Is the voting public as dysfunctional as our more recent Congresses - or vice versa? A democratic republic implies that the expressed will of the people reflects common-sense review of timely concerns and sound collective judgment as to who and how best to address them. Will that decision be determined by critical self-analysis or unprecedentedly massive media expenditures on carefully “spun” party promotion? We desperately need more thoughtfully practical election input from the “ordinary” Americans responsible for making everyday things work under whatever conditions are legislated by the political class - the automobile mechanics, appliance repairmen, hospital orderlies, store clerks, accounting specialists, road pavers, trash collectors, legal assistants, police detectives, marine divers, flight attendants and many other vocations recognized only when involved in something heroically newsworthy. They are the functional backbone of this nation. The most unsettling aspect of our societal freedoms is a propensity for not voting. Your vote may well make a difference in a close election, and failure to do so would be inexcusable. If you elect to refrain, then don’t complain about lack of representation. Phil Osifer