So I have a radical new idea for saving this country, not just economically, not just from the terrorists, but encompassing all of that.
No one will like this idea, yet it strikes me as the best idea for fixing this stinking mass of bureaucracy that is American politics. Are you ready for it??
Get Rid Of The Parties
That's it. Dump the party system. It's no longer applicable. This idea came to me while watching the President's most recent State of the Union address. In this speech, and in any other major one, there's the usual entreaties for "bipartisan action" and "reaching across the aisle." Well what if there were no party to part on? What if there was no aisle to reach across? What if it was just people with ideas about how to fix things, how to get and stay on track, instead of two parties forever bickering and name-calling? Actions instead of factions? Hey, now there's an idea...
Let me say right now by way of rebuttal that I can't see this ever happen; neither party has the guts to do it. Everyone would throw their own high-sounding arguments into the mix and probably call me a Nazi. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats would ever give up their positions, their status, their power, for the good of the country. Everyone wants to talk about the "greater good" for which things must be sacrificed, but when it comes down to it, it's mostly "I'm sticking with my party because I'm sure as heck not going to be seen on yours."
Meanwhile, while the politicians squabble and fight here, we've got thousands of courageous men and women all over the world sacrificing their lives to defend the freedom that these people are trying to destroy.
I imagine instead a country where the people voted into office are there because they were deemed to be the best man or woman for the job, not because their party had the biggest constituency or because their campaign had the most money. Dream with me! What if the people in office truly were the ones the American people had seen as the most qualified?
Granted, this means people would actually have to start giving a hoot instead of just voting a party ticket. The burden of responsibility would be on you to know the credentials, the worldview, of each candidate; no longer would you be able to vote your party because hey, better than voting for the other party's guy, right? People wouldn't get to be lazy with this system. You would actually have to reflect on what you value and vote for the person that best upholds those values.
I honestly cannot imagine how drastically this country could be changed for the good of all were people voted for simply for their ability to get the job done. Can I say that again? Their ability to Get The Job Done. The working populace is familiar with this idea. You interview for a job, and you promote yourself as the one who can do the job the best. If the company agrees, you're hired; if not, someone more qualified than you got the job. Of course, there are obvious exceptions.
Like I said, though I strongly believe in this idea, I don't believe it will ever happen, because neither party would let it. They'll continue their grasping, fighting, and tearing down of the other party at the expense of this country we call America and its citizens.
Want true bipartisanship? Don't expect to see it while there are two parties, especially from those advocating it; they really just want the other side to change and agree with them. Look instead for the people who advocate a team. A team can have vastly different people on it, but it's often that diversity, while working for a common goal, that generates the best ideas and solutions.
Anyone for a game of team Fix America?
Washington warned us against the pits of parties in his farewell address and I personally hate the idea of political affiliations. It only splits us - and what good does it do when we the people are supposed to be in charge of this country? I totally agree with the abolishment of political parties - where we would vote according to values, not party politics. It's ridiculous that it has come to this and hopefully we can piece together our country again - WITHOUT the 'help' of parties, cause I don't agree with anything any of them are doing!
ReplyDeleteOkay. To start... "Want bipartisanship? Don't expect to see it while their are two parties." ... bipartisanship means two (bi) partisanship (loyalty to a party)... so if we wanted true bipartisanship we would need people loyal to two parties, not none or one.
ReplyDeleteNext. You make a great point albeit misguided. The root of all this stems from control. Control by the richest class of society over the rest of the country. They control your paycheck, keeping most of us poor. They control religion, after all they are the heaviest financial backers of charitable causes... and lets face it religion controls plenty of folks in this country. Look at the guy screaming babykiller today on the news at a republican that voted on healthcare that doesn't offer abortion services... both ignorant and senseless all at the same time but that's part of his religious beliefs. They also have lobbyists in government pushing to make sure that their campaign contributions don't go to waste.
Education, all of this revolves around education. As long as people remain stupid enough to be controlled then they are at the will of those in positions of power. Ever notice that education continues to cut and downsize despite the massive impact it has on the next two generations!?
Sum it up now from a partisan point of view. Democrats: the party that represents the interests of the common middle class American. All about individual freedoms within the limits of social acceptance. Gun control? Sure maybe a little, just enough to keep kids from shooting up schools. After all we're not worried about the commies invading anymore are we?
Republicans: The conservative party. All about telling you what you can and can't do but giving you unlimited access to firearms so you can fend off the commies that don't exist anymore... unless you consider China but frankly their economy is stronger than ours at the moment so why would they want us!? Abortion? No.. the church isn't a fan, and after all if the stupid masses have enough mouths to feed maybe they'll work harder. Taxes? Make them equal. Bill Gates could spend 3 million dollars a day, every day, for the rest of his life and never go broke (FACT)... but why should he pay more than the teenage family working at McDonald's, teetering on welfare. Because that makes sense.
You may be right about the parties but really is it the parties or is the whole fight just a distraction to keep you from focusing on the fact that every day of your life you're working so that someone standing on your shoulders can get a little more sun while you struggle to survive. We can't all be on top, and it's exactly what they count on. Socialist? No. Marxist? Absolutely. Rush throws the term around like it's a bad thing... of course he has millions. I bet if most of his listeners knew what Marx was all about they would take an awfully different using to the term. Marx warned of the collapse of capitalism due to the failure of the system to manage relationship between the workforce and the bourgeois ownership. We haven't seen that lately have we? And that ship sailed under a republican president.
Things are a mess. No parties = Socialism and that's not what our country is all about. The ridiculously rich need to be less so, and the ridiculously uneducated poor, also need to be less so. It's the only way our economy will flourish again, it's restoring balance. Party politics are only the bourgeois distraction.