Two days ago Ralph Kayser, head of the Tucson Tea Party, sent out an email announcing that the Republican Congressional candidate for my district, Jonathan Paton (pictured on the right), was going to hold a luncheon fundraiser today. Ralph wanted to know if anyone was interested in attending.

Normally, I detest giving money to politicians, from either party. I consider them to be the worst form of bloodsuckers. They don’t produce any wealth, cannot create jobs no matter how hard they try, add restrictions to our lives that squelch freedom, and generally only serve to squeeze tax dollars from us all for wasteful government projects, money that we would better left in our own hands to use as we each saw fit. And then they go on the campaign trail, begging for more money so that they can beat the other guy.

Like I say, bloodsuckers.

Nonetheless, to me this election is different, in the same way the 2010 election was different.

Then I gave money to the guy running against Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), second in command under Nancy Pelosi in the House. Hoyer, who was then my representative in Maryland, was instrumental in getting Obamacare passed. Moreover, he and Pelosi had led the way in creating the annual trillion-plus dollar deficits that are now bankrupting the country. I thought it imperative that he be fired, along with as many Democrats as possible.

Sadly, he wasn’t fired, but many many people felt the same as I, and for this reason the House flipped from Democratic to Republican control. Similarly, Democratic control of the Senate was reduced from 60 to 53 senators. This wasn’t enough to get Obamacare repealed or to regain some sanity in federal budget, but it was a start.

This coming election is another chance for the electorate to make a change in Washington. In the case of my district, Jonathan Paton is running against former Congresswoman Anne Kirkpatrick, who had voted for Obamacare and had pretty much rubber-stamped any budget increase proposed by her party. Not surprisingly, she had been defeated in 2010, replaced by dentist Paul Gosar. Now she is running in my district in an attempt to return to Washington.

For me, to oppose the election of an Obamacare Democrat does not mean that I have blind faith in the Republican candidate. In fact, I have only a little confidence that Paton will stand for a balanced budget, even though his campaign literature says that is what he is for. Republicans for the past two decades have talked a good game, but have rarely backed that talk up with some real budget cuts. Generally, they have acted to balance the budget in as painless a way as possible, while keeping as much power in Washington as possible.

What I am sure about is that Kirkpatrick, as a modern Democrat, will continue the out-of-control spending in Washington. She and her party have simply refused to deal with the problem (witness the lack of a budget from the Democratically-controlled Senate for the past three years) and in fact, often act in ways that are guaranteed to make it worse. They have got to be flushed. Only then will we have a chance for some reform and common sense, not only in Washington but also from within the Democratic Party itself.

Thus, I was at today’s luncheon, which was mostly attended by Republican Party activists, passionate for their party and its own goals. Paton himself did not impress me that much in his short speech, though he did hit on all the right talking points. Nor was I that impressed with Congressmen Paul Gosar or David Schweikert (R-Arizona), both of whom spoke in support of Paton’s candidacy. (As you can see, I am a tough audience when it comes to politicians.)

Nonetheless, Schweikert, whose focus in Congress is finance, did make one point that hit home. “The one thing I am really good at is math,” he noted, and then, in referring to the federal debt, added, “It is much worse than anyone can get their heads around.” He, like Paton and most Republicans, is at least running on the idea of reducing the federal debt. It is for this reason they have my vote and financial support.

For if we do not get this gigantic overwhelming federal government under control, then we can say goodbye not only to our country’s wealth and prosperity — including the possibility that Americans may someday colonize the solar system — but to its freedom and liberty. For freedom cannot prosper under the yoke of a powerful government. The two cannot co-exist. If the government wins, then freedom will die.

And I do not want freedom to die.