As an Architect, I understand the absolute necessity of a solid foundation. Without as much, nothing can stand, be it a building, a Country, or even life itself, and time will always prove this true without exception. History will always be the judge. Look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Nazis, or even the Iron Curtain. These all had one thing in common, a faulty foundation. Be it shifting earth, apathy, or the false belief that imperfect humans could live in a perfect Utopia.

After winning the Revolutionary War, our forefathers embarked on the creation of a leader for this fledgling Nation. It was obvious who that leader should be, but how he would lead was much less clear. Out of their toils came the office of the President of The United States, and George Washington was to serve as our first. The only man ever unanimously elected, not once, but twice. Most all of our succeeding Presidents have had their share of scandal in one form or another, some bigger than others, from John Adams and his XYZ Affair, to Nixon and Watergate, to Clinton and perjury, to questions on the eligibility to serve that plagues our current President.

Some who have served in that office have galvanized this Country in ominous and dark times, like Abraham Lincoln. While Ronald Reagan brought a rejuvenated hope to the people of this Great Land. We have seen fathers and sons hold office. Some have even given their lives while occupying the office.

Yet the Office of the President's very foundation was that of sanctity and trust. Something that the people of this Nation have come to expect because of the example set by our very first President, George Washington. I guess after 8 long years of war, there was little left for him to hide. Yet our two political parties have not served to further that sanctity and trust of the Office of the President in recent years. It comes down to the attitude that has run rampant in our society. That attitude is "win at all cost", or "the end justifies the means". We have seen this attitude move to the forefront most recently in the steroid use and Major League Baseball. Our society has grown apathetic or acceptant to these mantras. How dangerous for our future! What does that teach the youth of this Country?

Let me illustrate how things have changed. When Nixon lied to everyone about the Watergate break in, the Country chanted, "no one is above the Law, not even the President". I remember this, and not from a history book! Oops, guess I just dated myself, oh well - time to move on. Nixon's own party had such a problem with what he did, they abounded him. He knew he was going to leave his office, either by resignation or impeachment. That led to the ascension of the first President that was never elected by the people, but that is a whole other topic for discussion later. Suffice it to say, it is just another sign of the deterioration of respect towards the Office of the President.

Many years later we had a President lie to the people again, but this time he was under oath. That is called perjury, and that IS a CRIME. Allowing a President to do this is potentially catastrophic and inherently dangerous to our future if left unchecked. How odd that years before the chant by the Democratic Party was "no one is above the Law, not even the President", and yet there we were with a President that committed perjury, a crime, except now it had been deemed acceptable by the Democratic Party. How was this NOT a double standard? Was it because Nixon was Republican that he could not be forgiven? Or were the standards just more stringent? Yet the Democrats continued supporting Clinton, defining new words to diminish the penalty for such a crime. Words such as "compartmentalize" became the tune that was sung. It was brought down to "what the definition of 'is' is". What the hell was that? Was that saying to our children that, "The President, when Republican, is not above the law, when Democrat, is"? I am a man, a husband, a father, a brother, a son, and an Architect. How do I act as one and not the other at all times? Can I justify an action to my child by saying, I was acting as some one else, not your father, so do not do what I did? The truth of the matter, Clinton's party did not want to follow the example of the other party decades before and abandon him. They wished not to lose face or power in light of his actions. His party found it more important to keep political allegiance than uphold the law. Oh boy, there is another topic for discussion later. In many ways I found this action more reprehensible, because it set the precedent that the President is no longer subservient to the law, the President had now became like the King, and is above the Law. What does that say to our children? How incredibly dangerous is this! Let us never forget the saying, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Is this what our forefathers really sought when they devised the Office of the President for our great Nation? Would this have been something that George Washington would have supported? I am not so sure, yet we have allowed this Office to degenerate into this.

I thoroughly believe in the transparency of Government. Without it, no one can truly live free from the fear of Government. True transparency comes only from those that have nothing to hide. For when someone has the need to hide something, complete transparency cannot be allowed, for fear that what is being hidden will come into view. This is true for both people and government.

In our most recent Presidential election season, during the Primaries, one of John McCain's opponents erroneously claimed he was not eligible to be President because John McCain was born in Panama. This was wrong, and Senator McCain released all his records in a short time to put this issue to rest right away. Those released records showed that his parents were American citizens, and he was born on a U.S. military base (which for those who may not know, is sovereign U.S. soil), making him a U.S. natural born citizen, and as his life has proven a true American hero. Senator McCain had nothing to hide, so transparency was without hesitation. Our current President has been facing these very same accusations, yet his approach has been to ignore and absolve. Not the most expeditious way to alleviate a controversy. The evidence that Philip Berg raises, just proves that the evidence MUST be placed in public sight, so all can see, review, and judge. Where is the transparency that he talked about on the campaign trail? My experience tells me that those with nothing to hide, hides nothing. Is there something there that the President is trying to hide? Where is an actual birth certificate? What about the records at Law School? It is rumored that they claim he was a "foreign" student. If these claims are incorrect, why leave the issue fester and distract from the policies that could be implemented? Does the Democratic Party know something, and like with Clinton, "to hell with the truth" no matter the cost? Mr. President, do not preach transparency to me, while veiling facts you do not wish to come to light. Where is the CHANGE you promised? Show the character that is demanded by the oath of your office. Prove to the American people that their vote was not a farce.

Our President was bestowed the precedent to do the right thing, by the precedent set by our first President. Will our current President accept the precedent set by his Party and place him above the law as we have already allowed one former President to do? We have seen more to deteriorate that sacred office in the last 45 years than ever before. From a President that believed he was above the Law, to one that actually was allowed to break the Law, without penalty, to that might not have ever been eligible to serve as President? Both Parties have blazed the path to dilapidation of this sacred office. The question is, how far will we, the American people let it go before WE put our foot down and say "enough is enough". Will we have to do away with both existing Parties to accomplish this? We need to restore the trust in our Government.