From my other forum: "Two party politics is not working":(it is a bit long, but worth the read)
My entry;
Two party politics has become an aggressive game made up of the Blue team against the Red team. Our children are the spectators, watching "grown ups" calling each other names, spreading rumors, adopting Conspiracy Theories against the other side and mainly showing our next generation how to twist truth, brainwash themselves to agree with and promptly spout off their particular narrow minded talking points. Our next generation is learning not to trust the Government, not to think for themselves on issues and that politically, the main qualifications of leadership are, whether or not abortion is right or wrong, stance on gays, and how badly they hate the other party.
They are going to see how little any politician from either team really cares about the real needs of Americans. Instead bribes, through the avenue of "Pork Barrel Spending" are what brings money to there state. This money will obviously be something that they will wonder what went with it once our perspective representatives acquired it.
Also, they will begin to realize that The President and congress no longer controls legislature, but the "Special Interest" Groups from either the far left or far right, are the real bosses.
Finally, unfortunately they will see who the losers are in this two party political game are, THEM, the next generation . Because instead of concentrating on bettering and sustaining what we have/had as a country, and working on upholding standards that will make this country a decent place for our children to live in, all the Governments time has been wasted on opposition to whatever ideas or legislation brought before them from the other team. Also, the drive to bring about an agenda to make their ideology move forward supersedes common sense answers to each issue.
So, what is the answer? America will fall soon if things don't change. "United we stand, divided we fall". We have two very divided and ununited sides, growing farther and farther apart. It is time for an emergency overhaul of the Governmental system. It's time to allow Independent minded politics. Take off the labels and let the people vote on a candidate based on what their priorities are for our nation, who has the best common sense solutions to what faces America, and who is looking out for the people, not whether they have a (D) or an (R) after their name. It is time the country ran elections instead of the RNC & the DNC. Let third parties declare their candidacy and start campaigning with the other two parties, allow them to access company funds, allow them to debate the issues along with Candidates (D) and (R). If we are going to have caucuses, have them in all states instead of Iowa deciding who the nominee will be. The majority of Americans in general are not Liberal or conservative, we are a mix of both. We are mostly in the center looking both ways, and the farther we look each way, the more distorted the view. So give all Americans "equal representation" by letting us choose the kind of issues most important, and let us decide who really has the needs of America in their best interest.
Republicans have their own Ideology, their own agenda, likewise the Democrats also have theirs, and that is why they are kissing our asses with empty promises election after election. They know most people will go to the polls and blindly check any name with a (D) next to it, or an (R), because that's the way we've always done it and we don't know any better.
These are an example of the feedback, the real concern for the issue, something I don't see in these "so called Political" blogs;
"I would be inclined to agree with you. At least as far as the American political system needing some fresh blood injected into it.
The problem that I have is while you cite the many flaws of the current system you fail to point out the solution. I would like to see more people working towards solutions instead of simply pointing out the obvious: that politicians are ambitious, callous, manipulative individuals who are only too willing to exploit the apathy of the American people."
My Reply;
" The solution is, to stop letting "interest Groups" from either side dictate our policy. It is time to completely open up elections to Independent Parties by not giving the DNC and the RNC full reign on campaign procedure. Let others declare Candidacy and raise funds just as the Reps and Dems do. Let them have some media coverage, to express independent views. Let them debate the issues. Give Americans a chance to think for themselves, and encourage it."
Another comment;
"I would love to see that happen. But its hard for anybody to turn down money. And when you are running a campaign you need LOTS and LOTS of money to get elected. Or to even have a fighting chance at getting elected.
Maybe I am just getting too jaded in my old age."
Another comment;
"In America, the whiniest people win...Basically, you can walk into a congressman office and pester him/her/it till they agree with you . It is your right to do so. You just have to pass through a metal detector and flash ID...Anything credible. I live four hour's drive from Canada, and I got an NBC (Nuclear, Biological,Chemical) suit in the basement, so I don't worry about politics.lol!"
My Reply;
" I don't want to "whine" about change. I want to incite ppl in America to do something. I have used every avenue I can to get the idea on the table. It seems an impossibility to most ppl, but actually we own the Government. We are the ones that continue to elect and re-elect the crooks in the White House and congress. It is our money they are bribing and abusing, and it's our power they are taking. It would take a long time to completely clear out all the garbage, but it can be done. One problem is that many Americans have enjoyed this game. They have gotten on one bandwagon or the other and basically letting their party take them for a ride. Ppl only listen to and believe what they are told by their side. The dangerous thing is that we aren't accomplishing anything. We really aren't getting anything of importance from this. If we all shut down the bias, and thought just for a bit for ourselves, we'd realize that each side has plenty to complain about the other side. Bottom line, neither side is succeeding in quality leadership. At this point, we are hanging by a thread. America as the worlds "super power" is going to go down, and it'll be our fault by not expecting the facts, not demanding that the Government give this country back to us. Instead, we watch it split into and make sure we are clinging to one side or the other."
An encouraging comment LOL;
"Thank you. Thank you. I could kiss you if you were online. I've been arguing this point with my mother for weeks."
A bit spirited but, a good comment;
" It has very little to do with government nowadays. We have the mystical wonders of Wall Street and George W. Being an idiot. We'd be just as bad off if Kerry had been elected instead."
A great comment;
"The two-party system worked for a while, for a variety of reasons. And while it still technically works, it doesn't work well when it comes to giving voice to all 300 million Americans - or even a real majority of them. However, the form of the government is not what dictates its policies. America is powerful for a multitude of reasons. It has more area and more natural resources than any European country, and more even than most or all of Western Europe put together. Also, until the Cold War, there was no one who could really attack the US, so they had no fears on that count. This enabled them to build up their own military, which they then used to beat the fuck out of anyone they wanted to use to make money, particularly Central and South American countries. The US rose at a time when they were able to make full use of industrial developments, and had fewer opponents to technology, at least in the north, than Europe had. The country was able to make vast amounts of money in unusually little time - and none of this had anything to do with the FORM of the government. Republic, parliament, monarchy, dictatorship, it didn't matter what the form was. The policies enacted by the government were of far more importance to its rise to prominence.
Saying "our system of government is best because it's lasted 250 years" is terribly flawed, as other forms lasted far longer than that. Western monarchies and Chinese dynasties lasted for far longer than that, and became at least as powerful as the US is now, from a relative standpoint. The Roman Empire is an example, or the Han Dynasty of China."
A Reply from me;
"Good point tiamat!
Our two party system was a great idea for a time, along with our three different branches of Government. It is the Ideology split that is dividing us and causing the Nation to choose sides. If the focus was taken away from personal ethics and the power of money through "special interest" groups who are the leaders in invoking Ideology into the Government, we could preserve this system. By all having the same ultimant goal, the system wouldn't matter as much as the fact that the number one priority should be Governing the people (for the people). By that I mean concentrating on upholding the laws that strengthen our country as a whole."
Comment;
"What ever happened to Federalists and the anti-federalists? Lol!...
Time changes, the two parties are nearly identical in purposes now. Like I say, America has not been a true capitalism since before the Civil War when the Republicans imposed high tariffs,imposed more and more antitrust laws, and bent itself over backwards for the industrial development, which is why it is falling apart. True capitalism gives opportunity for the little man, the guy who has nothing to make a name for himself. That's what America used to be all about, a land of opportunity. But instead, we have to keep the big guys in power in fear of the economy slipping and the federal government violates its own foundations by interfering."
A quote from a commenter;
" Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Ã?– James Bovard (1994)"
Comment;
"The best thing to do if you feel this strongly about it is to get active politically. If it is to be successful a third party needs motivated individuals to take an active role in its activities. The problem that I see is that you all have the right ideas, but lack the drive and the ambition to take a strong role in putting those ideas to the test.
Politics is hard work. It requires a person to become cynical in order to fulfill their ideals. Because no matter how strongly you feel or how right that you think you are it doesn'tt matter unless you make your views felt on the political stage.
You have to make friends with someone. It is not enough to simply point out everybodys flaws and then expect to raise enough money and awareness to win an election. Politics is evil. If youdon'tt play the game you cant win."
My reply;
" That is just it. I do have the "drive" and "ambition". However, first of all, I don't want to start another "cynical" political party. Secondly, I don't want to make friends with evil politicians. I certainly won't "play the game", that would be doing what I am so against.
Making my views heard, is the best I can do right now. I don't have the financial resources on my own to begin to get the attention of enough people and try to motivate the rest of us to think. Finally, I shouldn't have to be a politician to expect a say in how my (and all Americans) elect leaders.
It isn't just "complaining", as I have said time and again. We have enough of that now. My goal is to try and get enough ppl to think about these things, so that maybe someday the number of ppl tired of things 'as is' will collectively bring about change.
The system is set right now. One person isn't going to stop the RNC and DNC from literally making election rules. As it is now, an Independent or third party can not even begin a fund raising campaign until a Rep and Dem nominee has been named. By that time, no one else has enough time or media coverage to raise enough campaign funds to compete with the main two parties so that they can qualify to participate even in debates.
Think of Ralph Nader, how the RNC and DNC and their pundants kept even a wealthy and well known man as he off the ballot in many States. A third party must get a certain percentage of signatures to be on the ballot. We saw how every signature was scrutinized and argued. How could I or anyone else have a chance unless all the voters took a look at how fixed the system is and demanded change. Then there are the caucuses and such. Kerry was nominated only because of the rivalry between Howard Dean and the rest of the candidates. Dean got smeared by the others, the RNC (digging up video of him talking about how useless the Iowa caucus was) and the media. So, then at the last minute, ppl in Iowa just randomly picked Kerry basically because he "looked" Presidential. Then, all other states that have a say, followed suit, just to portray a strong Dem Candidate. This is another flaw in the system. It isn't fair to give only some states the chance to decide a nominee. My state didn't have a say on who would be the Dem nominee. If we did, I guarantee it wouldn't have been Kerry.
This is not just me "bitching" about the other parties. This is about calling attention to the whole process, and how that every voter needs to feel they have a say, and that more than just a few shouldn't decide how all Americans think."
Commenter;
" I think the problem is that we are not a democracy, and another strange thing I find is that the word "democracy" is not mentioned once in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or any of theamendmentss in the Bill of Rights.
Our founding fathers said democracy may not ever work, so what system are we truly aiming for? Perhaps we should study and find a new one."
Comment from a skeptic;
" But what else could we possibly become, Dictatorship-nope, Communist orsocialistt state-don'tt think so, Monarchy- might as well be called a dictatorship, Theocracy- probably wouldn't fly with people very well, a true democracy (technically were a form of Republic) - it probably wouln't work because then we would have to vote on everything and so on. I just don't know what other type ofgovernmentt we would chose."
A reply;
" Finding a new system is difficult, but it is very possible that we can find a more faithful and fair system than democracy. But the real problem lies not in discovering such a system, but in making it a reality, especially in THIS country."
My two cents;
"I think if we demanded true democracy, in its real form, we would have the changes we've discussed. The important thing is not finding a new form of Government, it is in making our Government do what it was intended to do.
Definitionn of Democracy: government in which the people hold the power either directly or through elected representatives; the principle of equality of rights, opportunity ect.:A practice of this principle
~Websters New World Dictionary"
Comment;
" Perhaps. The sad thing about this world is that there hasn't been a democracy that hasn't commit suicide."
Comment;
"At least 4 parties must have a say in the US political scene."
Me commenting again;
"The solution we need to find, is what will it take to get the electoral system so that more than two parties (Republican and Democrat) can get the same equal privilegess that they do to campaign."
Interesting comment;
" They need to eliminate the Electoral Vote system completely and return us to popular vote."
Very thought provoking comment;
" Couldn't agree with you more filmmaker, and you said about inventing a totally new system for America...I would say a constitutional democracy. That is an established nation with laws written, and peoples's rights very clearly defined (with its law as minimally restricting and interfering in people's lives as possible) We need to elect our leaders and have the people making the decisions, but it should also be impossible to vote away your own rights, or the majority to use the government to oppress the minority, beyond this I don't know how to do that...but a whole new system would either take more than century to establish in the U.S or would require a violent uprising, which the declaration ofindependencee not only commends but demands when the government sinks into tyranny..Whichh could happen soon..."
My response;
"I am all for an uprising. I would hope it wouldn't be a violent one, we have enough violence now. I keep harping on this in every avenue I can in the hope that one day soon, we will rise up in a large majority to demand that we pick out leadership, we decide where our money goes, and we choose how our Government is run.
Unfortunately, I have found that a lot of people like this "game". People are totally ignorant to what their "fun and games" partisan rivalry will produce. They don't care that nothing of importance is being accomplished by either side. Keeping this ongoing rhetoric alive between two failed parties is going to cause us to destroy everything we have eventually. I'm afraid it won't be until then, that we see the uprising. Then they will want change, but it will be too late."
Comment;
"Everybody wants to fight the system. Its just that no one can seem to agree on what they are fighting for.
That is why I would like to see a party of free-thinking individuals who spend their time strategizing on how to beat the two-party system for real.
Politics is a game. Unless one learns how to play it, and play to win, you will never see an end to this stale atmosphere that prevails the mainstream political scene in America today."
That is a sample of common sense, independent thinking, mature, and solution seeking commentary about Politics!!! Take note all you with "political" blogs which accomplish nothing but sarcasm, name calling and complaints!
