Wizard of Oz

The current political situation in this country -- including the Democrat and Republican parties -- is a remake of The Wizard of Oz.

Dorothy: Good heart, but lost, doesn't have a clue and can't figure out how to get back in touch with  her roots.
Tin Man: Cold, squeaky and doesn't have a heart. Wants to do right on some level, but hasn't a clue.
Scarecrow: Dances around issues but no brains for tackling the big issues, thus doesn't have a clue.
Cowardly Lion: Backs down at every opportunity due to a lack of substance and courage to do what's right. Also, doesn't have a clue.
Wizard: Works behind the scenes to manipulate every other character, a master manipulator interested in only his own agenda.
Glenda the Good Witch: Any politician not working on the national stage that still has a hint of the common sense and fortitude and determination that made this nation great.
Wicked Witch: Lobbyists and special interest with money to burn. All of them.

You can assign any member of any party to the characters, but the facts don't change: The federal government is broken and both parties are at fault. Squabbles break out on the most menial of proposals, i.e., presidential cabinet appointees, because of ideological differences; compromise has become a four-letter word and base labels -- conservation/liberal/tea party -- push all agendas regardless of degree of need or public opinion.

The national debt is an abomination and both parties are to blame. Spending more than you take in is a problem of government in general and has been for decades (with a few positive exceptions) not just of this administration. Everything wrong with this government is not Obama's fault ... or the fault of Republicans; it is a co-joined responsibility and regardless of what pollsters say or leaders affirm loudly, the public knows that. The problem is two-fold: Them for acting like they do and us because we keep electing them.

Nothing in Washington is going to change unless the people move to change it. The Tea Party is not the answer, nor is any third-party uprising that hinges its success on a singular, loud-speaker issue.
The problem is more serious than that.

The problems we face today are not about just Democrats vs. Republicans. It's about a lack of common sense, civility, understanding of this country's demographic shift and how to run government like a business. The solutions are simple (yet so complex in the minds of elected officials) that inertia bogs down any positive movement: Term limits, curtailing influence of lobbyists, balanced budget amendment, simplifying the tax code and eliminating loopholes not available to all, demolishing the division of the wage-earner classes in regard to taxes, health care, foreign aid packages, protecting those in our society that can not take care of themselves ... and the list goes on.

The existing parties spend too much time building walls for defense and setting up offensive strategy on how to make the opposing party look bad than they do figuring out how to drive the American economy and do what's right for its people on every important front.

We deserve better but we can only ensure we get it by ousting status quo candidates and electing folks that truly understand what is needed for this country to remain great: Diversity, compassion and attention to details in the budget and in policies.

Now's the time for change. If not now ... when?