The American Spectator

Another Perspective

Specifics

By Ben Stein on 1.7.08 @ 12:07AM

As I watched the speeches of the victors in the Iowa caucuses, I was stunned at how vague the comments of the candidates were. "Unity." "Change." "Hope." "Faith."

What do these words mean besides evoking vague memories of films of Der Fuhrer screaming "Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer" to wild masses at Nuremberg? Mostly nothing, I suspect.

So, from my safe little office in Rancho Mirage, California, I will start to offer some specifics of what government can do to redeem these vague phrases.

A pledge that if the candidate is President, he will:

Not allow there to be one homeless veteran. No matter what it costs, there will always be a warm bed for every veteran in every community of this nation.

Not allow one veteran to go without mental or physical care after combat, no matter what the cost.

Not allow one military widow or widower to lose her or his house because the breadwinner has been lost serving his country.

Not permit for one more month after inauguration the cruel system where one set of survivor's benefits are deducted from other payments, leaving widows and widowers throwing up their hands in despair at this penny pinching by a government that can allow billionaires to escape taxation altogether;

Not allow one military orphan or widow or widower to be denied higher education because of a lack of tuition payments.

These are just a beginning. There will be more.

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes a Diary for every issue of The American Spectator.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Education, Law, Military