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If the ebb and flow of life’s current pulls me in a particular direction, so be it. If not, I shall – excuse the expression – stay the course.

I have been a registered Democrat since I became old enough to vote. For reasons ranging from the shallow to the substantive, I have viewed those claiming the Republican elephant as their politcal guide with a mixture of incredulity, pity and scorn.

My 10-cent explanation to my children about U.S. politics has always been that when Democrats make mistakes, they tend to err in the direction of helping the little man and strengthening the weakest links in our societal chain. When Republicans make a mistake, they tend to err in the direction of shoring up the already bolstered segments of our society, urging those on the bottom rungs of the ladder to try a little harder.

Republicans think Democrats are spendthrifts with no spine for the hard decisions. Democrats think Republicans are tightwads with no heart for those in need.

That undercurrent that runs uniquely through each of our lives has shifted recently as it has passed through mine. My political leanings are beginning to tilt in a different direction.

My daughter, Amanda, went to Washington, D.C., a couple of years ago and brought me back a rather nice wool baseball cap emblazoned with a picture of the Democratic donkey and the words “Proud Democrat.” And I wore it with pride all through the run-up to the presidential election of 2008, and in the early months following the Democratic victory that put Obama in the White House and a “super” majority of Democrats in the senate.

A few months ago, being the social networking maven that I am, I filled out a profile for Facebook, and listed myself as a “disgruntled, disenchanted Democrat.” And today, a few short months later, I am finding it near impossible to pull my Proud Democrat cap off its hook and slap it on my head.

I’m not proud. And I don’t know how much longer I will declare myself a Democrat.

Before I go any further, let me assure my Republican pals that they should have no illusions that my allegiance is shifting in their direction. While I am a great believer that one should “never say ‘never,’” in this case, I’m going to say “never.” The pachyderms are as big a bunch of morons as the jackasses that sit across the aisle.

The political system as we have known it may not be completely broken yet, but it is definitely on life support.

We search the American populace for the best and the brightest to lead us. We gather in caucuses and town hall meetings, we hold debates, forums and Q & A sessions. And what we come up with is a gathering of politicos from every state from sea to shining sea – farmers, bankers, businessmen, lawyers, businessmen, lawyers and lawyers – expecting them to come up with the answers to the thorny questions of our time, to work together to be creative to bridge our differences and to make this a more perfect Union.

And what do we get? 60-40. One-hundred people in the U.S. Senate (and 435 equally partisan dunderheads in the House) from at least a number of different walks of life, and 50 separate citizen states, and we get two ideas that are so entrenched in rhetoric and posturing that compromise is almost impossible, and when it comes, the give and take is most frequently not in the best interests of our nation as a whole, but in the best interests of more special interest groups than you can shake a stick at.

And let me take a moment here to thank the U.S. Supreme Court for removing the boundaries on political contributions, and turning the election system over to corporate interests once and for all.

I’m over it.

If this Congress does not come up with a bill or series of bills that reforms this nation’s health care system, the entire bunch should be impeached, removed from office, and we should start over with a group that finally gets it that the American people are tired of the game.

We face serious issues that require open minds and clear vision. We need politicians to cease their petty bickering and bargaining and get back to the business of working for the common good.

I’m willing to submit that I am not the one to turn to in deciding which health care plan is cost effective and which will bankrupt our nation. You’ll need to turn elsewhere to draft the details and crunch the numbers.

But what I’m here to tell you is, it is a crime that hardworking people die because they cannot afford preventative health care. And it is financially insane to deny people care that would keep them healthy, only to then provide them impossibly costly emergency care for catastrophic conditions that develop because that wellness care was denied.

The people I talk to of every political stripe – Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Socialist, Green, whatever – share one thing in common, and that is a belief that it’s time for a change, and that change will not come from the top, but must originate from the grassroots.

I will vote Democrat in August in hopes of seeing Andrew Romanoff’s name move forward to the General Election as senator from Colorado, because as I said last month, I think that is important for all of us. Should he be successful, I will follow with another vote on the Democratic line in November.

After that, I’m looking for a new political home, and I hope millions of Americans will do the same. No longer will I allow the major parties to hijack my vote by declaring it my fault if the bad guys get in because I threw my vote away by casting it in favor of a candidate with no chance of victory.

I will vote for the individual whose ideas are sound, whose heart is good, and whose vision is clear.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me for 41 years, shame on me.

Won’t get fooled again.