Let The Campaign Continue

It's official: Sen. Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president. We have been subjected to a long primary, and it will continue for the next five months.
I can hardly wait!
If this past year or so is any indication, we are in for an unbelievable period when these campaigns seem to be endless. If they truly exposed what the candidates wanted to do or what they believed, then I would be all for it. I do not believe that that is the case. I have lived long enough to have been exposed to numerous leaders and on the opposite side to be exposed to many frauds.
I recall President Clinton promising to reduce taxes while he was a candidate and then raising taxes after he was elected. I also recall the first president Bush stating that, "read my lips, no new taxes." He also raised taxes and it cost him re-election.
In my profession - the military - the leaders won battles and improved the lives of the troops. The frauds caused troops to die and did not look after the troops. Consider yourself to be one of the troops.
We elect presidents, senators and representatives in the national arena and also in the local arena at the state, city or county. We listen to what they say they will do and then watch what they actually do. In too many cases the two are not congruent, and yet we continue to send the same people back to their offices.
When polled, the majority of our fellow citizens state that they do not agree with Congress by an overwhelming majority. The approval evaluation of Congress is lower than the president's. When asked about their own representative, they say that he or she is doing fine. How can that be?
Could it be that too many depend on the largess of government and expect the rest of the population to support them? When government advertises for additional people to apply for various benefits such as welfare, food stamps, free lunches for students and countless other "benefits," then I think that we are heading in the wrong direction.
Most of us are good hardworking Americans who do not have the time or desire to spend time in all the various programs before our legislatures. We expect our representatives to do their job, but too many do what is good for them and not necessarily good for us.
If this past year is any indication of what we can expect in the future, then the campaigns will be longer and our satisfaction with the results will be less. I suspect that we must become more informed consumers. We do this when we purchase anything from houses to cars and clothing. Why do we not do the same when we elect individuals to represent us who have the power to raise our taxes and create blockades to what we desire?