After a whirlwind year in politics, the sickening economy and recycled rhetoric, I’ve finally made the decision to vote third party. To many of you, I know this will not be a surprise. I’ve spoke of it openly in the last few weeks. What I may have neglected to share with you is how and why I arrived at this decision.

Well, the bailout was the last straw for me. Although my grasp of economics may be rudimentary at best, my researching skills have become well honed from writing. And as Glenn Beck says, “I may not be an expert, but I’m a thinker.”  Our leaders failed us, yet again.

Recently, I began researching campaign finance and who gets what money. After a while it became clear to me that BOTH Obama and McCain, were bought and paid for by big business and special interest groups. Let me be clear, I have nothing against either one. I believe in free trade and I know that big business creates jobs. I also know that SOME special interest groups do some good work.

But when you have politicians that are beholden to them, it’s a recipe for corruption. It’s no better than the mafia. We give you the money and some day we come to you for a favor. Yep, just like in the movies.

As a lifelong Republican, I’ve always believed in (and still do) most of their principles. Principles like free trade, limited government… basically, the Constitution. Unfortunately, the GOP stands for those things in name alone now. The rest is a farce. 

This country is slowly become Socialist. I know, some of you would prefer that. But not me. That’s not what our forefathers wanted. That’s not America. If you doubt the truth in that statement, then just read the Constitution. We were never meant to lose all of our civil liberties or to become a welfare state. For almost every example one can give of how our country is free, one can give an example of how that is no longer true. Our leaders have slowly taken away many of our freedoms without the average American even noticing that it happened. And they have done it all in the name of protecting us.

I could just say, “Well, that’s how politics works”. But for me that would be like condoning it. That would be like being an enabler to a drug addict. If we keep giving the addicts their drugs, they’ll never quit.

Well, I won’t do it anymore. If we are ever truly going to see change in this country we have to start somewhere, even if it’s just a few of us. Isn’t that how all revolutions start? Don’t misunderstand me. I still believe in Americans. I just don’t have faith in our government. And it is in that hope in Americans, that I think we will be as great as were meant to be, again. But only if we stand up for ourselves and take this country back. In my opinion, voting for McBama won’t accomplish that.