Amid all the ineptitude, posturing, protestations and misinformation emanating from Washington, D. C., there is a disquieting silence about the three most essential questions facing our nation. Will constitutional law prevail? Will America remain a republic? Will capitalism, clearly the proven engine of America’s prosperity, be allowed to continue?

All three questions are inherently fundamental to our freedom. Remove even one of these elements and our nation mutates into something foreign and unrecognizable.

When candidate Barack Obama used the words, “fundamental change,” most of America expected that he would address those aspects of our democracy that had become dysfunctional; that he intended to return us to the principles upon which this republic was founded. Never did we invite him or give him license to redesign our system of government. Separately and collectively, the “changes” that he proposes reflect a critical and defining departure from who we are as a people and as a nation.

America’s founding fathers risked their lives to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. There is no group of people currently serving in government who can equal the patriotism, vision, intellect or selflessness of our founding fathers. We are at risk.

Nicholas D. Mecca

Williamsville