I heard a remarkable news story that just astounded me and it has taken some thought and prayer to sort it out. The Republican Governor of Iowa told Iowans not to support Ted Cruz because he would be bad for the state’s ethanol (corn) industry. The six-term Governor has stayed away from presidential politics in the past and supported the eventual winner of the nomination.

His tirade was intended to put fear into the hearts of Iowans about the economy. This governor has made Iowa dependent on receiving taxpayer bailout of a failed industry the does more harm to the environment, harms car engines, is less efficient and has raised food prices around the world.

Last month’s blog focused on the upcoming primary elections that start tomorrow in Iowa. Hopefully we all now recognize the importance of primary elections and why we need to participate and not wait until the general election to get engaged and vote.

Bottom line, it is about not getting stuck with only two choices for president by waiting until the general election. Not to mention all the other offices being elected to Congress, State House seats, judges, county offices etc. Primaries allow us all to vote our conscience and hopefully if enough of us vote our consciences we will get the best candidates at all levels of government.

As things are getting close to the Iowa caucuses the attacks against the top two presidential candidates are heating up and it is getting pretty tough to endure. We must pray that we are not deceived by the lies and misrepresentations that are the hallmark of political attacks. Discernment is of the utmost importance if we are to see through these attacks.

Practically speaking, the two top candidates for president are not the two candidates of choice by the Washington elitist who are used to ruling freely without being questioned. They are rightly called the “ruling class”. They are willing to do anything to maintain their powerful and profitable positions. Therefore, when attacks come from media, Governors, US Congressmen or Senators it is wise to be cautious and look at the real motives behind the attacks.

The reason it was upsetting and so unsettling when the Governor of Iowa urged Iowans to not vote for Cruz was the idea that he was actually telling people how to vote by his negative declaration to not vote for Cruz. At least he didn’t dictate which candidate they should support instead. If this type of attack is coming from a Governor who is single issue regarding Ethanol subsidies the question should be whether the attack is driven by self-interest.

Basically, this governor is not trusting or willing to allow the people of Iowa to carefully vet the candidates then vote their consciences. Instead he became fearful of Cruz’s stance on ethanol. If this “big” issue was the most important issue to the people of Iowa over preserving individual first Amendment rights, protecting our border, immigration, national security and preserving liberty this candidate would not have been in a dead heat for the lead. The people have had months to question him on this issue and since he has a record they can easily see how he voted on ethanol legislation.

The question I have is what is the real issue? Is it the ethanol issue or is it that the establishment hates this candidate because he stands for truth and is a man of his word. He makes them look bad and this makes them mad. Elected officials can easily fall into believing that they can make promises to their constituents then after elected do whatever they think is best (for the party leadership) without regard for their promises to their constituents.

Politicians are not always in touch with the issues most important to their constituency and sadly can feel more qualified to decide what is best for them. It is an attitude that ‘we the people’ don’t really understand how things work and therefore they need to make decisions for us. Unfortunately, the public schools are doing a good job of graduating citizens that do not know how our system works, nor the Bill of Rights or the Constitution.

Because of this lack of knowledge we are easily swayed to give up our rights and liberty. In 1774, Thomas Jefferson said, “A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.” How many American citizens know that today? Many have gradually been led to believe that our rights come from government instead of God.

If you want to elect more leaders that have an “I know better than you” attitude towards governing and are afraid to truly come up with common sense solutions because it goes against the status quo (offends the establishment) then sit out the primary and just do what you have been doing.

But if you truly want a change and are tired of leaders treating ‘we the people’ as less than, then it is up to you to engage during the primary voting season. I hope you will join with me and approach this season sober minded really checking the candidates out before we cast our votes. An emotional knee-jerk vote will only result in short-term results.

Sometimes the ones that get us to react out of emotion instead of taking a sober principled approach are not the best choices. In 2008 many voted out of emotion because of the history that would be made if Barak Obama won. In so doing completely ignoring the fact that he wasn’t qualified and held an ideology contrary to American principles. I don’t think any of us wants a repeat of that mistake. Remember this is our opportunity to vote our consciences.

Disclaimer: I am a Cruz supporter but if the governor had done this to any of the other candidates I would have responded the same way. It is a matter of principle.

Dinner Table Discussion: Discuss ways to find out more about the local candidates that are running in your area. Begin to network with people who are in the know in your local community and county.