The case against Republicans...AND Democrats.

A lot has happened since my last blog post...I wish I could say for the better, but not so. So, personally all is well -- we have our health, which is the most important thing; we have good jobs and are successful -- but not rich Mr. Obama. But I worry. I worry about the future of my family. I worry how much more the government is going to steal from my paycheck. I worry about the financial burdens that are being placed on us by OUR government today and the ones on my children and my children's children tomorrow. Ironically, I still have hope. I have hope because the American people are fed up with the status quo in Washington. I think (and hope) that people do not want to be classified as Republican or Democrat; or red or blue. We are free. We are Americans.

In a recent USA Today Gallup poll on April 20, 2010, the following are some of the findings that help confirm my hope:

• 3 out of 4 Americans polled say they are dissatisfied with the country's direction.
  
• A record low 28% say most members of Congress deserve re-election. The percentage who say their representative deserves re-election drops to 49%, only the second time it has dipped below 50%.
  
• For the first time, both major parties are viewed unfavorably by most Americans. The anti-tax "Tea Party" movement has a favorable rating nearly as high as they do — 37% compared with 41% for Democrats and 42% for the GOP.
  
• Fifty percent say Obama doesn't deserve re-election, and 26% say he deserves "a great deal" of the blame for the nation's economic problems, double the percentage in July.
  
• And my favorite...the nation's fastest growing political party is "none of the above". The number of independent voters has grown faster in the past two years than Democrats and Republicans in at least 14 of the 28 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by party.

Will any of this translate to "real change"? I doubt it. As long as the two-party system exists, the system is rigged. Special interests run the show. And for my liberal friends, special interests do not only include "big business" or the military industrialized complex. It also includes Progressive organizations such as Moveon.org, etc. Understandably there are pitfalls with a third party -- especially for challengers of the incumbent. But I think times have changed. Geez, just look at the Tea Party movement.

Term limits would work for me in lieu of a third or fourth party or whatever. Power begets more power. And whomever is in charge would like to remain in charge, even if it is not part of the "establishment". So truly, we need to blow the system up and eliminate the two-party system. We need to enact term limits. We need campaign finance reform. Then maybe will we get a government for the people, by the people.