I empathize with Betty Ward's assessment of the essentially indistinguishable and increasingly indifferent major parties ("Declaration of independence," Monitor letter, Nov. 5).

Congressional Democrats are now perfectly comfortable retroactively granting arguably unconstitutional authorizations to a GOP president that he couldn't even get from his own party last session. Following the 2006 elections, I saw a network interview clip with a freshly minted Democratic congresswoman who said she would support Bush's war spending plans and if voters wanted something else, they should have thought of that in 2004! Why were her constituents supposed to vote for her over her GOP opponent, anyway?

There's precious little time left to stop this self-serving, free-spending, extra-constitutional authoritarian federal juggernaut. There is only one candidate who will actually turn it around: reinstate constitutional limits, restore personal liberty while still providing for national security and dramatically expand the razor-thin political dialogue that's so beneficial to sustaining the entrenched powers that be.

That truly unique choice is Dr. Ron Paul. The extraordinary one-day fundraising effort on Nov. 5 has forced the mainstream media to finally take serious notice of his broad and deep grassroots support. If you haven't heard of Ron Paul, you will now. Be you Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, "undeclared," or whatever, if you treasure what this nation was intended to be, you should listen. Carefully.

Pick up a GOP ballot at your primary polling place, holding your nose if that's what it takes, and check that box. Vote for Ron Paul and take back your country.

BILL ALLEMAN

Weare