Please, Mr. Chalkley, take a seat. It is important. Good. You're sitting. Now, try to relax. Take six deep breaths in, hold them and let them out ever so slowly. Good. That's one. Now five more. We'll wait.

Okay, now. sit back. Press your body against the chair but don't tense your muscles. Are you settled? Good!

The answers will be difficult to wrap your mind around. But do it you must or you will not find peace in this life.

Politics is a nasty game when played only for power. Power politics needs to be lubricated with dollars.

Democrats screech at Republican initiatives and Republicans point out the worst in Democrats programs. They each do this because they lust for the power that comes with elective office. Once elected, too many of them begin to think that the speeches they gave were filled with truth. The real truth is hard on them. For example, and this is not partisan, after the 2007 Special Session of the General Assembly, Governor O'Malley commented on his surprise at the varied interests and concerns of the citizens who contacted him and of the recalcitrance of legislators to fall in line and pass his plan. I think he was sincere. Coming from Montgomery County and Baltimore City political environments, where voter registrations run as high as 9:1 in favor of the Democrats, he had never been exposed to serious opposition that he wasn't leading. True to his word before election, he didn't propose a raise in taxes during the initial session. He held a Special Session to do that. Power and money.

As for BRAC, the round of realignments that resulted in this windfall for Maryland came from a Republican Presidential Administration desirous of assisting a Republican Gubernatorial Administration. In this case, the primary closure that benefited Maryland, was Fort Monmouth, NJ. New Jersey where Democrats are solidly entrenched. Democrats were outraged, except for the Maryland representatives to Congress who still claim responsibility.

The O'Malley Administration saw BRAC as an opportunity to capture Federal dollars and increase the population of Maryland with taxpayers with jobs, something every state wants, but we want it lots because of recent losses in population. taxpayers, by the way equal money! Taxpayers from Democrat strongholds means a strong likelihood of people used to voting for Democrats. There may be some conservative military voters, too, but the odds are good that this is good for Maryland Democrats, and Governor O'Malley is their chief.

You need to do the breathing thing again, now. Then, I'll go on. All settled? Good! I'll continue to the hard part.

This takes us back to the politics thing. Democrats have been beside themselves about George Bush ever since the Florida Supreme Court tried to manipulate the result of the 200 Presidential election in which, history tells us, George Bush received more votes that Al Gore.

Since that time, and yes, even after his decisive re-election, the hard political left, including many elected Democrats, has objected to everything George Bush has done. They yell incessantly about No Child Left behind, a Teddy Kennedy (genuflect) initiative that the President helped move as a sign of his intention to work across the aisle in Washington as he did in Texas. There have been other instances, but that is not what were talking about. We are discussing the anti-war posture of people like Governor O'Malley going out the window when it comes to suckling at the Federal teat.

Suffice it to say, if George Bush does it, Martin O'Malley makes snide remarks about it. If George Bush does not do something, Martin O'Malley calls him to task over it. If it will be done in the future, we will hear about how its amounts to closing the barn door after the donkey escaped. Politics as usual, not principled behavior to right wrongs.

So long as Maryland can get money out of it, the Governor will go after it. it is the mentality of elected officials to garner money for their constituents out of tax dollars.

In 1787, our representatives to the Constitutional Convention tweaked our founding documents to, "establish Justice, insuring domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," according to the preamble to the Constitution of the United States. Over the years, Congress has expanded the role of government to include many more areas of concern that are reasonably assignable under the preamble or body of that document.

The unprincipled elected officials did not object to the military excursions of President Clinton. They did not raise a public cry at the Carter Administrations military failures. They do not complain of the years of occupation by the United States military forces in Germany, Japan or South Korea, all actions initiated under Democrats. They did object to Reagan's adventures in Panama, Granada and Lebanon. There was no elected Democrat outcry at American soldier's bodies being dragged through African streets, you pick a country. I knew this would be hard for you.

It is always hard to learn that those you thought were principled were mere panderers looking for you contributions and your vote so they could have the money to gain the power that would give them access to greater amounts of money and greater power in a deadly spiral, deadly to those who constitute the People.

You and I might these behaviors as hypocritical. The actors would tell us that they are pragmatic. They work toward ideals, but keep them safely out of view outside of the campaign season. They wouldn't want to soil them with reality, as they live it.

Last, I must make a confession: I did not listen to the radio show. I hope that criterion was not absolute for participating in this conversation.

Mr. Chalkley, please resume breathing now, in, then out, deeply and slowly until you feel ready to confront our sometimes ugly world. Together, insisting on better behavior from our elected officials and holding them accountable, we can make this world a better place to live for ourselves and our posterity.