The area I live in is heavily democractic. Even when you vote for a "republican" the republican ends up voting like a democrat. Either the republican party has been infiltrated by the"enemy" or the party has forgotten their basic beliefs. At one time, the party was against high taxes, was for helping but containing through taxes instead of lifelong being on welfare, anti abortion for sure, pro business, etc. etc. If they look at who they're running for beliefs instead of who can pay back the favors, the party could come back. As for the democrats, they have so many family members and people to pay back with jobs in government, it's ridiculuse. They kick out someone who passed a test, went to college, etc., and has been doing the job, for an unelected relative or party member always for a nice paying job like town engineer who passed no test, barely got through high school, but has the right last name.

Everyone should take the time to read the platforms of our major political parties. The following are a couple of key comparisons based on excerpts from the two party platforms. • Both parties stress the importance of national defense. Republican put defense as their highest priority for the country. In their platform, they state that our first obligation is the security of our country. On the other hand, Democrats primarily stress meeting the needs of our people and improving the economy, in addition to supporting national defense. • Both parties express support for many of the same things, e.g. veterans benefits, energy independence, education, crime, terrorism. They just have very different approaches to handling these issues. The key is to truly read the platforms of the two parties.

I have been so frustrated in recent years by the conflation of Republicanism and Evangelicalism. It only serves to further separate us from those we may be most called to reach and leads many to distrust the very faith of other Christians who may simply have different political philosophies. And honestly, it's not as though the Republican platform is without inherent sin. When we yoke ourselves so closely with a secular political party we run the risk of even unintentionally supporting the ungodly things they will do in power, due to the highly partisan nature of American politics. (How many Christians would have supported "enhanced interrogation techniques" if they had been committed under a democratic president?) Even blatant sin gets spun so that our side looks good. And the cause of Christ is lost as we win the news cycle.

The conservative Christian response to the Republican's cynical new "Pledge" simply confirms what should have been obvious since at least the era of Ronald Regan, that the Conservative Christian Right is a sucker that can be used time and time again by the Republicans. The Republicans throw a little crumb to their Christian allies and the Leadership of Conservative Christian Political Organizations hops right in line. It is time for true followers of Christ to put away their idolatrous flags and Republican Party pins and banners and declare the primacy of their loyalty to the Cross of Christ. America is a wonderful gift of God to those who live here but its Constitution, while arguably the best man has created, is nonetheless not sacred, and the Republican Party is not God's representative on earth, nor are its candidates or their managers and supporters, on average, any more or less righteous than their opponents.

We have become to consumed by issues in the secular realm that we have forgotten that we are called to love God, love each other and love their neighbors. When we get that done, we can use our spare time, if any, to quibble about political issues.