I have come to the conclusion that we need to do away with political parties. We must stop trying to fit people into boxes of red versus blue, conservative versus liberal, and pitting one against the other in a hopeless duality. This old paradigm no longer works. People are no longer willing to attach themselves to a particular set of beliefs, so just like with organized religion, organized political views are also falling into disfavor.
The people need to have more say in their government. They need a larger voice and more power to make a difference. This can only be accomplished through voting. The current system leaves no room for real choice. Since most people do not, and are not even encouraged to vote in the primaries, they feel that their vote is meaningless. They are left to choose between the lesser of two evils. Far too many do not vote at all because they believe the system is rigged and that their vote will not count.
I listened to a Ted Talk the other day: “U.S. politics isn’t broken. It’s fixed.” Katherine M. Gehl refers to herself as being “politically homeless.” She proposed a way of voting that would allow the people greater choice. They would first vote in the primaries, choosing a total of 8 candidates, regardless of their democratic or republican affiliation. Then, they would vote in the final election, choosing their first, second, third, fourth, and fifth choice. The final outcome of this type of voting would better reflect the real wishes of the people. They would be basing their decisions on the candidates themselves, rather than based on loyalty to a particular party.
Our current system creates a divide which no one wants to cross. It is like two neighbors who will only talk to each other over the fence where they can cling to their own view. They refuse to take the fence down entirely, in order to find common ground.
I believe that most of the world’s population is tired of fighting. We are tired of war and conflict and the endless ruin and suffering that it causes. The system must change. The people should be allowed to vote on important issues, such as abortion and gun violence, rather than allowing the Supreme Court to make these decisions. The old politicians must relinquish their grip and allow a new generation with fresh ideas, to solve the world’s problems, and to usher in a time of peace.
