By Dexter Kamilewicz

The disaster of Iraq is at the heart of the problems plaguing Maine citizens.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence of the horrible decisions by the President and his administration and the timidity and complicit behavior of the Congress, the cancer of the Iraq invasion and occupation is in the early stages of consuming America and the American middle class.

There is concern and anger among Mainers that current politicians are completely disconnected with the plight of ordinary citizens. The proof of that position is evident in the lack of progress made by Congress on critical issues creating ever mounting pressure on average citizens to bear the costs of the failures of the politicians from the White House down.

In spite of substantial evidence of fraud in leading America into an illegal, immoral, cruel pre-emptive war against Iraq with deaths of upwards of 650,000 innocents, mostly women and children, President Bush and his administration have not been called to accountability. Human fatalities of this magnitude have, in the past, caused our country to accuse other nations of crimes against humanity. The Congress stands by doing nothing.

In spite of the corruption of the U.S. Constitution by the illegal declaration of war by the President, the kidnapping and torture of people by our government, the unwarranted wiretapping of Americans by our government, the power of interpretation of the Geneva Convention being transferred to the President, and the blatant bullying of Americans by the President through the elimination of habeas corpus, the Congress stands by doing nothing.

It is past time to call to accountability all who destroy the basic tenets of American democracy by failing to live up to their sworn responsibilities to uphold the Constitution and basic human rights.

It is past time to impeach the President, to prosecute those complicit in such behavior, and to vote out those politicians who have stood by without a whimper and watched it happen.

Many citizens of Maine are hurting, and it is getting worse. Our politicians are disconnected from plight of average citizens. Coming out of this neglect are costs that promise to cripple the American middle class.

There are very clear needs that are going unmet and continue to be ignored because our politicians flush lives and money down the drain in Iraq. Is it any wonder that we ignore our own citizens when America spends over 500 billion dollars on the military (Russia is next with 65 billion and China is next with 56 billion). That is obscene and indefensible.

The war in Iraq is the greatest threat to the future of the United States because it is connected to all of the issues facing average citizens. Tom Allen says he is against the war in Iraq, but he has voted to pay for it 7 times, every time it has come up for a vote.

Here are some examples of the neglect of Mainers by the Congress.

HEALTH CARE: Tom Allen nibbles around the edges with his “small business health care plan” destined to fall very short of the real need of our citizens and Darlene Curley says that we all need “affordable health care” which sounds more like a warning rather than a solution. Universal health care is the gold standard for virtually every industrial nation in the world except America. Why do they avoid the real answer to Mainers’ health care needs?

FAIR TAXATION: The tax cuts by Bush and agreed to by the Congress gave 97% of the tax cuts to 4% of Americans who earn over $200,000 per year. How is that justified?

EDUCATION: The United States is graduating less than the average number of graduates from high school in the industrial world and is raising the cost of education for its citizens. How will Americans compete for good jobs if Congress continues to make it more attractive to invest in jobs off-shore than in America?

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT POLICY and GOOD JOBS: The United States has not had energy or environmental policies for generations. Congress is unmoved by the realities of our planet but seems more interested in protecting capital and corporations. By combining concerns about energy/environmental policy and good jobs, we can leverage out a positive future for our citizens. By reducing the bloated military budget by 50%, we can invest in America. America can convert from a wartime economy that invests in the military instead of in industries that contribute to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and producing good jobs for our citizens. We should invest in building public transportation across the nation, in turbines for wind power, alternative fuels, solar power and products that we currently have to purchase off-shore. We can, too, if only the Congress will stop sitting on its hands.

I believe that we can do better as a nation by making a change from the same old politicians doing nothing. I believe that electing an Independent to Congress from Maine is in the best interest of Mainers.

Think about it. Really, think about it.

Dexter Kamilewicz from Orr’s Island is an Independent candidate for Congress in Maine’s First District.