Miller: Voters face stark choice between the 2 parties

Voters in Iowa had their say. Soon, voters in New Hampshire will have theirs. On Saturday, Feb. 20, South Carolina will hold its GOP presidential primary. The following Saturday, Democrats hold theirs.

The choice between parties, like candidates, is as stark as it ever has been. Vote for one of the Democrats and expect more of the same empty promises and failed results. A vote for a Republican is the best chance for a new way forward. The choice you make will have a direct bearing on how well you live your life.

Last month my Democrat counterpart in this space talked about Democratic values being more "mainstream."

He cited immigration as one example. By that, Democrats mean an open-borders policy with amnesty for all illegals currently in the country. Is it any wonder comedians call today's illegals "undocumented Democrats"?

Also big on the list was "freedom of religion." For whom? Muslims perhaps, but have you seen how President Barack Obama and the Democrats attack Christians at every available opportunity? They even struck references to God from the Democratic 2012 platform.

To watch the Democrats debate (hidden on a Saturday night), or listen to one of their candidates speak, you would hear an endless litany of what is wrong with America and how so many voters are little more than victims who need an all powerful government to take care of them.

Democrats claim to care. I get it. But who doesn't? The problem isn't with the plethora of promises they make; the problem is that year after year they continue to fail to achieve results. During the Obama years, this failure has been particularly agonizing for groups that Democrats say they care most about: African-Americans and the middle class.

Among African-Americans, who have been promised the most, both the crime rate and poverty have gone up, median household income has gone down, the wealth gap with white America has gotten bigger, and unemployment continues to be much higher. Things are not much better for the middle class.

Under Obama, the rich have gotten richer while the rest of us either tread water or sink. Meanwhile, prosecutions of Wall Street criminals have dropped. Tell me again which party is the party of the rich?

Democrats had majority control of both houses of Congress and the White House the first two years of Obama's presidency and the GOP didn't take control of the Senate until a year ago. You can't blame Democratic failures on Republicans.

But what are Republican values? Friday is the 105th anniversary of the birth of President Ronald Reagan. The Beaufort Federation of Republican Men has invited me to speak at a benefit dinner that evening. It causes me to reflect on the timeless values that Reagan and the GOP embody.

Reagan believed in the fundamental goodness of the American people. America is a "shining city on a hill," not a place of despair or systemic injustice. Reagan understood that getting government out of our way and off our backs was the key to a more prosperous society fairer to all. Remember his words: "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

He demonstrated that "peace through strength" works and won the Cold War and ended the threat of nuclear Armageddon. Democrats fought him every step of the way.

Any of the current GOP candidates represents a better chance to repair the damage done by Obama's wishful thinking and far-left ideology. But we have to vote for just one. I have announced my choice at my blog, Mike's America. How's that for a teaser?

Michael Miller of Bluffton may be reached through his blog, MikesAmerica.blogspot.com.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Miller: Voters face stark choice between the 2 parties."