What the Republicans Really Mean by Change

It's no surprise that the cynical, self-serving, no-ideas Republican Party has tried to hijack Obama's call for change on the American political scene. Of course it defies logic to imagine that voting for another Republican after the eight years of the Bush two-term disaster could possibly be a way to change the direction of the country - particularly since McCain, after voting with Bush 90% of the time, has now abandoned virtually every "independent" position he ever held. So, let's give it to the Republicans and admit that they are indeed the party of change. But what does change really mean to the Republicans? To really appreciate their definition of change, let's review just a few of the changes that have happened since the current Republican President took office:

* A country that had a massive budget surplus now has a massive deficit.
* Millions of people lost their homes.
* The disparity between the wealthiest and the poorest has grown dramatically.
* Millions more people, especially children, have been pushed into poverty and have lost (or have never had) health care.
* The United States has lost the vast majority of its prestige abroad.

Considering just these five examples (and there are dozens more), how can any patriotic American not see that the changes the Republican party brings - and would continue to bring under the Republican ticket of McCain/Palin - are precisely the changes we can no longer endure if we have any hopes of remaining (or perhaps becoming is a better choice of word) a healthy, just society?