Less than a year ago, after the November 2012 elections, the following letter was published in the Star Tribune:
"Let's look at what we have learned from this election: Twenty-one of 22 incumbent senators were re-elected, and 353 of 373 incumbent members of the House were re-elected. So the American people have re-elected 94 percent of the incumbents who were running for re-election to an institution that has an approval rating of about 9 percent. This shows that, as an electorate, we are a nation of idiots. We're now stuck with the useless, dysfunctional government that we deserve."
That author was correct. In the last two years, ineffective legislators have given us sequester, state and federal shutdowns, furloughs, and layoffs, and have brought us to the brink of debt default for a second time.
Only we can bring about change. Study the candidates, think differently and vote independently. Vote against incumbents if you want change. We desperately need new representation.
