It’s getting to be that time of the year again. Christmas time? No. Although that is coming up but I’m not thinking of that time. I’m thinking about the time when the presidential campaign will open up for a full range war. Commercials, mailings, radio spots—a full blast of “vote for me”. How do we wade through all the trash to find the best candidate for the highest office in the land?

There are several ways to help you along the road that will end in November of 2008. Deciding which political party you would like to follow is one way. There are so many to choose from: Democratic, Republican, American Independent, Libertarian, American Party, American Reform Party, Constitution Party and even the American Nazi party and the Communist Party American Style which really baffles me but they are there. If you study their platforms and learn where your beliefs fit in with theirs then it’s only a matter of voting for that party.

Or you can study the candidate’s speeches, debates and platforms and then decide by what they tell you, which person would be best for the job. You can try to make an educational guess from what they say but the problem with that is in many cases candidates will say one thing during their campaign and do another when they are elected.

This new year will start with State Caucuses beginning with Iowa in less than a month. That’s a funny word “caucuses” but it’s really only the meeting of each state getting together to find which candidate they want to nominate when the time comes. Decisions must be made and voting will begin. That is not very far away.

But still in the back of my mind is that question. How can I know which candidate will do what they promise? You can read books about their life and what they have done in the past to help you decide who would be the most honorable but it is still difficult to really know who we can trust.

Mud slinging makes it harder to know as well. Every candidate will find whatever dirt they can on their opponent so they will look like the better guy. Not only can we not trust the dirt we hear but we can’t trust the person giving the dirt. It’s a lose-lose situation but everybody uses it.

So how can we know which candidate to vote for and which we can trust is telling us the truth of what they will do once they are elected? We can’t. That is a fact of life. We just have to go with what we learn from them in their past and listen to what they are saying about the future. It is our duty as citizens to study the issues of our day and vote sensibly. We can only hope and pray that the right person will be elected to carry on the burden of leading this country. If we can all do our part, the right candidate will win.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is the author of two books, “Home Is Where The Heart Is, A look at strengthening the American Family,” and her latest book, “Home Is Where The Learning Is” (www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403379637). Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.stengthenyourhome.com.