"A people should know when they are conquered." Maximus responds, "Would you, would I?" – From the movie, "Gladiator"

One hundred years ago the American republic was overthrown and captured by financial elites and money power during the Taft and Wilson administrations, the first Republican and the second Democrat. Both the Federal Reserve and federal income tax were born and you know the rest of the story consisting of two world wars, the Great Depression and stock market crash, the rise of communism and fascism and the Cold War. Since that time directed current events, history and financial markets have ruled at the expense of free markets and free people.

The minor policy differences with one agenda shared by two different parties and their presidents back during the Taft and Wilson presidencies are somewhat similar to Obama and Romney today, should the GOP win this election. The only real difference is in the political rhetoric preceding the election. The America and republic established by our founding fathers effectively died 100 years ago and real, productive Americans have been a conquered people since that time.

William H. Taft served as president of the US during the years 1909 to 1913. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt had appointed Taft, his close ally, to Secretary of War in order to promote Taft as his handpicked presidential successor. In this way the widespread support for Teddy Roosevelt helped propel Taft to the presidency in the 1908 campaign.

To some degree Taft continued the imperialist foreign policy of Roosevelt through his "Dollar Diplomacy" in Latin America and Asia, buying and supporting corrupt leaders who would advance American political, international and economic interests. In time, however, Taft's differences with Roosevelt began to grow. He showed both decisiveness and restraint regarding a revolution in Mexico but to former Roosevelt interests and supporters, he appeared blind to the political considerations at home.

Taft began to alienate many of his former constituencies and elite supporters with his trust-busting aimed at powerful wealthy elites, the major reason he was defeated in his attempt to secure a second term as president. Along with Wilson, Taft will be forever hated and despised by productive American citizens for passage of the 16th Amendment that allowed Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it based on Census results among the states. Second, the Federal Reserve Act was enacted under President Wilson on December 23, 1913, creating the hated Federal Reserve System and granting it the legal authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes.

It should be noted that the Federal Reserve Act and the establishment of the Federal Income Tax were criminally crafted and forced on the American people by both parties during the terms of Republican Howard Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Since these acts were passed Americans have increasingly lost control of their federal government, the value of the dollar has depreciated by more than 95 percent and now all Americans suffer under a two-party monopoly that can be neither controlled nor even impacted by productive Americans.

Our nation's "mob rule" style democracy and closed political system guarantees that ultimate control and policies of the power elites will be enacted and carried forward regardless of public support or opposition. Thus, since 1913 it really has not mattered which party or presidential candidate has won the election because both are controlled and act for the interests of the power elite.

Therefore, in the 2012 election – as has been the case during the previous 100 years – voting is actually an exercise in futility and only used to convey false credibility to a controlled political system totally divorced from the people. Whether readers vote third party or for either of the two monopoly parties, little of substance will change despite the propaganda and political rhetoric offered up this year, just like every four years.

It is easy to say Americans should know they are a conquered people but do we really understand the situation? Like conquered peoples during Roman times believing they might still have power and influence over those who ruled over then, the answer is sadly no.