July 4, 2006, Washington DC

Verifying widespread rumors, representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties announced today, in an historic press conference, that the era of bitter partisan politics is over.

In a display of non-partisan deference, legislators and former Presidents took the stage together and in a jointly declared statement, declared:

"We've set our differences aside in order to unify our nation. Political animosity and contention are things of the past. We've reunited to recreate the party of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe"

With that brief statement, former opponents pledged their support to the revival of the Democratic-Republican party that once elected three great Presidents, before becoming divided and splintering into the Democratic and Whig parties.

Comments from several sitting Congressmen included:

"It's long past time to concede that we've had much more in common than in dispute, and to come and work together on our areas of agreement. We can now eliminate the partisan differences that have kept us from implementing so many needed programs."

"We've put an end to the influencing of elections by powerful interest groups and big money. This is campaign reform that will work. It will eliminate the enormous and wasteful expenditures on elections."

Media representatives of the new D-R party promised that more details of the merger will be announced as they develop.

  Could it happen?

You had better believe that it could. Our federal government has become the seat of enormous power, prestige, and wealth. Democrats and Republicans have managed to fracture our nation almost evenly between them, by faking competition and splitting the spoils. Why continue to expend the effort in competition between two parties when it can be internalized in one merged party?

We've seen numerous legislators switch parties. The reelection rate for incumbent legislators is so high that it is a de facto "fix"... an effective parsing of seats that amounts to a "metronome" swaying back and forth, pretending to be competition.

Will the voters care?

Voters have, so far, shown unflinching loyalty to the party of their choice, disregarding disastrous results, and adopting catch-phrases to justify not changing their votes. Voters have repeatedly shown that no matter how bad the choices seem, they will choose the momentary "lesser of two evils". To this observer, it really appears that many Americans really don't care about election results... bad or bad... what's the difference?

I can't effectively describe to you how frustrating and depressing it is to work to offer voters a real choice in elections, only to have them fall sucker to choosing the less evil of the candidates with "a chance to win".

Our chance to change our nation depends on two things"

1. Having a choice
2. Taking advantage of the choice

Libertarians (and many other parties throughout history) have made an unbelievable struggle against obstacles placed in their way by the D's and R's... in order to give voters a chance to reflect their dissatisfaction. That struggle, which has cost many individuals huge chunks of their personal lives, has returned, at best, MINIMAL results. Libertarians grow incredibly weary at hearing these comments from voters:

"I'm really for you people, but I've got to vote to keep X out."

"If you people had more political clout, I'd be with you in a minute."

"I agree with you on every issue but one."

The only way voters can keep their alternative alive is to TAKE IT. The only way the freedom movement can succeed is for people to get off their butts, vote their conscience, and work to make it happen.

Each election, idealistic, hopeful Libertarians all over the nation sacrifice their personal lives to keep the alternative alive, and after each election, many of them will give up and drop out when the voters again fail to TAKE the alternative given them. Each year, NEW idealists join us, replacing the burnt-out, discouraged veterans with a new energy and enthusiasm, and an optimism that the voters MUST WAKE UP if we just try harder. The result is a party that grows very slowly, with significant turnover due to burnout and frustration. Other "third parties" have the same problem.

Voters must begin to recognize that they've placed alternative parties in a tragic catch-22. Until we're capable of winning, voters won't "waste their vote", but we can't win as long as that attitude prevails. The public seems to think that political parties just spring to life full-blown and competitive.

If all of the voters who made the unthinking statements above were to actually VOTE Libertarian, the LP would make a serious dent in breaking the D & R stranglehold, and that would have a profound influence... even if it didn't result in actual campaign victories. It would throw a scare into the major parties. It would energize yet other parties by making politics competitive again. It would bring about debate on issues that are currently ignored. It would show politicians that the American voters cannot be taken for granted, and it would show the American public that there is a real chance of reversing the direction of our nation.

The alternative?

Don't assume that the U.S. can't turn into a no-choice nation. Many others have, and we're not immune. Trusting, neglectful voters have allowed so much power to transfer to Washington that our worst nightmares are now possible.

If we are lucky enough to have another election in November, take advantage of it. It may be your last chance to have anything to say about our future. USE IT OR LOSE IT.