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TechnoratiMany of the issues we are facing today stem from a lack of principled, visionary and authentic leadership in the past. The gigantic battle over immigration reform is but one example of the problems that arise from the lack of such leadership. For decades politicians have been talking about how our immigration system is broken, but no one was willing to grasp the nettle and seriously deal with the problem. No one leader articulated the problem, marshaled the arguments and forged the consensus necessary to deal with this difficult issue in a comprehensive way. Benign neglect and band aids were the treatment applied to the ever growing cancer that we now call "illegal immigration". Over the years the cancer grew, spawning many related problems along the way. Now as our current leaders seek to address the problem, they are learning that in politics, no less so than in medicine, when it comes to dealing with cancer, "smaller is better than bigger" and "sooner is better than later". The great animosity and division that is now caused by this crisis likely could have been avoided if twenty or thirty years ago a strong and principled leader had been able to cast a vision for a coherent immigration policy in America and crafted a solution that Americans could unite behind. Instead, for decades leaders passed the buck, and now there seems to be no good answer to the problem.
Numerous other problems are smoldering in our country and threaten to erupt like a volcano in the future. How long will we ignore the looming need for social security reform, the tragedy of abuse and neglect of our elders in long-term care facilities, the breakdown of marriage and the family, and the spiraling of our national debt? The list could go on and on. Will we simply whistle past the graveyard pretending that these major problems will not soon mushroom into a national crisis? How bad do things have to get before real leaders will rise and address these issues?
This presidential election, America is looking for a leader who will stand on principle, who has a vision, and who is willing to provide authentic leadership. We cannot afford to fall into a pattern of waiting until a crisis has spun out of control before we are willing to address it. The price is too high and the consequences are too great. Strong leaders are needed now to bring our nation together and to start tackling tomorrow's problems today.
As we look at the slate of presidential candidates, we must ask ourselves who stands out as the most authentic, principled and visionary leader. It is that candidate that deserves our vote.
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Ken Connor is Chairman of the Center for a Just Society in Washington, DC and a nationally recognized trial lawyer who represented Governor Jeb Bush in the Terri Schiavo case. Connor was formally President of the Family Research Council, Chairman of the Board of CareNet, and Vice Chairman of Americans United for Life. For more articles and resources from Mr. Connor and the Center for a Just Society, go to www.ajustsociety.org. Your feedback is welcome; please email info@ajustsociety.org
