Populist third party needed to govern U.S.

Last year, the electorate gave Obama its overwhelming support and majorities in both houses of Congress. This was an expression of dissatisfaction with the behavior of the previous administration and Congress.

Republicans and Blue Dogs have tried and largely succeeded in making the Democrats look bad. And the Democrats have made that all too easy by failing to address the issues that got them elected last year. Is it any wonder that the Massachusetts voters were so frustrated that they elected a Republican senator in their anger?

Consider just a few examples:

• Polls indicate that between 55 percent and 70 percent of the people want single-payer health insurance. That issue has been carefully dodged.

• Health care and other programs would be affordable if the 5 percent of the population owning 95 percent of the wealth were fairly and equitably taxed and if the Pentagon budget were slashed.

• The Wall Street barons managed to bring on a huge financial disaster and put thousands out of their homes. Yet, they were rescued by the Treasury, but nothing significant has been done to bring them under control. Meanwhile, the public continues to suffer.

• The public wanted all troops to brought home immediately, but the Pentagon sees it from their own myopic viewpoint. Meanwhile, an American has been going about Afghanistan building schoolhouses for the price of one soldier each, and the Taliban in those towns have faded away.

• Jobs have been shipped out of the country due to the various trade agreements, but the talk is only about making some sort of work for the millions of unemployed.

• The public has been conned for years into believing that a bunch of Arab terrorists flew airliners into two World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. However, a number of private investigators have come up with heap of evidence that the whole 9/11 episode, including, the cover-up, was an inside job. How come a third WTC tower collapsed in exactly the same manner as the other two but without being hit by an airplane?

The list goes on and on. Perhaps the time is about ripe for a populist third party to take over.

JOSEPH H. WYTHE

Sandpoint