A long time ago, in a republic far, far away… It is a dark time for the Democrats. Although Democrats retain the majority in the Senate, conservative Republicans have driven Democratic candidates from their seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and pursue those still in office with zealous fervor.

Yes — “The Empire Strikes Back” — there is no more fitting description of the times today, as the politics of division and hate have settled into power across the nation. I preferred “A New Hope” back in 2008, when there was a chance we could move forward as a nation and a species. Now I fear we will regress in both capacities, though our military spending will go through the roof like a Bunker Buster bomb.

What I have learned is that conservative Republican politics are good only for conservative Republicans who deem themselves the saviors of the nation.

Reading a list of conservative values is like reading the Ten Commandments. Even if you don’t subscribe to the Judeo-Christian religion, you can agree that some of the commandments are just fundamentally sound: Don’t kill, steal, commit adultery, lie.

The problem as I see it is that conservative values seem to stem from the will of God, and those who oppose it are sinful children who need the guidance and protection of the Republican Party. Though it contains some good ideas, the conservative ideology is too close to religious law for comfort.

According to the Wikipedia-like website Conservapedia, “conservative values are useful and powerful in combating common human weaknesses: Lust, Laziness, Jealousy, Gluttony, Pride, Conflict, Corruption.” The list is strikingly similar to the seven deadly sins, as listed by the Catholic Church. My objection is this: Lust is where babies come from, and jealousy, gluttony, pride, conflict and corruption describe every political candidate — even Republicans.

In a country that espouses freedom of religion and separation of church and state, how can we adhere to the theocracy of conservative Republican politics?

Conservative Republicans claim that the liberal elite (read: Democrats) think they know what’s best for America because they’re college-educated and thus have an air of mental superiority. So, we don’t want the smartest people making decisions? Also, I know college-educated conservative Republicans, so does that make them the conservative elite?

The Republican agenda is what really draws my ire. The main issue is that Republicans want to cut taxes and make America more fiscally responsible by reducing spending. Well, how can we cut taxes and pay back our debt at the same time? How can we cut taxes and reduce spending while still providing unemployment and medical assistance for the millions of Americans who have been displaced because their jobs were shipped overseas?

What does being fiscally responsible really mean? Spend only what you have earned? The American economy is built on borrowing and repaying. Borrowing and repaying is how we started this nation. Consider this: If America is to be truly independent, then the citizens must pay for the upkeep of the republic. We call it taxes.

The empire has struck in the 2010 midterm elections, and we will see the nation become even more divided than ever. It is my hope that in the 2012 elections, we will be witness to “The Return of the Jedi.”