OPINION:
Donald Trump was not my first choice for Republican presidential candidate. He was not even my 10th choice. I have made the decision not to vote for him. But the current Democratic administration has left our country and the world worse off than we were eight years ago. Americans feel that the world is a more dangerous place. For too many the standard of living has declined. A greater number are worried about the future for their children and grandchildren.
My vote this November is for the thousands of appointments that will be made by the next chief executive. I am voting for the new cabinet members and the hundreds of presidential appointments that will run the federal bureaucracy. I am voting for a U.S. Supreme Court that will be majority-conservative for at least the next generation. I am voting for stronger illegal-immigration enforcement, less federal regulation of local school boards, more affordable health-care coverage, an opportunity to lift more Americans out of poverty, stronger support for our police officers, a more effective plan to defeat terrorists and keep America safe, a more robust economy and more. Most importantly I am casting my vote for better future for my grandchildren.
Governing, like football, is a team activity. On Nov. 8, 2016, either the Republican team or the Democratic team is going to win. Pick a team. The choice is Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump for general manager of the executive branch until Jan. 2021. If you are of the never-Trump-and-can’t-vote-for-Clinton variety, you have made the decision to sit on the bench and let the voters who have taken the field decide your future for you.
Remember the words of Teddy Roosevelt: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” If you are not in the game, you have no right to complain about the next president for the next four years.
ED NICHOLS
Montgomery Village
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