I am sure that our forefathers did not intend for the USA to have a one-party political system. While there is nothing constitutionally that precludes our having multiple political parties (more than two), we have the tradition of being a two-party system. Currently, that tradition is manifested in the Republican and Democratic parties with a few minor parties that seem to have very little political influence - some followers but not a very powerful political force. The last major third party impact on an election was Ross Perot, who received almost 20% of the vote in 1992.

My family raised me as a thorough-going Democrat. I grew up in a rural area with a farming tradition, and my parents worked in a textile mill. My family had lived through the Great Depression. "Republican" and "Herbert Hoover" were bad words. Certain family members never got over the association with Republicans and the Great Depression. I remember my first interest in politics came in the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon. Obviously, I was an avid Kennedy-Johnson supporter. I remember as I grew into adulthood, I gradually became a Republican because the Democractic Party left me. So when I could vote, I voted Republican for the first time. As many have said, the Democratic Party abandoned me and drove me to the Republican Party.

I currently contend that for all practical purposes we have a one-party system in America consisting of both Democrats and Republicans. It is a R-D or D-R party. In the light of this situation, I propose the Republicans and Democrats merge into one political party and that we form a new political party. There is not a "dimes worth of difference" in how both parties are behaving.

The Republicans lost their governing majority because the party lost its way, became arogant, and abandoned its principles. The party has not manned an effective opposition strategy to this socialistic and governmental takeover that we are experiencing. The Republicans suffer from a lack of leadership and coordination. Is there not a leader that will stand up and provide courageous leadership? The principles of the Republicans and Democrats are defacto the same.

A new political party must emerge that embraces social conservativism as well as fiscal conservatism, free market economic and governmental principles, and a lack of governmental intervention. This may sound harsh. But if General Motors and Chrysler cannot make it on free market principles, then they need to go out of business. Businesses cannot have it both ways. Don't punish the successful and, in many cases, hardworking people who have certain salary levels by taxing them more. What happens to incentive? The government does not create jobs; the private sector does. Wake up America! This massive and expensive national health care plan is about to change America forever and lead us down the socialistic path further. The massive ballouts have been outrageous. The Republicans are not manning an effective opposition to the new Supreme Court nominee. How can a social conservative support her?

We need a new political party that will stand for something and that will man effective opposition to the biggest socialist takeover and restructuring in the history of America. The new political party should be characterized by social and political conservatism, ethical behavior, and free market principles. More than anything, the new party must offer strong opposition to the current one party system consisting of both Republicans and Democrats!