Mr. Smith returns to Washington

Are you happy with the political class? Or are you disgusted with congressmen, senators, and governors who take oaths to protect the Constitution and serve the public but end up pickpocketing the taxpayer and scratching each other's backs?

Most Americans are angry with a corrupt and dysfunctional government. They want to be led by people who know right from wrong and will not compromise the great principles of their Republic for personal gain or convenience. But please, do not point a finger at your least favorite political figures. You reap what you sow. It is you, the sovereign people, whose indifference or ignorance has catapulted to power ruthless opportunists and dangerous daydreamers.

Polls predict that today's election will change the political landscape in a more profound way than it did in 1994. Even former President Jimmy Carter seemed convinced last week (interviewed on the BBC) that there is no force in the universe to prevent Nancy Pelosi from handing the House of Representatives back to the GOP. The observed reinvigoration among "conservatives" through the Tea Party movement, the sagging energy in the leftist camp, and the realignment among "independents" away from Big Brother ideologies may be just the natural course of the voters' pendulum, predestined to constantly swing from right to left and back again. But it also could be a sign that many are ready to take more personal responsibility for their rights and freedoms.

"Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books," said Mr. Smith when he went to Washington. "Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't; I can, and my children will."

Have we forgotten how much it cost to earn that liberty? Do we realize that it is up to each and every one of us to preserve and expand it? Wake up, call your friends, say your prayers, and cast your votes. You don't like the rotten political establishment? Today you are in charge-you can bring Mr. Smith back to Washington.

To keep up with the results of Senate, House, and governor races, go to WORLD's home page and click on the appropriate tabs above the interactive national map.