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We believe that Dwight Eisenhower was right when he said, "In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with the people's money or their economy or their form of government, be conservative."

— Who failed to pass any substantive legislation this term except to provide half the money to fence one-third of our southern border?

— Who buried every bill that would have improved seniors' lives?

— Who have pushed our country to the brink of bankruptcy?

Who have failed to demand even minimal competence and planning from their leaders?

— Who shamed themselves by voting for torture and against Constitutional and human rights dating back to 1215 A.D?

— Who are so morally crippled that the‘ve sacrifice our treasury, our jobs, our homeland, and our safety to oil, chemical, timber, mining, insurance, pharmaceutical and defense corporations for the sake of a buck, a free trip, or a piece of ass?

— And who seem incapable of contrition for past mistakes — think New Orleans, Afghanistan and Iraq — and incapable of foresight to the future catastrophe of warring with Iran?

Or shall it be the Democrats...

— Who are equally opportunistic, equally susceptible to scandal?

— Who fear the Republican press and propaganda machine more than they fear losing, not just elections but democracy itself?

— Who haven't the courage to get behind a single original idea to save their political skins?

— Who silently and uncannily blend into the Congressional woodwork while the majority party gives away the store?

— And who cower from any discussion of the plight of the poor, the uneducated, the uninsured, and the dispossessed, those unfortunates who once were the heartbeat of the party?

Both parties take orders from the same boss. No, not we the people, but corporations that value their own profits far more than they value their own country.

Hmm. Tough choice.

Where's a third-party hero like Teddy Roosevelt when we need him? Unfortunately, our two major parties have made third parties all but illegal in this country.

Yet arguably, this is the most important election of our lifetime. If we decide that status quo is as good as we can get, prepare yourself for completely privatized Medicare and Social Security, for a likely attack on Iran while Iraq and Afghanistan fall into a pit of death and sorrow, and for further "inalienable" rights to be suspended for the duration of an unending war.

Most of all, steel yourself for a calamitous economic collapse thanks to China and others demanding repayment of debt — all that money Congress has been squandering wildly these last six years for wars, tax cuts and corporate favors.

Everyone — most significantly our popular press — seems in denial about Iraq, our deficit, and our threatened democracy.

That today half of us believe that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was in cahoots with al-Qaeda screams volumes on the hoodwinking of American thought.

Such error and denial can only lead to the insanity of repeating past mistakes over and over again.

The other day, I asked a friend who is active in the Democratic establishment what the heck was wrong with his party. He responded, "The Democrats lack heart, lack vision, lack leadership and, in my view, lack a coherent plan of how to maximize their resources."

That's not promising.

The Republicans, on the other hand, are unexcelled at winning elections. Problem is, we can't expect a party to govern well that is dead-set against the power of government and cynical toward democracy — witness recent unabashed gerrymandering and election tampering.

So what will you do? You know the stakes, the choices. Hold your nose if you must, but you can't not vote.

Personally, as a registered Independent who over the years has voted Democrat, Republican, even Libertarian, I'll vote for change.

The party in power is inept. Like a favorite old aunt who no longer can be trusted with money, we must take away the checkbook.

And, with the Democrats narrowly in power in both houses of Congress, I would hope they would find their groove, realize that they must perform like the patriots they once were or risk losing everything in 2008.

Copyright © 2006 — Frank Kaiser