Party politics failing

As we all know, there are two major political parties in the United States: the Democrats and Republicans. Here is an easy question: which one is the conservative one? It's actually a trick question and the answer is neither. Over the years the Republican party has become increasingly liberal. Yes, there are differences between the two parties, but they are not the same fundamental differences that existed back when the two parties were labeled liberal and conservative, respectively. Republicans are supposed to be conservative with regard to the size and power of the federal government and with regard to federal spending and taxation. I will say that Republicans are, for the most part, still conservative with respect to taxation and that is fine, but the problem lies in the fact that they are no longer conservative with spending. The only true difference between the two parties now is in their ideas about how the government should spend our money, and ideas about which way the government should lean with respect to bending the Constitution.

Growing up, one of my teachers explained the difference between Democrats and Republicans by saying that Democrats care about poor people, and Republicans care about rich people. Growing up, my family was wealthy, but I always had a soft spot for the underdog. In Sesame Street I liked Burt when everyone loved Ernie. In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I liked Raphael when everyone liked Michaelangelo. And in X-Men I always liked Cyclops when everyone thought Wolverine was cool. These are juveline examples, but even at an early age I realized that everyone needs somebody pulling for them, that the needs of the minority are as important as the needs of the majority. And this is one of the great principles of the democratic republic the founding fathers built. So needless to say, I ended up rooting for the Democrats. But in today's political climate, I find myself dissatisfied with both parties, and I again find myself rooting for the underdog because the fact is, no great ideas ever come from the majority. Our greatest hope for political change is to start paying more attention, and not just to the big candidates who sell themselves (and in turn, the American people) to special interests, and not just to the candidates that are hyped by the corporate-run big media, but to grass-roots and third-party candidates. These are the candidates who are more likely to offer ideas that can make our nation better.

Our present political system must change. It rewards candidates who spend 90% of their time keeping their jobs and only 10% doing their jobs and this needs to change. Some have called for comprehensive campaign finance reform, and others have even gone so far as to suggest public funding for campaigns to even the playing field. There is more hope for political change now than there has been in a very long time, but that change must come from the people first. Because of immerging technologies, grass roots campaigns have the ability to be more effective than ever. We need to be skeptical and aware, do our own research, and not believe everything we hear from the media. We need to ask the tough questions and be objective. The most effective way to change politics in this country is to change the system from the ground up.