On Nov. 3, 2010, President Obama gave a short speech regarding the election results.  He stated, “We must find common ground in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges.”

Then he said that he and the Republicans need to sit down and figure out how to move forward together.  What Obama is saying is that he wants us to compromise.  

 We have been taught that compromising is a virtue, that in any conflict, we must concede things to the other side.  This is fine for disagreements like what to have for dinner, where to go on vacation or what movie to see, but compromising should never be done if you are going to sacrifice a value. 

If a thief comes to your home and demands your money or your life, do you strike him a deal and offer your legs instead of your life?  Say you lived in Nazi Germany and you were hiding a Jewish family of four in your attic.  The police come to the door and demand that you tell them if anyone else is living in your home.  Do you compromise and tell them only about two members instead of all four?  Guess who benefits when compromises are made between good and evil? Hint: it isn’t the good guys. As Ayn Rand said, “In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win.  In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.”

 Finding common ground means that both sides agree on some fundamental principles. By compromising with Obama we would be saying that we agree with some aspects of socialism.  No we don’t. There is no common ground between an ideology of slavery and the ideology of freedom. Rush Limbaugh said the meaning of the election was “No, we don’t want to ‘work together,’ and the American people did not say they want to work with you.  The American people said yesterday they want to stop you!” 

In order to stop someone from doing something immoral, you do not compromise, you don’t even pretend to be friends.

The fact that Republicans have been finding “common ground” and therefore compromising our rights away is what got us into this mess in the first place.  We need to send a message to them now that we will not tolerate any more compromises.  We don’t want any more Goodie Two-Shoes in Congress. If Republicans compromise again with our destroyers, they can count on being on the next chopping block in 2012.

Charlotte Cushman

Maple Grove, Minn.