Speaking as someone who keeps a close watch on the polls, both nationally and in the swing states, I must confess to our readers today that I find myself swerving from feelings of depression to despair. There was even one poll this morning suggesting that Kamala Harris could be leading Donald Trump nationally by as much as four points. There is a growing temptation to simply begin banging my head against the wall and screaming out to the heavens, "How can this possibly be happening?" But I would ask everyone, regardless of your party preference or affiliation, to put aside all thoughts of former President Trump for just a moment. Some of you love him, some of you hate him, and an alarming number of you don't seem to give a hoot one way or the other. To a lesser degree, we could say the same about Kamala Harris. This isn't a question specific to either candidate. We should be focusing more on that group of people who simply don't want to engage in the control of our own destiny as a nation.

The analysts from Clarity Campaign Labs (who have an impressive record for accuracy) recently released their first anticipated voter turnout model for 2024. Shockingly, they see turnout being even lower than in 2020, potentially not even reaching 60 percent of eligible voters. That means that barely half of the people who are eligible to vote will even bother showing up. How is that even possible, particularly given the current state of the nation and, indeed, the entire world? Are there that many people across the United States who simply don't care where we are heading? Or are they just not interested in participating because they assume that everything will be fine if they leave matters in the hands of others simply because everything has always seemed to work out in the past?

The problem with an assumption such as that is we are living in what can only be described as unprecedented times. (And I've seen more than my fair share of those "times" as the years have passed.) Let's start with the one issue that should be at the forefront of everyone's concerns because it impacts almost all of the others. That would be immigration. We are not simply dealing with massive numbers of people entering our country illegally, though we clearly are. We're dealing with the virtual elimination of our borders. Without borders, you don't have a nation. And the Democrats at the DNC are currently rolling out a plan to make this a permanent condition by legalizing every one of the more than ten million illegal aliens in our nation. There are two ways to curb massive illegal immigration. One is to secure the borders and begin unprecedented deportation. The other is to cause conditions in the United States to deteriorate so badly that fewer people will seek to come here. We are currently well on our way to accomplishing the latter.

Then there is the issue of taxes imposed by a centralized government. The founders hated the idea, but that reluctance has faded into the mist in the modern era. This is a topic that divides the two parties historically, but not by all that much. The government continues to plot ways to increase the taxes and fees that we all pay to the point where only the wealthiest of the elite can afford to scrape by with more than the bare minimum. Kamala Harris just endorsed a plan that would impose a tax of 25% on money you haven't even made yet. The government is currently working through a process that will keep taxing people until there is no middle class. Why would that be acceptable to anyone, regardless of their party preference?

Let's turn our attention to the subject of crime, something that our nation has traditionally taken seriously. That's not the case anymore. It has become increasingly trendy in certain circles to take the side of criminals over the law-abiding and to blame law enforcement for our woes rather than thanking them for their sacrifices. You can't maintain a functional society under such a theory. Each one of you has a God-given right to move about your communities or rest in the comfort of your own home without constantly fearing robbery, physical assault, or worse from those who would take advantage of lax enforcement of our laws. Far too many do not enjoy that freedom today. 

How many formerly great or at least prosperous nations have fallen into ruin after they succumbed to the siren song of socialism? Venezuela was once a thriving hub of agricultural production and a major producer of oil and other forms of energy in South America. Look at it now. People are fleeing the country in droves and gangs rule the streets. Basic services for the citizens have all but disappeared. How did the French Revolution actually work out for the people of France? Yes, there was a bit of a sugar rush from the thrill of loading all of the elites into tumbrels and lopping off their heads so their wealth could be redistributed "for the good of the people." But reality quickly set in when they realized that eliminating all of the people who created all that wealth was a disaster when there were no new wealth creators to replace them. Such a societal upheaval did produce a form of equality, but it was an equality of misery, poverty, and insecurity. The list goes on. 

People seek to come to America because of all the opportunities it has historically offered. But we are currently heading down a road to a place where America is a land of opportunity no more. In September of 1787, Benjamin Franklin (arguably one of our nation's greatest thinkers) was famously asked what the crafters of the Constitution had given us. He answered, "A republic, if you can keep it." That wasn't a trite, throwaway line. He was expressing a valid concern about the potential fragility of our nation. Those fears should be looming large among the populace today. We risk allowing ourselves to become a nation of beggars similar to the lead character in Charles Dickens's classic tale Oliver Twist. "Please sir, I want some more." But if we continue on our current course, the government will take your bowl away before you can reach for that second serving of gruel.