America, America
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood.
From sea to shining sea!
Ah, America the Beautiful.
I love this nation. My roots are half-Caribbean—and I proudly share that with people—but I am so grateful to be an American citizen. Americans are a unique blend of countless cultures, a salad bowl where these cultures toss together: we gently absorb flavors while keeping our own.
Most importantly, I am proud to be an American because the Framers of the Constitution wrote the framework for our nation based upon Biblical principles…
No wonder we have upheld this document since 1776!
I’ve noticed the rising tension leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election, so I want to share my analysis—analyzing both sides—of key issues Americans care most about: economy, national security, illegal immigration, religious freedom, and sanctity of life vs. reproductive rights. There are more issues, but based on my research these are the top reasons people are heading to the voting polls this Tuesday.
Are you voting? Whether you plan to vote or not, read on. This article may compel you to vote, or at the very least it will shed light on the plans of our two candidates: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Economy
As a small business owner and a mom, I see the economy through these two lenses. As a mom, I look at the cost of groceries and cringe. Since when is a small pack of chicken breasts roughly $11? Staple items like eggs, milk, and fresh veggies are much more expensive in 2024 than they were in 2020, as grocery inflation has risen from 3.9 % then to 25.8% now!
The cost-size relationship of products alarms me as well. Did anyone notice that Tropicana orange juice bottles went from 64 oz to 45 fluid oz, yet the price is still around $4? A small box of Clif Bars used to contain eight bars and now contains six.
More than groceries, I look at how the national debt continues to increase…
And at some point we know that debt catches up with a person. The same is true for a nation.
As a business owner, inflation has directly affected my business. I finally had broken even with my business back in 2020, right before the pandemic. Today that is not the case, as I put more into my business than I make. Additionally, it is harder for many people to afford membership largely due to inflation. The overcomer story is being written for my business—and myself—before my very eyes each day.
Harris has some ideas to help working Americans, like renewing the child tax credit. Trump has plans to help working Americans by creating new jobs—he has stated that he will attack globalization (i.e., sending factory jobs overseas) by bringing those jobs back to America. And to help small businesses, he will give tax breaks to small businesses and also lift unnecessary restrictions.
I would love it all—who wouldn’t? Yet I think it’s important to consider which plan is most concrete and sets the stage for lasting change.
Illegal Immigration
It’s no secret that America is one of the most coveted places to which people emigrate—from Ellis Island’s opening in 1965 to obtaining a green card today, this nation is known as the “land of the free,” where anyone—with enough hard work and help from above—can live the “American Dream.” Now I don’t go asking people how they entered the country, but I do believe that it’s best to do things right. And legally.
This year alone, illegal immigration is up 80% with open borders…
And unfortunately, not everyone is coming to pursue the American dream of a new life. Dangerous gang members, murderers, kidnappers, and other criminals seemingly with no soul are entering the country at unprecedented rates.
One gang of illegals recently took over an entire apartment building in Colorado and demanded that the owner turn over all rent to them.
Several Americans have been raped, beaten, and even killed by illegal immigrants with sinister, ill will for innocent people.
The Bible tells us that he who does not care for his own family is worse than an infidel—I would say that spending millions on illegal immigrants and even flying them into the country (yes, this has happened as well due to supposed asylum) checks that box…
Because while we do this, we do not have adequate solutions for the rising population of homeless people in our nation. Homelessness reached a record-high 653,104 people in 2023, which is a 12% increase from the previous year. This number includes over 100,000 children.
I can see all around my beloved home city of Tulsa, Oklahoma that there are more and more people begging at popular intersections for money…
And I wonder why we can’t take care of our own, as we are not talking millions of people. We are talking a little over a half million Americans, many of whom cannot handle the horrors of current shelters.
I remember talking with a homeless man I met at a popular park. He let me know that all of the shelters he’d tried, all of the places that take homeless people, were of poor quality.
He would rather sleep outside.
What are the candidates’ plans to help reverse the illegal immigration crisis and help our own American brothers who are homeless?
Harris has made it clear that she will reinstate the bipartisan border security bill. She wants to reform the pathway for legal immigration, but the details for this plan are not yet known. Trump has concretely stated that he will finish building the wall, which will help drastically reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the country. He is also willing to deport.
From 2017-2020, we had roughly 3 million illegal immigrants entering the country. That number has risen to 11.7 million bween 2020 and 2023. We literally cannot afford to let this number rise more, as our taxes will certainly go up to help compensate for rising healthcare and educational expenses due to the influxes of people.
This may indeed be one of my top two issues for this Presidential Election…
I don’t want to die early. I’ve still got stuff to do on earth. Those with ill will put our safety at great risk.
The future Trump or Harris administration had better handle the illegal immigration crisis. If they don’t, Americans will face a more dangerous way of life.
National Security
Going hand-in-hand with the illegal immigration crisis is the National Security threat. Peace in the Middle East matters, and the Arab-Israeli confict that has existed on and off for centuries is currently fanning flames.
The world is watching, and I know many of us are praying that this conflict does not start a third World War.
Historically, America has stood by Israel. This is consistent with our Biblical foundation—again, made evident by the Framers of the Constitution—yet our stance to stand with Israel has faltered recently. We did not send aid immediately, but we are there now, backing Israel against the attacks of Iran.
How will America respond under the new administration?
The previous Trump administration placed strong sanctions on Iran, which stunted their development of nuclear weapons.
Kamala recently stated she would not do anything differently than Joe Biden on all major issues. This means we will continue to send Iran money for oil and lift sanctions, which is what is also happening currently. Yet we are standing for Israel with our miitary presence in the nation.
We all probably remember that, here on the homefront of America, Jewish people faced great persecution. University students held signs saying “Kill the Jews,” and their behavior was not condemned by the current administration…
So one is left to wonder just how strongly America will stand with Israel moving forward From a Bibilical perspective, I believe we should…
But religious or not, a moral person does not turn their back on their allies.
Further, our continued response to the situation with Israel and Iran will indeed affect how emboldened other nations with advanced nuclear weapons—including North Korea and China—feel about disrupting world peace. The latter nation is “quadrupling the size of its nuclear arsenal and its navy already has more ships than the U.S. Navy.”
I think it’s important to examine which administration will be the toughest on all nations threatening our National Security, particularly North Korea, China, and Russia. Equally important, the next president must effectively communicate effectively just how serious we are. While Trump has a record of meeting with the presidents of North Korea and Russia and walking away with a positive result for the world (limited nuclear weapon production) Harris has taken a safer approach that is softer on these nations in terms of negotiation.
I said it about the illegal immigration issue, and I will say it again about national security: I want to stay alive. I want Americans to stay alive. And I obviously do not want to live through the woes and incredible dangers of a third world war. So the next administration cannot play games and must execute a plan to keep these threats to world peace in check.
Religious Freedom
I am a Christian, and I seek to live my life like Christ. Christian churches have shown great compassion over the years in helping those in need. Just recently, Victory church in Tulsa, Oklahoma spent more money—five million dollars in supplies and aid —on the stranded victims from hurricane Helene than FEMA. Many more churches have stepped up and helped those victimized as well, and we’ve seen this again and again with natural disasters in our country.
Taking giant steps back to slavery times, churches were some of the only places that taught black people how to read and write in the south.
Christianity is not about condemning people; it’s really about being the hands and feet of Jesus while sharing the good news about His gift of eternal life with the world, a gift that is available to anyone willing to truly follow His Word (the Bible).
Today, despite the fact that the majority of Americans are Christians, we face great persecution in our own nation. Christians are called names like “homophobic” and “closed-minded.”
And Christianity is the founding religion of our nation, yet it is being shoved out of our schools more and more. Prayer has been removed from schools and deemed unconsitutional (Engle v Vitale, 1962). One year later in 1963, Bible reading was removed too (Abington School District v. Schempp). What many people don’t realize is that both decisions have negatively affected our youth. Here are some direct stats from CreationToday following these rulings:
- We have had a six-fold increase in violent crime
- divorce rate has tripled
- births to single mothers have increased five-fold
- the teenage suicide rate has tripled
- SAT scores have dropped 80 points (approximately 10%)
Prayer provides a sense of security, a sense of knowing there is a Higher Power and that one is not alone. I wonder how much a simple prayer daily would have affected those troubled students who performed heinous school shootings…
To those who do not favor prayer in schools, I would say it is unfair to replace it with the forced subject of transgenderism. As a child, I wasn’t thinking about changing who God created me to be, but if a teacher told me I could…
Well, maybe my creative little-writer-in-the-making brain would have started to think about it, especially without hearing the opposing viewpoint: that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27, Pslams 139:14).
People who are religious have a base for morality that is tried, true and tested. Yet as we move further and further away from openly sharing about God, we are moving more and more toward immorality of every kind—sexual immorality, dishonesty, extreme selfishness, thievery…
The list goes on and on.
I say all of this to set the stage for this “million-dollar” question: what will the next administration do to protect Christianity and other faiths from being shut down more and more?
On the transgender curriculum issue, Harris does support its continued teaching in schools. Trump, in contrast, wants the subject out of our schools. While I would like to see both candidates advocate for prayer in schools (especially with unprecedented rates of bullying and teen suicide), Trump’s stance on the transgender curriculum is more in line with a Christian perspective, essentially honoring God’s uniquely beautiful design for every individual. His running mate JD Vance recently stated at a Wisconsin rally, “Whether you are a person of Christian faith or not, Donald Trump and I are going to fight for you to live your values because that’s what the first amendment protects.”
Sanctity of Life vs. Reproductive Rights
This is arguable the most “juicy” of all topics headlining the 2024 election…
It is at the forefront of both sides with drastically different stances.
First, let me say this: I understand the fear of having a child. There are all kinds of things to think about, as raising a child is a life-long commitment. The need for baby and later child supplies, clothes, child care, and continued selflessness as you put a child’s needs ahead of your own is a massive responsibility.
One might view abortion as a “get out jail free” card for a woman to get her life on track toward goals, but it discounts the other option where everyone wins: Adoption.
Adoption does not require a lifelong commitment to a child. Of course there is a burden of carrying a child for nine months, but that child has value and is worth carrying, regardless of the circumstances in which he or she was conceived.
Let me share with you my friend Brandi’s story. As a teenager, Brandi had fallen for a boyfriend who did not have her best interest at heart. He raped her, leaving her with a positive pregnancy test.
Brandi had such a difficult decision to make: to abort the child because she was a teenager unprepared to raise a baby, or to follow through with the pregnancy and give her child to a family who was prepared.
I commend her fortitude, for at a young age she prayed for wisdom. Then she made a courageous decision to protect the baby’s life by following through with pregnancy.
Not knowing if she would ever see her baby again, Brandi reconnected with her daughter years later, who grew to up become an exemplary young woman…
And today the two are very close. They developed a special friendship that they wouldn’t trade for the world. What a blessing!
On the topic of abortion, faith does weigh heavily. People of faith will likely view abortion as murdering babies. In years past, it was a hush-hush subject, and women did not champion the procedure as a right to be proud of...
Today, it is at the forefront of the Harris campaign.
I’ve shared Brandi’s story, but many stories turn out differently…
Many babies don’t get a chance at life. According to the National Catholic Register, nine states plus the District of Columbia allow abortions right upuntil the time of birth. And some babies are aborted even if they are outside the womb
.
What do I mean? When a surgical abortion attempt is unsuccessful, doctors are sometimes left with live babies. And guess what happens?
These babies are left to die.
This is called born-alive abortion, and to call this alarming is an understatement. To all my mom readers, imagine an innocent baby being left screaming on a cold operation table, with no food, no care, and no love.
No matter what party you stand for, this is a shameful show of disrespect for humanity. Where does each candidate stand?
Harris has quoted the Bible at times. I do believe she has an awareness of Jesus, but based upon a strong statement at her rally in Wisconsin, she does not defend sanctity of life. When she was advocating for abortion as a woman’s right, two University students cried out “Jesus is Lord!” and “Christ the King.” She immediately told them, “Oh, you’re at the wrong rally. Go to the smaller rally down the street.” They were then mocked, riducled, swung at by crowd members and kicked out of the rally.
Conversely, Trump expressed clearly in a Christian conference for pastors that his administration will stand for Christians. Seeing that he appointed three justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, I believe he will.
I don’t know if Harris will or not. She has not provided solid evidence (more than simply visiting churches) that she will. If she is to win the Christian vote, she must take a tough stand for Christian values.
Conclusion
The nation has never been more divided than it is right now regarding the 2024 election. There is a large focus on both candidates as individuals, but truly the biggest focus should be on the top five issues for Americans today: illegal immigration, economy, national security, religious freedom, and sanctity of life vs. reproductive rights.
Based upon evidence, Donald Trump will fight illegal immigration and inflation by securing the border and bringing outsourced jobs back to America. He will also place tough sanctions on nuclear power nations to keep them in check. He will also focus on deportation of unauthorized immigrants.
Kamala will have us continue along a similar path as Biden, keeping it easy for illegal immigrants to enter the country.She will also provide a tax credit to American families to temporarily boost the economy, lower home construction prices, and will continue the current medium-strength plan for national security.
On the issues of religious freedom and sanctity of life, Trump’s tract record shows that he will advocate for both; Kamala’s record shows that she will advocate for neither, as she voted twice against funding to protect babies from born-alive abortion, and her running mate has been very vocal about late-term abortion. And sadly, the current administration has not taken a strong stand for religious freedom.
I want to end with this: my stance may be clear, but as a black, Christian woman in America, please know that I have taken a deep analysis of both sides…
And I’ve come to realize I won’t be able to sleep at night—unless I vote for the candidate who most closely stands for my values.
I have turned to independent articles from trusted sources because I don’t enjoy how biased news stations are. They attempt to shove messages down our throats—especially the throats of black Americans—forcing us to eat an unsophisticated meal of watered down mush messages…
Are our palettes not advanced enough for a full plate? For steak and potatoes and salad with the dinner role on the side?
I need a full meal to digest so that I can metabolize the nutrients of truth in mind and spirit.
I hope this post has provided you a clearer picture on where both parties and candidates stand on the major issues Americans face. Don’t base your vote on he said, she said…
And especially not celebrities and comedians who are not historians, political activists, or city council members because they do not have authority to tell you how to vote. They also do not make the policies we will have for the next four years.
I want my vote to help turn America toward brighter days in which our quality of life—and life itself—is protected, from American safety to sanctity of life.
I respect your stance either way, and either way, please pray for our nation. Which values and changes will you vote for America?
Sources:
The Times of Israel: Iran/Israeli Conflict
Center For Migration Studies: Illegal Immigration
Texas Public Policy Foundation: National Security
Creation Today: Prayer in Schools
National Catholic Register: Late-Term/Born Alive Abortion
Security.org: Homelessness
Yahoo Finance: Grocery Inflation
PBS News Hour: Economic Policy
Committee on Oversight and Accountability: Border Crisis
Brandi and Kelsey's Story: Sanctity of Life Inspiration Story
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