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Obviously, I cannot answer that question with absolute certainty on most things, but there are a few possibilities that I believe are virtual certainties.  Before I get into them I feel the need to express my love for this nation.  I served in Vietnam in 1967 and watched the hatred, abuse, and disrespect a very large segment of this country heaped on my fellow veterans.  Even in the face of the ridicule and name calling, we looked past the haters to the Republic and proudly declared and declare that we served under the American Flag for the cause of Freedom.  No, I am not trying to defend or criticize the war but those of us who served did not deserve the abuse hurled at us.  Nor, is the current president of the United States deserving of the vitriolic hate being spawned by the media, the Left, Hollywood, and the activist.  The office of President should never be treated with such utter contempt. 

I was not and am not a fan of the former president Barack Obama.  His policies were, in my view, detrimental to the advancement and progress of our nation.  His personality was grating, at times, because of his arrogance and refusal to admit wrong, culpability, or responsibility for the failures we endured.  His smugness and open defense of what has been called Islam and even what he called radical Islam while talking down Christianity troubled me. 

His world apology tour decrying American Exceptionalism was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.  When he attempted to bypass the Congress, the Courts, and the Constitution using Executive Fiats it caused me to fear for my nation.  However, he was the duly elected president and I respected that office.  Yes, I criticized his actions and wanted Congress to throw up roadblocks to his policies that were dangerous to our System of Government.  But if we allow our concerns or even dislikes for the individual tarnish our respect for the office, we do great damage to our Republic.

Now that I’ve had my rant, let’s look into the future and see what 2019 might bring us.  In the realm of politics, I can guarantee that the Democrats will pursue and dogged path of Investigate, Investigate, Investigate rather than Legislate, Legislate, Legislate.  However, they will attempt to pass bills and coerce the Republicans to comply that will further the ‘fundamental transformation’ of the Obama administration.  Their base is demanding impeachment.  Their base is demanding destruction.  Their base is demanding indictments.  They will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit and we will see two long years of legislative chaos and probably abuse from some governmental agencies under their control. 

Will that be good for the country?  Will, it set a precedent that will endanger all future presidencies?  Quite possibly because when one side of an issue becomes vicious and determined to inflict as much harm to the other as possible it creates an environment of revenge and retaliation.  Politically, if one political party engages in what I expect from the Democrats in Congress, the Republicans may seek their pound of flesh if or when they regain power.  That is not good for America that is not good for Freedom.  My concern is that this is the new norm in Washington and the madness advanced by the Media will make politics a battlefield and strip Congress of its ability to govern.

I am also certain that we will see an escalation of problems along our southern border.  We will see a renewed push for amnesty and the awarding of citizenship to illegals. There will be court case after court case challenging every action that this president takes.  There will be a virtual witch hunt into Justice Brett Kavanaugh trying to impeach him.  There will be attempts to block funding for President Trump’s agenda and measures.   There will be political gamesmanship in the Senate attempting to block every judicial appointment.  There will be muckraking and attempts to damage this president in the public view hoping to sway the Independents and Undecided Voters to come over to the Liberal Leftists Socialist side of the aisle and defeat him in 2020 should he run again.

What we need is for both political parties to sit down and discuss issues based on substance, not emotion or partisanship.  We need for both political parties to put America and Americans ahead of their political ambitions or their party’s ascension to power.  Will that happen?  It hasn’t in a very long time and I do not anticipate it in 2019 or 2020.  However, we serve a big God who can move on the hearts of men and women and allow or engineer situations that can cause them to have an epiphany and wake up.  That is my prayer.  It is too late to elect people who will follow the Constitution, the elections are over.  However, it is not too late to apply pressure to every elected official and keep the pressure on.  If we do not become involved, we will lose our Republic and our Freedom.

As the New Year unfolds, it is my hope and prayer that each of you who read this, and all Americans find peace in their hearts and enjoy prosperity.  We have an immeasurable treasure in what our Founding Fathers and the Framers of our American Constitution gave us.  We have a Constitutional Republic and a system of government unlike any in the world.  It has served us well for over 240 years and can serve us into perpetuity, but it must be diligently guarded and defended.  Ronald Reagan had it right when he said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on to them to do the same.”  Benjamin Franklin’s response to the question about what kind of government they had produced is apropos today.  He said, “A Republic if you can keep it.”

I ask that you join me in fighting to Keep the Republic and our Inalienable Rights!   God bless you and God bless America!