Who are the Elites?

"It's time we asked ourselves if we still know the freedoms intended for us by the founding Fathers. James Madison said, ‘We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government.’ This idea that government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power, is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves."

Ronald Reagan October 27, 1964

Now, I know that our ol' conservative demi-god Ronny was talking about bad old liberals in their ivory university towers, but suppose we take him literally here. Who are the so-called "smart"guys now, the "elites" ruling things in a Capital? Could we describe these "elites" as Conservative think-tanks in Washington D.C.? This really should be the issue of the next election. Our "representatives" have abandonned us, and the power of the Imperial Presidency is on the rise. Worst of all, the true "Deciders" of America (the Congress) are so hung up on looking "soft" on terrorism, that they have failed to be "strong" on the one thing that truly matters, our Constitution, with the liberties that it guarantees its citizens, and the hope that it holds out for all the rest of the world.
The Goverment of the United States of America is supposed to be answerable to it's people, and yet it refuses to do so. In just 15 months, we will have a chance to make it answer, but this chance will mean nothing if in the next 6 or so we do not make sure that the people put in place for us to choose from come November 6th are actually worth voting for.

Choose wisely, choose carefully. For the primaries, vote your conscience. Just because your candidate doesnt win doesnt meant that his ideas wont gain traction if he does well in the polls.
Most important of all, ask questions. Or maybe this is more important; when you ask a question, be sure that you actually get an answer to that question. If you dont, then ask it again.

Oh, and dont shirk the local scene. Whatever abuses of power occur at the top, they'll have a harder time filtering down if the local leaders are on the opposing side.