The voting sites are once again empty and we’re no longer bombarded by those irritating—and mostly misleading—political ads.

Perhaps you’ve breathed a long sigh of relief; you’re done for two more years. The problem is that’s how we got where we are today: An ever-expanding government, government employees averaging salaries roughly twice that of the private sector’s, government reaching into every facet of our lives, and government spending our hard-earned money like-well, like it’s theirs to spend.

For those who worked to overturn Democrat control, congratulations; however, let’s don’t get too giddy over Republican control of the House. Don’t forget that spending and size of government increased under George W. Bush. Let’s don’t forget the huge deficit he left us (how could you possibly anyway when Obama reminds you almost every speech?) after waging two wars and passing an $800 billion TARP bill. If you’re breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to going about your daily business and trusting those in Washington to look out for your best interests, then you’re part of the problem. This is where we—the folks the mainstream media refer to as “Main Street” when they feel kindly toward us—failed in the past. It is painfully obvious that both parties were merely furthering their own agenda at our expense. Oh, and lest you think I am being condescending, I also stand guilty of negligence in keeping an eye on the politicians—but not any more.

What must happen now is for us to ensure that they not only heard our voices on Nov. 2, but that they remember the message. We are not happy that the economy (read jobs) has been put on a back burner; we resent the politicians talking about taking more of our money for their pork or pet projects; we are not blind to the fact that “job creation” has merely become a euphemism for government expansion when, in fact, government mainly causes the problem it then seeks to solve; we know what they seem to ignore or forget: Private enterprise creates meaningful jobs; and we are justifiably angry that they force their policies upon us without regard to the Constitution or our opinions as to what is best for us.

Already the “lame duck” Congress is being pressured (behind closed doors, of course) to pass the Dream Act. This signals that not only will the administration not secure our southern border, but will reward those who have come here illegally. The Democrats voted this week to return the same “I can’t hear you” people to positions of leadership, sending a clear signal they intend to continue to push their socialist/communist agenda. And look for Obama to exercise executive orders and dictates from his bevy of “czars” to circumvent opposition to that agenda. If Congress becomes a roadblock to “the agenda,” the administration will use backdoor methods to get what it wants.

No, we are not done here, folks. We cannot be content to let the politicians return to backroom, “good ol’ boy” deals. The party affiliation is not what counts. What counts is that they listen to us and carry our voice to Washington, not come to us with Washington’s dictates—or become content to sit idly by while the current administration decrees what it will do for us. This was a critical election, but now that it’s over, if we fail to exercise due diligence, if we merely “go back to sleep” until next election, for our country and our way of life, we may find that sleep to be an eternal nightmare.

Roy Zimmerman
Bainbridge, Ga.