My research paper at DeVry University is about the deregulation of the power industry at the end of the last millennium. Anyone else's electric or gas bill shooting through the roof after promises of higher competition meaning lower prices? When regulated, Americans enjoyed the lowest electric and gas bills proportionate to our income than at any time and any place on this planet. Now I'm looking at 18% annual increases until someone fixes this problem (I never saw a $225 gas bill in the 90s). It wouldn't be so bad if my light bulbs burned brighter or if my cell phone charged faster.

And for every $500 I gross, why do I take home only $300 of it? Can you figure out my income by my tax bracket? I assume the $200 goes towards social services, but the cops still haven't found who stole my bike back in the 10th grade, I've yet to set my pad on fire and teachers are so disgustingly underpaid I admire the teachers more than doctors and my beloved Washington Redskins. But, I have to remember without my $200, millions of Americans will be standing at the corner, with their entire families, either panhandling or scheming to take my $300. And the Americans in Iraq would be running around dodging bullets in a Ford Focus wearing Levis and FUBU, though I do question the $80+ billion request for money. Couldn't it be more like $79,999,999,800 and give my $200 to the teachers? And why does it seem the poorer you are, the more critical it is to keep as much of that money as possible to survive and just be happy? Though the wealthier are taxed more dollars, they still seem to travel the world on a whim. I say anyone making less than poverty level shouldn't be taxed at all. And raise the level considered poverty based on where you live. Coming from atlanta, $32,000 is manageable compared to living in Washington, DC. I'm still in sticker shock as i bake another bag of pizza rolls. Anyone making less than $57,000 in DC is living in poverty!

And religion in the courts? We expect Iraqis to develop a government and exclude their religious practices (which we have been hypnotized into believing is brutal by nature) but want to post the commandments of the Almighty in our courts. I'm not saying it's the same; nor am I saying it's wrong or right. All I'm saying is determine how much you feel church and state need to be separate and base your opinions of all governments on that viewpoint. With my limited understanding of Islam, Muslims employ the teachings of their word in everything they do every minute of the day. I'm barely a Sunday-only participant. Here's an idea: post the laws of the country in churches and see how that's accepted by Americans. Is there a church huge enough to post all the laws?

But this post is not about the issues at hand today. It's about who gets to determine industry regulations, religion in courthouses and tax cuts.

Sometimes when I read op/ed pages, I am amazed at how partisan people and politicians are. If an R appears behind a politician’s name, the Ds become extremely skeptical of the meaning behind anything the politician has to say. And vice versa. If a D says he/she supports tax cuts, "teammates" huddle up without him/her. When an R is accepting of evolution in schools without intelligent design taught alongside, the other Rs start calling for the bench warmer.

When we thought the Super Bowl was the greatest championship game on earth, we forgot that you don't need a ball for it to be a game. The greatest game in life is who gets to run the greatest imperialistic empire (ooops, i meant, nation) of all time. The next championship game is in 2008, and we're already started to see some game plans.

While the Ds flirt with the idea of another Clinton to play quarterback, the Rs, I must admit, have perfected their game plan, and it's damn near flawless. The PR game plan is efficient enough to put David McCullough in office if they chose to. The Ds' home crowd used to field a plethora of minorities. Women aligned with the Ds as well as the lower income Americans like me. But the Rs have an answer to that. We live in a time of free agency, and it has now seeped into the political arena.

The Rs saturated their squad with African Americans, Latinos and even a popular Austrian. All of the sudden, the Rs are not just for rich white males anymore. They have one of the most diverse administrations ever. A latino is the top cop? Who'da thunk it? They stress the future being safe for our children, many raised primarily by the women. What mother would not want a leadership strong enough to protect the future of her children? And the tax cuts (viewed with tunnel vision) definitely appeals to me and my fellow lower income earners. I could use an extra $12.26 on my next tax return.

But, what if the Rs could wrap all that into one play? One hail mary that could tilt the point spread so Ohio or Florida isn't as crucial?

Owning the media that they clearly label as liberal, virtually putting blogs on the map, inciting a perpetual sense of fear of the unknown, developing a huge herd of sheep, the Rs are in place to introduce the greatest razzle-dazzle, flea flicker, double reverse, halfback pass play the football world will never see.

And starting at quarterback for the defending national champions: Condoleezza Rice for President?