What is missed here is the power of the party to select the candidates that run for local office. The two parties have accrued so much power that they in effect have been able to block the will of the people in selecting individuals to represent them in their government. Indeed, the local level is where the parties begin the grooming process to bring along future politicians who will move up to the national level.  Once vetted, these new members, with few exceptions, regularly back the national party's postions.  

    Mr. Salvato rightly notes that many of our congressional members routinely exceed the bounds of their Constitutional authority, giving as an example, congressional members  "...taking it upon themselves to dabble in foreign policy".  This blatant disregard and declining respect for the principles of self government  that our founding fathers so well expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is encouraged by the partisanship atmosphere that infects our national (as well as local) government! 

    Not only that, but the legislative process has become totally corrupted, and some of Mr. Salvato's examples amply display this corruption. He points out how the congress is responsible for deficit spending, for unconstitutional entitlements, for its failure to fix Social Security and the ignoring of outlandish tax policies that take 60,000 pages to explain.  He identifies the lack of secure borders, the ill conceived use of our military, and not the least, the continued acts of malfeasance that our politicians engage in all too often.  In every instance, this writer agrees.

    Therefore, in stating that we can effect change in the country by our selection of a President, it becomes obvious that we must elect an independent President. As Mr. Salvato noted,

"Senators and representatives are not elected by the total of the American electorate and do not officially represent the total of the American people,..."

  This is precisely the point.  Our country needs a President who will stand up for the people first, and not his or her party! One of the main weaknesses of the two party system is the fact that the President is also the leader of his party.  When legislation is presented to the President for his signature, he will make a decison with the next election and the fortunes of his party in mind.  This extreme partisanship is the source of ill-crafted legislation that lacks creativity, innovation, and real effectiveness.  We were amply warned of this by our greatest President, George Washington:

  "Let me now...warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally.. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume."  

    These are powerful words from our First President!  We have now come to the point in our history where the power of the two major parties has relegated wisdom, common sense, and true regard for the welfare of the nation and the principles of freedom and self government  to the back burner of political discourse.  It is therefore time for a change, a real change, a change that will only happen if we reject the DEM/GOP/MSM propaganda.  

     We cannot any longer accept the idea that only "they", the elites, have the necessary wisdom, knowledge, and experience to govern.  We cannot allow ourselves to be misled into once again voting for the lesser of two evils.  We must break the hold on power currently in the hands of these elites and restore the nation to the principles of the Constitution, rule of law, and will of the people.  

     The time for choosing has come, as President Reagan stated over 40 years ago.  It is time to apply that "uniform vigilance" President Washington advised us to have over 200 years ago. The two parties have proved themselves incapable of prudent governing of our nation, of proprerly taking care to preserve this last best hope of freedom because they care first for power! 

     The solution to this problem is to start directly at the top by electing an independent President.  Mr. Salvato is absolutely right; the two parties, in their offering the American people career politicians with positions to defend, wealth to maintain, and favors to repay, cannot bring about the real and necessary change we need.  It is utterly impossible for them to do so! 

    In this unusual election year, there is a real opportunity for our nation to secure that change.  Yes, it will take a new way of thinking, it will take faith and courage to do what we have been taught not to do.  Nonetheless, it must be done.     In November we must elect an Independent President to stand for the people against an elite establishment that is evolving into an aristocracy.  That aristocracy will lead to the demise of our freedoms as was explained in the first part of this series. The change we need is a President who stands for those freedoms.    Only an independent President can bring us to the eventual goal of reclaiming our inheritance.