Letter to the Editor: Choose candidates who will keep us a free people

To the Editor:
Will you Vote? And Why?
What do you believe?  What do you believe in?
Does the Constitution play a part in how you choose to vote?
Election Day is only a few days away.  Do you plan to vote? Have you thought about why you are voting? What do I believe and does that make a difference in choosing whom I cast my vote for?
America was formed by a group of men who knew what it was like to live under a king. The king made the rules. The citizens of the country had little choice, if any, on how they were going to live out their lives. They had no hope that their lives would ever become any better for themselves or their families. Their job was to work and pay taxes to the king who lived very well. They, in return, had very little. To protest would mean prison. Their hope was to find a place that they and their families might live, would be free to worship the God of their choice and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Thus, America was born. The founding fathers were well educated and knew the Bible well. Our Country was founded using Biblical principles. We were a Christian nation. However, we did not force others to become Christians. People were free to make their own choice. The founding fathers also wanted a Constitution that would make it difficult for a king to take control of this country.  The people would be given the power. Those in leadership would have to answer to the people.
Maybe we need to ask ourselves, are these principles important for us today?   
Do I believe that human life is important, including the life of the unborn?
Do I believe that we have the right to defend ourselves, our families, our property against those who would choose to take it by force, even tyrannical governments who may decide that they want what is rightfully ours? Why did our founding fathers give us the 2nd amendment?
It is the job of the federal government to defend our borders and stop illegal immigration from taking place, is the government performing their duty?
We are to have freedom of worship? The Government is not to tell us we cannot have Bibles in school or that we are not free to pray if we so desire. It is the government’s job to see that they do not set up a state religion that says we must all adhere to that one religion.
Public Schools were originated so all children could learn to read the Bible. The Bible was their textbook.  They were self-governed by its content.
Do I feel that the traditional family is obsolete and that man can choose what he decides makes a family? Do I feel homosexuality is a legitimate choice?
Do I feel that I have a right to own property and the right to choose how I will use it and still be a good neighbor?
Do I feel free today to speak my mind in public or does fear of losing my job keep me from speaking out my belief systems?
Do I feel that I am capable of making my own decisions or do I feel the Government knows what is best for me?
Do I feel that I have a God who loves me and will care for me or do I trust the government for my paycheck?  Will I sell my soul for a piece of bread or a promise that will not be kept?
Human Nature has a bent toward evil. What happens in a country that is no longer controlled by their belief in a living God, but has leaders who feel they are smarter than the God who created them? What happens when leaders choose not to live or rule by the Constitution that founded this great nation and made it the most desired place on earth to live?
It has been said that America would not loose its freedom by outside forces but from deterioration from within, from not knowing our history of who we are and where we have come from.
Really human nature has not changed. We still have those who love control and power who believe they know what is best for all of us. They believe we are not capable of making choices for ourselves and they are very willing to make those choices for us.
We still have a choice in this great country of ours. Let us learn what our candidate stands for, check it out with our belief system, then go to the polls and make the choice that will keep us a free people.

Betty Larsen
Waukon