An Assessment
Of the Candidate

I assume that Mr. Tom Schersten’s declaration in the 12/13/07 issue of The Herald of his candidacy for the office of President of The United States is made in jest. However, in the event that he is serious, I offer the following comments to his stated policies.

1. Mr. Schersten’s acknowledgment that he has no training in government nor international affairs, but that he has "training very pertinent to the job" fails to inform regarding that qualification.

2. I concur with his reference to lessons of historical observation regarding superpowers.

3. As an immigrant I vehemently disagree with his position on illegal immigration. By entering the country illegally, that person commits a felony, thereby clearly establishing himself/herself to be an illegal alien. Mr. Schersten appears reluctant to face the cold, hard facts of this very serious and economically dangerous situation.

4. Healthcare is currently in a deplorable state of abuse, but providing it without stringent control seems to compound the existing problems, particularly in view of his position on item 3 above. Funding national health care and reducing taxes appear to be mutually exclusive courses of action.

5. Mr. Schersten’s contention that the definition of a marriage between a man and a woman "would be a clear marriage of church and state—when we really need to preserve their separation to avoid fascism" is a bewildering intermingling of diverse subjects with no logical context apparent. Washington, D.C. is already sufficiently confused and needs no additional help from Mr. Schersten.

6. Contrary to its lofty ideals, NCLB appears to be a disappointing educational experiment, no matter how well intentioned, and I find Mr. Schersten’s philosophies for abandoning it to have much merit.

In the event that Mr. Schersten’s declaration is not in jest, my evaluation of his stated "qualifications" leads me to cast my vote for another candidate.

G.M. Kraus

Randolph

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