We don't envy the 111th Congress: The economy is circling the drain, the war in Iraq seems endless, and millions of Americans can't afford health care. U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, step right up. We strongly endorse the Democrat from Raleigh to serve his fourth term.

Miller is the lead sponsor of legislation to crack down on abusive mortgage lending practices and to give bankruptcy courts the leeway to modify mortgages on home loans. Current law allows those modifications only on vacation homes and yachts. Translation: Only the rich get the breaks.

Miller's voting record is solid: He voted to expand children's health care, which President Bush vetoed, and against allowing the government to conduct domestic wiretapping without a warrant.

On the war, Miller voted to limit tours of duty beyond one year and to provide an additional $5 billion in health care for returning troops. He voted for HR 2956, which would have begun withdrawing American troops within four months of its enactment. However, the bill wasn't as strongly worded-it called for a "limited presence" of armed forces-as some war opponents would have liked.

Miller chairs the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, which handles investigations into science, secrecy and abuse of power: a very busy body considering the current administration's record. Miller's committee investigated FEMA's and the CDC's irresponsible allocation of formaldehyde-ridden trailers to Hurricane Katrina survivors, NASA's cover up of aviation safety problems, and the sudden closure of three EPA libraries, which limits public access to environmental records.

Derald Hafner of Franklinton is running as a Democrat, but his ideology contains strains of libertarianism. Pro-life and pro-death penalty, the 63-year-old supports immediate withdrawal from Iraq, eliminating the federal income tax and warding off federally mandated health care.

The Democrat who emerges from the primary will face Hugh Webster, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary.