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Senators and Representatives,

I hesitate to admit it but I registered to vote as a Republican in California on my 18th birthday. I have voted in every election since then but much has changed. I am now registered as an Unaffiliated voter in Alaska and will not register or in any other way support either political party without drastic changes.  I will tell you why.

The news media is constantly harping on the President’s approval rating of less than 30% but very little is said about a Congressional approval rating in the teens. Let’s face it; if the President is “wildly unpopular” you all are downright despised. And what is unfathomable is that both parties are holding tighter to the policies that led to their unprecedented unpopularity.

Let’s start with the presidential candidates. Remember, they are all members of your body.

As a former Republican, I will start with John McCain. George Soros himself, given unlimited power, could not have devised a way to make more Republicans vote for a Democrat than John McCain. The only way to avert a massive number of Republicans voting against him in November will be for them to become so disenchanted that they stay home. He is proud that his policies are lock step on most issues with a President who has managed lower than 30% approval ratings. What is further amazing is that he is also actively distancing himself from the President on the very few issues he is still popular on. The Republican base can’t trust him and Democrats won’t trust him. His only saving grace and the only reason November may even be close is that more than a quarter of Democrats will vote for him over his Democrat rival just because they dislike the rival so much.

Hillary Clinton has some of the highest negative ratings of anyone on record, and that is among her supporters. Democrats and Republicans alike distrust any Clinton after the eight years they put us through. Her personality is abrasive, her stance on issues is best described as politically expedient, her honesty/trustworthiness is suspect at best, and her experience nonexistent. Her only saving grace is that Barack Obama has managed to alienate more than half of all Democrats (she is ahead in the popular vote). He is also increasingly showing signs of an inability to win the battle between unarmed men that the general Election is becoming.

Barack Obama has managed to become the candidate for change despite the fact that his voting record is virtually identical to the proven failed policies of the old Democrat leadership that fueled the largest Democrat election losses in more than a generation during the ‘90s. His patriotism is in question, his beliefs are in question, his decision-making is in question, and his judgment is in question. The only thing about him that isn’t in question is his experience – he too has none. He is basically one big question. And that seems to be his redeeming quality. People are so disgusted with the other candidates that they are wiling to vote for someone they aren’t even trying to get to know because he always speaks behind a sign that says “change;” and in this election year, that seems to be good enough.

It seems that despite a President struggling to get approval from one third of the nation, the three Senators vying to take his job are having trouble shaking the fact that their current job approval rating is running at about half of his. I can’t help but get the feeling that each of these career politicians is trying to out-politic the other – failing to realize that playing politics is why no one likes them.

At some point in the recent history of both parties, their collective conscience forgot that they were elected to do the bidding of their constituents. Republicans are scurrying around to find a political solution to the problem of what will likely be a historic defeat in November. Democrats are scurrying around trying to find a political solution to the problem of why the public is not supporting them despite the most unpopular Republican party since Watergate if not ever. And every political talking head in the world is offering their advice on how to either win or not lose in November. But all are failing to understand the problem.

The people are sick of politicians with political solutions!  We want real people with real solutions!

As I am no longer beholden to either political party, I will offer free advice to anyone that will listen. America needs leaders with moral conviction and leadership that unapologetically promotes those convictions. Not the wishy-washy, spineless, double-talking, politician we have. As the old saying goes, unless you stand for something you will fall for everything. We, as a nation, are falling for everything, everywhere, every time. Unapologetically support the Constitution by standing up for the US and your constituents in everything you say and do. The media will have a fit but the people will respect you.

If you talk like a politician, you are already three steps behind. It is possible to answer a question directly and speak what you actually believe. Those of us in the real world do it all the time. We are sick of politicians who go through life not answering every single question posed to them. Say what you mean and mean what you say “...because you can’t respect someone that kisses your @&&.” ~Ferris Bueller (edited for content)

And while we are on the subject of answering questions, it is not possible to give everyone everything they want; even if it were a good idea. Yet you politicians from both parties have been promising exactly that for years. You don’t know what is best for me and I don’t want you to give me whatever you think it is. Give the American people a vision and set the conditions for them to achieve what they know is best for themselves.

Special interests. As an elected representative, I am your special interest. I don’t have big money, I don’t lobby and I don’t have the time to follow you around giving you stuff…I am too busy trying to make a living. Unless you start representing my interests, I will vote you out and I think there are a lot of people like me out there. Meet your people, know your people and don’t get too far removed from your people…even if that means taking a break every couple of terms to reconnect. You can’t be an advocate for people you don’t know.

Money. I make it and would like to keep some of it. I’m sure studying fruit flies in France is important to someone (Rep. Mike Thompson D-CA), planting trees in Chicago is a worthy cause (at least to Sen. Richard Durbin D-IL), and Maine lobsters need to be studied for some reason (Sen. Collins and Snowe R-ME and Rep. Allen D-ME probably know what that reason is). I am equally sure that I don’t need to pay for it. I can only spend what I make and I have to budget what I spend my pay on, you should too. The Federal Government has very specific uses in the constitution. Extorting states (withholding funding unless they act a certain way) and bribing the people by tossing scraps (pork projects) to states and districts based on political influence aren’t among them. Use only what money you must in order to perform your constitutional duty instead of using every bit of money you can possibly find and most likely won’t go to jail for.

Government and Laws - Trust. I have an electronic copy of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Amendments with me at all times. Together they are 18 pages in MS Word. Current laws however are thousands of pages in scores of volumes. The government and laws are becoming ends in and of themselves. The Government is primarily focused on power for the government and Laws are enforced depending on who is in power, once again giving the government more power and keeping the population in fear of what laws are being enforced. Instead of focusing on power, focus on setting the conditions for the people to be successful and then get out of our lives. Repeal some laws and simplify all laws. Until government and laws are transparent and accessible to all citizens, there will be no trust.

These are just basic suggestions with no political slant. I am pretty doubtful that any politician from either party will pick up these ideas is because the effect won’t be felt immediately and therefore no politician will care. That is how jaded and untrusting the populous has become. But I will warn all of you politicians from both parties, without drastic change of this type, the population will realize you are irrelevant very soon and vote you out. The parties may even go the way of the Whig Party in the annals of history. You will all be replaced by new politicians in new parties that will actually represent the people. My only hope is that majority of the population wakes up to this before the damage to the nation is irreversible.