I have to say I cannot believe the nerve of Ms. Dawn Williams ("Already excited by two Republicans who'll run in 2010") and Mr. Kevin Shanley ("Obama has much to learn about the U.S. economy") in their Feb. 12 letters to the Thousand Oaks Acorn.

Their Republican leadership has presided over the utter destruction of the U.S. economy in the past eight years, watching Mr. Bush and his rubber stamp Congress preside over a redistribution of wealth to the top 1 percent, the destruction of the middle class and the most socialist expansion of government the country has ever seen- - all while holding the country at ransom under some nonsensical construct that we should be living in fear.

The Republican Party and its supporters need to stand up, take responsibility for what they've created and step aside.

You deserve no voice right now. Meanwhile, the Democrats need to get back to their roots and take back the construct of real fiscal responsibilty- - and yes, that means getting rid of Nancy Pelosi, whose pork loading of the "stimulus" bill has or should disgust those on the left and right equally.

Frankly we're at a crossroads of America, a crossroads that requires a third party- one that works for the people, responsibly.

If anyone after the last eight years and four weeks thinks that it's the Democrats or Republicans, then I'd suggest you live in a parallel universe.

In the meantime, we do have a president who's spoken of bipartisanship and change.

Make your voice to him count; don't rely on your party of choice. They will merely do whatever is best to line their pockets.

Anyone who thinks any different is deluded. Richard Browne Thousand Oaks