democrat vs. republican

are you a democrat?
are you a republican?

if you answered yes to either question, my question to you is: why?

the problem with this country is that most people don't realize that there are other options. we are told, and we believe that when we vote for a third party candidate, we are throwing our vote away. rarely will anyone other than a democrat or a republican take office. the result is a government that no longer represents the people at all.

democracy? we talk about it, but we don't practice it. we push it on others, yet we have never technically been one. we're not even a republic anymore. we have become an empire that changes focus every 2-4 years. we are hated and feared by much of the world. sure, we have wealth, power, and freedoms that other people can only dream of, but compared with other "advanced" societies, we work longer hours, with far less vacation time, and pay far more for lesser healthcare. why?

the reality is gang warfare. look at the bulk of the ads, or listen to any politician discussing any topic. they will likely say more about how their party differs from the other, than the real issue. republicans are in power to fight the democrats at every step of the way. and democrats are in power to only to fight the republicans. regardless of the issue, each party will attach the other party's views far more than define their own views.

the sad result? nothing worthwhile gets accomplished because on principle, the two parties in power can't agree on anything. to agree with the other party is to destroy your own party's foundation. instead of progress, we get endless debates, finger-pointing, and mudslinging. instead of solutions, one party tells us what we want, and that the other party is preventing them from giving it to us.

as for representation, does anyone really believe that our elected officials represent us, or our values, beliefs, desires, and needs? apart from representing their party, they represent those who fund their party. democrats listen to the liberal media, and special interest groups. republicans listen to big business, and the super-rich. power swings from one party to the other, because neither party effectively represents the vast majority of americans, so every election or two we collectively get fed up with the status quo, and decide to give the other party a shot.

here is the root of the problem: neither party listens to the voice of the people. yet we continue to vote their candidates into office because they tell us no other party can get a candidate elected. they are only right, because we refuse to do anything about it. we don't want to support a loser, or even a long-shot. so instead of choosing a candidate who listens to us, and creates a platform that represents us, we align ourselves with the party who's agenda we agree with more. it's backwards! we vote for "the lesser of two evils," instead of looking outside the two parties for a candidate we agree with. as long as we vote like cattle, or sheep, or lemmings, these parties will continue to treat us accordingly.