Waiting

I'm waiting - tapping-my-foot-with-a-scowl waiting - for the Republicans to develop a cohesive platform to appeal to the current yearn for stability. Despite the opinion from Washington, the American people are not stupid.

So far, all they have from the Republicans in the way of a direction is "Obama's messing up real bad, don't you think?". Obviously, they need more.

While we're waiting, let me offer my platform thoughts:

1. NATIONAL ECONOMY ... Transform the economy to a wealth-creation engine. Shifting dollars from one class to another doesn't create wealth, it simply shifts it to pockets of lower efficiency. It's like using one credit card to pay another - all you get is escalating interest payments! We need to emphasize production on US soil to create jobs, and everyone knows this takes less government, not more.

2. NATIONAL SAFETY ... How do we want to defend the country? How will we keep it safe from assault? From terrorism? From illegal immigration? Which alliances are strategic for America? How will we maintain a vibrant transportation and energy infrastructure?

3. NATIONAL FOCUS ... Put another way, what services can government afford to deliver for the citizenry under the view of a balanced budget (today, not in 10-15 years!)? When we slice the pie, how much goes to health care, education, and social services? How do we scale back violent assaults on the culture, such as abortion-on-demand?

I'd like to see a systematic program from a candidate who has the resolve and common-sense to tackle these basic issues.