Over the last seven years I have only taken, I think, maybe three opportunities in this forum to spout off on a subject not necessarily related to life insurance, life insurance underwriting or impaired risk life insurance. The election is tomorrow and without knowing who will be elected I want to share some thoughts, our country according to Ed.

It goes without saying that we can do better than we are. At this point the only way you can possibly assume we are a world leader is that we have more bombs than anyone else. Other than that we are financially irresponsible, morally corrupt and a nation too lazy to take our own government to task for not doing their job.

This isn’t about the last four years or even twelve, twenty or 30 years. While everyone will point to this president or that president and the good thing or things they did, no one can point to a time as long as I’ve been alive when the government was accountable and we as the people have fed off of that and learned to be just as unaccountable and out of control with our personal behavior. On a personal level we can all point to individuals who are upstanding and forthright and don’t lie, cheat or steal, but as a country of individuals we fall hideously short of a passing grade

We don’t scream out in anger over the national debt because most of us don’t have our own financial house in control. We think it’s cool when our Congress person or Senator brings home the bacon, not caring at all where the money came from or how it’s going to impact the future of our country. We don’t scream out in anger about the way our country acts in this world because most of us can’t live our lives without negatively impacting others, whether that is by putting no effort into marriage, or abusing someone or walking right past someone in need and looking the other way.

We are a country of cowards. We’re afraid to deal with our own stuff because it might be uncomfortable. What if I cut up my credit card and can’t go on a vacation? We’re afraid to confront our government because the end result might mean we have to do without something. We allow the government to do really stupid stuff and not call them on it. We allow the ACLU to corrupt our rights with their interpretation of the constitution. We have allowed the courts to completely gut our constitution and we have been plunged into a situation where morals are decaying because judges are deciding that morality is secondary to a person’s right or a group’s right to be immoral.

So solve it Ed! I’m sick of the direction we’re going and I do have some thoughts on solutions. The great thing is that in this electronic age we can have instant national elections if we want.

1. If a Senator or Congressman wants a hunk of pork they have to post it on a national website for one week prior to it being tucked away in a bill. The nation would vote on the pork since it is all of us who pay for it, not just those who benefit. If it’s voted down it is out until the next session of congress. If any pork is found in a bill and it was not voted on, the per

2. Instead of listening to two years of half truths, spin and flat out lies, each candidate for national office would answer a standard set of questions about where they stand and what they would do about the top 100 issues facing our country at that time. This would be posted on state (for senators and congress) and the national website for presidential candidates. They could change and update their stance as needed right up to election but they would not be allowed more than one hour a month of TV advertising. The website would be constantly fact checked and if a claim made by a candidate is found to be false it would have to be removed or fixed.

3. All Pac’s would put their claims on the websites and people could choose whether to look at it or not. They certainly have freedom of speech but short of leaving our televisions off for six months or more I don’t see where our right not to listen in my own homeis being protected. One small billboard per yard stating who you believe is best. No other billboards anywhere.

4. At debates candidates who don’t follow the rules would be punished. If you choose not to answer a question and instead shoot for a talking point, you are cut off and not allowed any more input on the question. There would be a point system and if you refuse to answer a question you would be penalized. Points would determine the length or lack of length of your closing statement.

All reasonable ideas in my mind, but my fellow Americans, let’s get real. The congress and the president aren’t doing any worse job than we are. All of us need to suck it up and start acting like grown ups.

Bottom line. I’m ashamed of where we’ve gone as a country and I’m not pointing at the rest of you. I too have failed my country and I not going to put up with it anymore. I want to be proud to be, not just an American, but a model of what an American should be. I think we all need to raise our personal bars and go intentionally about being better people. That hardly scratches the surface of my thoughts but on the eve of this election I really felt like I needed to share some thoughts. Coming back to life insurance, even being one of the better impaired risk life insurance agents in the country, if the US was the applicant, I’m not sure I could get her approved. My name is Ed Hinerman and it is my belief that we shouldn’t be praying for God to bless America tomorrow, but rather to have mercy on America.