I’ll admit, even as a conservative, I too was rooting for the Democrats to win a congressional majority in 2006. Like the rest of America, I was lured by the false promise of a strong party to lead us through George Bush’s remaining years as an “evil dictator”.

While I was able to see through the evil dictator crap, I did (and still do) strongly believe that our current president, regardless of partisanship, has too much power that needed to be checked. Several victory speeches and a flurry of subpoenas later, the Democrats seemed to be fulfilling their promises. However, this was short lived.

After nearly a year, little progress seems accomplished, and to call the Democrats “strong leaders” is wrong. This past week, fighting in Congress continued as our representatives once again failed to pass a completed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. One of the most notable “accomplishments” in the debate was Congress’ decision to raise the ceiling, allowing the federal government to borrow funds by $850 billion. With this new allowance, our national debt is expected to skyrocket to nearly $9.8 trillion by the end of Bush’s presidency.

I can only express shock and anger over our current Democratic Congress’ disregard for their promise of fiscal responsibility. While the Republicans haven’t exactly been a good model themselves, Americans were promised by the Democrats that they would “clean house” upon receiving a victory. This clean house included, among other things, a balanced budget.

What we were promised is most certainly not what we got. The amount of interest accrued on $9.8 trillion will have a much stronger affect on our country than the short-term benefits of these loans. Future generations will be left with even larger debts as a result. It still amazes me that lawmakers can sleep at night knowing how deep of a hole they are digging for our nation. In addition, while greatly appreciated by President Bush, this increased allowance does little to improve the reputation of the Democrats as strong opponents to the Republicans. This decision appears to be more of a band-aid than a solution to a crucial problem for the United States.

Because we cannot seem to rely on the Democrats, Americans should support the proposals given by many Republican congressmen that reverse this reliance on deficit spending and eliminate our debt through a series of strategic cuts to services provided by our government. Tightening our budget at home will not only create funds for necessary (and greatly under-funded) programs, it will also help our government to run more efficiently. Our bureaucracy has grown to epic proportions, and in addition to being costly these mechanisms are inefficient.

Reducing the size of the bureaucracy will drive down the costs of government functioning and allow the government to begin paying off its massive debt as well. It is imperative that we begin to pay off this debt that looms over future generations, which could also prove obstructive to necessary future government actions. We cannot continue to look to other nations for funding – our nation must focus on becoming more self-sufficient to reduce messy financial entanglements.

The Democratic Party’s failure to act on campaign promises takes on a new importance when considered in the context of the upcoming elections. It’s a huge drawback for both congressional and presidential candidates. Conversely, Republicans have remained a unified force to be reckoned with. While holding power in Congress, Republicans were able to create a solid alliance, while Democrats suffer from defections and in-fighting.

When Americans make their choices in 2008, they want a party that can deliver quick, decisive action through a unified coalition. The Democrats continue to be a disappointment to their supporters, while the Republicans stick to a strong platform. This allowed them great success for achieving policy when it is needed most. We don’t need uncooperative and obstructive candidates steering Congress in circles during a period when decisive action is more important than ever. My hope is that Americans remember all of this on Election Day.