As millions of Americans are reeling in some of the harshest economic times our generation has faced (unemployment numbers and GDP don't tell the whole story), it would seem they would gear November's vote towards helping in what few areas it can. And it stands to reason if they vote for a Democratic President AND a Democratic Congress that one of two things will happen. Either a) they will need to abandon every campaign promise immediately; or b) they will plunge us further into recession.

Why do I say this? Well, let's look at what's driving runaway inflation right now. Fuel costs are at the core of it. As a person who saw my first $500 gas bill this winter, I can assure you costs are rising at an exponential rate. While there's a temptation to say "regulate it", we need to remember our dependence on FOREIGN oil, and the fact that we can't force OPEC to drop their oil prices. So we're stuck with high gasoline and diesel prices for the foreseeable future.

Next, we will be hit with what Americans for Tax Reform is calling the largest tax increase in American history. All of the Dems begging for ending the Bush tax cuts (read: increasing taxes without actually CALLING it that!) seem to forget that one of the major cuts at play here is the $1000 per child tax credit. That tax credit isn't available to the wealthy, but to working class Americans who will feel the pinch.

Add to all of this the cost of funding a national health care plan (high on the agenda of both candidates!) as well as the money to be poured into environmental causes, and we have a government that will quickly find itself needing to raise more money to pay the bills. Of course, they insist, they'll only tax the super wealthy, not the working class. But in the world that is, the super wealthy pay their taxes with OUR purchase dollars, and we'll be hit by even more tax hikes.

Many Americans are voting based on the economy. If they vote for the Democratic candidate in November, they won't see an improvement in the economy, they will see a worsening. This is in part because the problems with the economy have a lot to do with worldwide trends and not just national ones. A weakening dollar, dependence on foreign oil (don't rule out environmentalists who won't allow us to access our own reserves on this one), and underwriting the pet causes of the economically idiotic will pretty much ensure that the downward trend doesn't reverse direction anytime soon.