promised to bless those that bless the Jews and to curse those that curse the Jews (Gen. 12:1-3). If you have a problem with that, then you have a problem with God, and you probably have several more problems that you haven’t even figured out yet. Anti-semitism is spreading around the world like wildfire, so God is getting ready to set the world on fire, and this country will be caught up in that fire, if we continue to weaken our stand with Israel in her hour of need. As you know, the Arab world is dead set on Israel’s annihilation. Any politician who speaks of “peace talks” with terrorist-minded nations and organizations is a blind fool and unworthy of your vote. Israel is our friend, and we must stand with Israel against all foreign aggressors as often as possible. Never vote for anyone who disagrees.
10. Would you favor a Constitutional amendment that pulls the United States out of the United Nations and keeps us out?
We’ve also been through this before, so I’ll be brief. The highest governing authority that God has ever ordained on this earth is national authority. He never gave one ounce of global authority to any human being because that authority belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That’s why God judged the humanistic builders at Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), and he plainly told us in Deuteronomy 32:8 that he divided the nations and separated the sons of Adam. Any effort to bring nations together under one governing authority is purely Satanic and will be eventually ruled over by the son of Satan, the Antichrist (Rev. 13). Don’t you think that our elected officials ought to know that? Don’t you think that they should understand that America’s greatest blessings came when we stood head and shoulders above all other nations instead of trying to chop ourselves down to their level? I think they should know it, because the last thing we need in Washington is another global-minded, New World Order advocate who thinks that America is no better than any other nation. We are far better than other nations, which is why we have enjoyed the blessings of God. But those blessings are fading away, and they will continue to fade if we don’t start getting tough with these politicians and holding their feet to the fire of some very serious issues.
If you want to get involved in the political system, more power to you. But don’t go to a gun fight with a water pistol. Load up, friend, and do some serious battle for the glory of God and for your country.