Dear Eugene, My dad works at the Ford factory down the road. He’s never missed a day of work in his life, and he’s always worked extra hard, but he says this financial crisis is the worst he's ever seen. He says we’re headed for another depression, and when he talks about the men who run the government he uses angry words that I’ve only heard him say when he's drunk. He says the problem is that government is filled with lobbyists and there's nobody watching them. What do you think? — confused in Detroit Well, Confused, your dad’s right to use those angry words. Unfortunately, he's seemed to confuse the symptom with the culprit. The problem with the current system isn't a lack of oversight; its that there's just so darned much that no one can get anything done. When people realized the mess - and trust you me, they realized fast - they were powerless to stop it because of the mountains of red tape. Now, lobbyists tend to get a bad rap. And sure, some of them deserve it. But it’s a very simplistic view to say that all lobbyists are crooks. That’d be like saying that all baseball players use steroids, or all cab drivers smell bad. Lobbyists serve a crucial role in providing the lubricant of government. Some have even called them the fourth estate, and with good reason. Let me explain by metaphor. Let’s say that all your life you’ve been good at chess. You used to be known for miles around. Your nickname was ‘The Bishop’. One day you move to Washington D.C. because you want a shot at glory. And you get your shot. But before you play, they tell you you can only play with one hand tied behind your back. With loud music playing. And you have to be blind folded. Doesn’t sound very fair, does it? Well this is basically what has happened to our economy. The lobbyists - the ones you thought were the bad guys - were unable to use their superior powers of government to alleviate this mess, and we all suffered for it. And all because a few cantankerous souls thought that would be unfair. My prescription is to cut the red tape. Cut government and let industry do its job. Cut restrictions on what lobbyists can and can’t do. Let the invisible hand do its work. It’s the best guide to getting us out of our current crisis. That’s what I think. And you can take that to the bank.

Every election is a change election, isn't it?

Every cycle you have your candidates railing against the status quo in Washington. Every cycle you're going to have people fed up with the way things are. Every cycle you're going to have people who want to throw the bums out.

Well, doesn't it say something that for all the talk we hear coming about change, we always seem to end up with the same thing?

Watching Mr. Obama's recent speeches, I'm reminded of something Thomas Jefferson said:

Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.

Well, when I hear Mr. Obama's soaring rhetoric, I think to myself: where's the hook?

I hear ruminations and platitudes; abstractions upon abstractions, words bereft of any meaning, which one can spin and read whichever way he'd like.

Change, yes, more of it; but how will your administration be any different from before?

Experience

It baffles me, how little people seem to care about one's resume. They seem to think that running a government could be just a job for anyone. Well, he looks good, he talks a good game, might as well go with him.

It's not! It is the most powerful office in the world, a man sitting on the top of a hyperpower, and we should not be so cavalier in turning the reigns over to inexperienced, empty vessels who are able to woo us to sleep with their sweet nothings.

Would you be comfortable with your CEO being a fresh-faced kid out of high school, whose experience extends to the edge of the football field, and no further? Of course not, you'd quit. And you'd be right to do so.

Our government is not a playground! Serious choices have serious consequences, and to treat the election to the highest office as anything other then the most important decision we make every four years is a travesty.

Leading the country

I have the kind of experience I'm talking about. I may not have (yet) the rhetorical flourishes that allow me a Beatles-esque effect on my audience, yet my policy proposals are sound, my commitment to liberty steadfast, and my dedication to the colors red, white, and blue is undeniable.

Change is an empty word. What matters is specific proposals to fix the problems that afflict our government.

We should demand more from our candidates than empty campaign slogans and nationalistic rallies.

Stand up for America.