Missourians who are alarmed by America's continuing slide into national decline need to vote on November 6 for Todd Akin for the U.S. Senate.  Before explaining why, some background:

First, I didn't vote for Mr. Akin in Missouri's August 7 Republican primary; I voted for Sarah Steelman.  Ms. Steelman got my vote because I felt she might have the better shot at defeating the incumbent, Democrat Claire McCaskill -- as Dick Morris put it on Fox News, "[i]t takes a woman to beat a woman."  But my gal lost.  So when Akin made his unfortunate remark about abortion, I dashed off a quick blog about a write-in candidacy.  I even suggested Steelman.  But no plausible write-in candidate has emerged.

Second, to give my endorsement of Akin added salience, know that I disagree with Akin on abortion.  Yes, I'm a "pro-choice" Republican.  But I'm voting for Akin anyway because there are far more urgent problems confronting America than the remote possibility that abortion rights might be curtailed, and these are issues that Democrats have failed at -- miserably.

Other than threats from abroad, like Iran getting nukes, the biggest threat facing America is the federal debt.  McCaskill voted for the first trillion-dollar deficits in history and has been a member of the Democrat majority that has failed for the last three years to even produce a budget.  McCaskill came into office in 2007, when the deficit was $160B, and then voted with the Democrat majority for a $1.4-trillion deficit in 2009.  For the four years that ended on October 1, the public debt rose by $5.46T, and the total debt rose by more than $6T.  Thank Claire.  (You can verify those numbers here.)

For the three fiscal years just before McCaskill became a senator, Republicans cut the deficit by $252B (See Table 1.1).  So McCaskill and her fellow Democrats in Congress are entirely responsible for exploding the deficit.  The deficit alone disqualifies McCaskill for any public office.  McCaskill has consigned future generations of Americans to "tax slavery" and a diminished America.

Democrats have tried to make this election about abortion rights and free contraceptives.  But the real issue is the budget -- Congress's out-of-control spending.  Missouri doesn't need to have a "perfect" senator; all we need is a senator who will faithfully vote with Republicans to stop the ungodly spending.  Akin will do that.

As a congressman, Akin didn't vote for the trillion-dollar budget deficits.  Claire did.  Akin didn't vote for the budget-busting ObamaCare.  Claire did.  And Akin wasn't an early champion of the worst president since Buchanan.  Claire was.  The choice is clear: vote for McCaskill, and you're voting for trillion-dollar deficits until we hit the wall and become Greece.  Or vote for Akin and fiscal sanity.

The Pelosi-Reid-Obama government is the most harmful government since the 1850s.  They have shown the American people utter contempt.  The best thing for America is to send them all packing on November 6.  But Obama has a very real shot at getting a second term.  And if he does, the only bulwark against Obama transforming America into an image of himself is Congress, which is why Republicans need to take back the majority.  So don't split your ballot -- vote for an all-Republican government.  And that, Missouri, means voting for Todd Akin.  He's good enough.  (At least he's not Claire McCaskill.)

Remember: it's the majority, stupid.

Jon N. Hall is a programmer/analyst from Kansas City.