Would someone please change the station? The static is killing me.

I often drive from Lansing to Grand Rapids because my firm has offices in both locations. When I make that drive I usually start out the trip listening to one of the talk radio shows or, if I’m in the mood, Mike FM. (Sad side note, Mike FM is being categorized by teenagers as an oldies station. Wow, that hurts.)

Around Portland, the same thing happens to me every time. I have to change the station. For a while just turning it up works, but before long, more volume does nothing for my ability to groove—I just need to change the station.

I’ve been thinking a lot about change lately, particularly the national political scene and a theory that I’ve slowly come to believe. Friends who have been trying to tell me this for a decade will have to accept this as my apology – here goes.

Based on how Republicans have voted in the past 20 years, I think that most today are watered-down versions of Democrats with slightly different views about marriage, life, and a handful of other social issues. Essentially, they have been fighting over how much and how fast we should entitle and thus ruin the next generation. Neither side has really come up with a viable answer that has solved much of anything.

Here’s proof:

When Obama ran for office, he ran on “change.”

When he took office, he changed little. One could argue that all he really did was turn up the volume.

Consider…

1. We are fighting more wars with more troops today than we were two years ago. We’re just in slightly different locations. Still no end in sight.
2. We’ve spent more money on the same failed stimulus strategies, with even more to come, I trust. But no new ideas, no change.
3. To finance the above, our deficit and our debt are higher than before. We can argue about who added more, Bush or Obama, but we’d be missing the point. We have simply increased the speed at which we spend money that we don’t have.
4. We have more unemployed adults than we have had in decades. Nothing that democrats or republicans are trying is working to get people working.

You see, when Obama got in, he simply turned up the volume. It was getting too soft. It wasn’t working, so he turned it up. He has done nothing original. He has changed little.

The country he’s trying to run is a republic—a form of government in which the people retain control. At least that’s what our constitution says we are. But we’re acting like socialists. The folks who call themselves Democrats and Republicans today are all simply on slightly different places on the continuum that starts on the right with Democracy and heads left to Marxism. And make no mistake, Democracy always heads left, and it never ends until it reaches some form of Marxism.

Currently we’re fighting on a national level for issues that matter to us. The right to abort babies. The right to an education. The right to have food and housing. The right to free speech. Shoot, someone fighting for the right to marry his dog wouldn’t surprise me. The right to future liberties for our children (which essentially is my way of saying that none of us wants to be in debt to China or anyone else up to our ears). You name it, we’re all fighting for what we believe are our rights.

The true “Republic”an is simply saying let’s argue these things at the state level. You can live where you want to. You can choose where you live based on what you believe. If you are currently a Democrat or a Republican, then you are (presumably) not impressed with your party, and you know that the answer is not coming from either side. You know this.

We are currently all advocating for a nationalized homogenous set of beliefs for our entire country, arguing for what we think would be best for everyone in the United States. Yet, we all agree that we should not impose these ideals on Turkey or Uzbekistan. No, let them live like they want to live. If we have enough respect for those countries to let them live their lives, then why can’t we take the same approach with say, Michigan and Texas?

If you think Texans are a bunch of inbred, uneducated red-necks then let them be! They will just get what they have coming to them, right? I live in Michigan. If I think unions are killing any chance for growth in my state, then I can fight them. If I win, good for me. If I lose, I can go live somewhere else if I want to or I can pick another fight. I have options.

If you are a social liberal, fine. You’ve got plenty of options: east or west, snow or sun, closed shop or right-to-work. You can find a state that lets you marry whomever you want, drive as fast as you want, or carry a gun. In whatever state you choose to live in you can wage a political war against rich people and try to force them to feed the poor in your state. You can fight whatever fights you want to fight for as long as you want to fight them.

A state is like a family. The people grow up together. They get to know each other. Sometimes they are forced together and sometimes they separate. But by and large, they take care of each other.

You know, I think I’ve heard this before? Oh yeah, the Constitution. The writers of our Constitution had “been there done that” and knew what would happen if we allowed the government to get too big, if we allowed its arm to get too long. The general population gets the shaft and a few elite, white-wig-wearing idiots get all the good vacations and benefits.

Whether you’re a right or left winger, the video below might make you a little nervous. But think about this as you watch: You can be a flat-out, progressive, liberal activist and still vote for a true “Republic”an. In fact, if you are a liberal who doesn’t want Marxism (and most don’t), if you are a liberal who wants liberty, then you should be supporting a true “Republic”an.

So are there any true “Repubic”ans running for President in 2012? Is anyone fighting for the freedoms granted us by the Constitution? Well, I’m glad I asked – Yes there is. Someone whom disgruntled, mistrusting Democrats and Republicans alike can rally behind.

Ron Paul, please take it from here. And please, change the station, the static is killing us.