We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

These words from our Declaration of Independence remind us that we are not the first generation of Americans to take stock of our political situation and find it unsatisfactory. The manner in which we are governed today has become unacceptable, as it did in the time of our nation’s founders. Our Federal government, controlled by special interests and the political parties that do their bidding, has ceased to govern this nation effectively. Growing constantly (at our expense), it has become bloated and wasteful, its efficiency and effectiveness diminished by its sheer size. Gridlocked by partisan politics, its responsiveness has slowed to a crawl. Our present day Federal government is like an over-the-hill fighter; still powerful but too slow now, unable to get out of its own way. With a once strong, lean frame now buried under fat; reflexes dulled from years of excess.

Its time for change.