If you are sick and tired of being given the same old choices when you go to cast your vote, your state legislature and the two old tired dominant parties are generally at fault. For more than 150 years the Democrats and Republicans have been taking turns holding power nationally and in most states. There have been periods of time when one party or the other dominated the political scene in various states and the country. Most of us, I suspect, would not consider one-party rule a healthy prescription for good government. Two party rule is marginally better…especially when the two parties have become so similar to one another. Two party rule does not serve the electorate when the parties collude on the practice of governing even if they openly disagree on the policies for governance.
In 1854 at Ripon, Wisconsin, the Republican Party was formed, and their 1860 candidate for President, Abraham Lincoln, was elected. Although several upstart parties have through the years attempted to crack the vise-grip hold of the two decrepit parties, they have generally been unsuccessful. The GOP bills itself as the party of small government and economic prosperity yet it joins hands with the Democrats to enlarge the federal government to an uncontrollable level while approving legislation that negatively impacts the abilities of Americans to earn and to prosper. The Democrats, on the other hand, claim to be the party of the “little guy,” but they insist on promoting intrusive Nanny-state government that over taxes and limits freedom for most of our citizens. The Republicans often follow their lead to increase the scope, power and oversight of the government while severely curtailing the rights and freedoms of the people.
The two party system can be a workable one IF the two primary parties provide contrasting visions for the country. While the current two parties do use their public relations units to articulate varying positions, their actual practice is to share an unyielding commitment to bigger, more intrusive and more powerful government. Words do matter, but “actions speak louder than words.” The actions of BOTH parties lead to a loss of individual liberty, economic freedom and property rights for every citizen of our once-great republic. While pretending to differ about the important philosophical questions that face our nation, they have willingly and knowingly colluded to undermine the Constitution of the United States and the God-given unalienable rights of our people. How long will we continue to endorse this insane path to our country’s destruction?
Because of their monopolistic/oligarchic practices the two parties collude by limiting third party access to the balloting process in many of our states. If a third party cannot achieve ballot access in several states, it limits that party’s opportunity to challenge the status quo on a nationwide basis. The two old parties control the election apparatus lock, stock and barrel. While “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” were guaranteed to us at our founding, the two old parties have joined together to de-value life by allowing babies to be killed, our liberties to be eroded through the growth of large intrusive government, and our pursuit of happiness to be defined by government edict rather than via individual choice. Open the windows of freedom, fellow citizens, and let in the fresh air of liberty. Demand that your states allow real choice at their ballot boxes. Third party candidates can provide the constitutional balance that has been sacrificed by the two old parties. Third parties can hold the old two-party oligarchy accountable. Third party candidates can advance the ideal of “we the people” that has been lost by the two old parties.
We citizens can continue doing things the same old way with the same old results, or we can insist that our states open the padlocks of access so that we have real choices when we vote. Merely changing the names and faces within the two-party structure is similar to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The two old parties have guided us toward the iceberg and have not shown that they have the courage and the wisdom to change course. Opening the system by allowing more legitimate parties who respect the Constitution and smaller government may be our last best hope. You can wager your bottom dollar (a worthless one) that the career politicians of the two old parties will not be around to mourn when our ship of state collides with the iceberg of reality.
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