The truth never seems to carry much weight in Washington, D.C. Since taking office almost two years ago, President Obama has “stimulated a recovery” in the economy, passed a “deficit neutral” health care bill and “ended” a war in Iraq. Never mind that record unemployment is still around in a stagnant economy that finds over 40,000,000 Americans on food stamps. Never mind that the government has failed to pass an entitlement that shrinks the debt. Never mind that 50,000 troops still find themselves in Iraq, receiving combat pay and risking their lives on a daily basis. These blatant lies simply create a façade of transparency, treating the American people as an ignorant mass unable to grasp the truth. The truth, as the American people are already grasping, is that our nation is in trouble.

A recent NBC/WSJ poll showed that 59 percent of Americans believe that the country is on the wrong track. Only a third of Americans expect the economy to improve in the next year, and only a fifth of the country approves of the job of Congress. The national debt is over $13 trillion, unemployment is conservatively estimated at more than 9 percent and taxes are scheduled to rise at every income level after the new year. The only thing constant among Americans is uncertainty.

Uncertainty exists because Americans don’t know how their taxes will change year to year, or even month to month.

Uncertainty exists because Congress passes legislation that contains thousands of pages, with legislators failing to read and comprehend every line until after passage. The Financial Reform Bill exempted the SEC from the Freedom of Information Act, a fact not realized until after its passage.

Uncertainty exists in our foreign policy. Americans don’t know when our troops will come home or what country we will invade next. Troops remain in Afghanistan and Iraq, non-military contractors have increased their presence in the region and the CIA has escalated drone attacks in Pakistan.

Americans don’t know when jobs will come back, when government will get off their backs or if the future will be brighter for their children.

Change is still needed in our country and desired by a strong majority of Americans. Change is more than just a campaign slogan, more than just a new face and more than fresh rhetoric. The anti-incumbent wave sweeping across the land, aimed at both Democrats and Republicans, is an attempt to change the political landscape.

The change we want will come when politicians understand the pessimism and uncertainty running rampant around this nation. They can end the pessimism by putting America on a track to future success, by reducing the debt, by reducing spending and by reducing the size and scope of government. They can fix uncertainty by being open and transparent with all of their constituents.

Actions speak louder than words, and Americans see through the propaganda. They want politicians to say what we all believe to be true. That only the market can create jobs, not the government. That the American empire is unsustainable; that troops and money spreading around the globe should be brought home immediately. That more regulations and more laws only hamper economic growth and do not facilitate it.

What Americans seek is not a one-party strategy but something that both parties can act upon to bring about successful change in the 112th Congress. Democrats and Republicans will both swear to uphold the Constitution, now they just need to meet those words with their actions.