# 4  Do we really have a choice?

 

I took a political compass test in my English 102 class. I scored very close to the center of the spectrum, which I was a little surprised of at first. Although for most of my life I’ve not had much interest in politics. I have (since getting older) found myself more concerned with the policies of my country and the politicians that govern it.      

            Most of my family is registered democrats, so up until I was around twenty one I thought of myself as a democrat as well. Then the attacks on 911 happened, and like most of Americans I was glued to the TV news networks. For months all I watched was CNN, NBC, and FOX news channels. When the news coverage of the attacks started to fade, and the news networks started their normal everyday coverage again, I continued to watch. As I continued to watch and become more aware of the political issues, I found myself leaning more and more to the republican side of the big issues. So, I decided to register as a republican and have voted republican ever since.

            Now, eleven years later, a political compass test, and a lot of thought on the issue, I find myself wondering “Should I be an independent”.  And I think the answer might be yes. The line between democrat and republican is as blurred as it has ever been. I think it’s very difficult to vote for a candidate and not just the party their affiliated with. I know people who never keep up with politics at all and will vote for someone just because they belong to one party or the other. It seems that most politicians are always saying the same thing and it’s not a new candidate we vote for each election, just a different face for that party.

            I think our society would be better off if we did away with the political parties. We should have individual candidates campaign on their experiences and ideals and not just following the direction of a large party. I think this would make candidates more likely to think outside the box and bring new and fresh ideals to some of the county’s problems. I think this would also cause voters to be more willing to take the time and put in the effort to investigate the different candidates and vote for the one that upholds their values and beliefs and would best represent their own community. Citizens should feel that their vote matters and it can bring positive changes to their community instead of feeling like their voting for the lesser of two evils.

            I feel the political party system is just one of many problems in the government. There are many more like, the effect news media and interest groups have on elections, the size of government, too many government regulations, corruption, no term limits for congress, and a big one, Campaign Finance. It seems that you have to be either very wealthy are in the pockets of big corporations to get elected or even be heard, no matter how qualified, passionate, are patriotic you are. I do think there is a need for government, but I also think it is way too large and has too much power and control. I don’t know what the answer to all these problems should be, but I know in order to solve them we will have to make some big changes in our political system and that can only be done by passionate individual citizens, not power hungry politicians.