Normally, I keep my political opinions to myself because I really don't know much about it. Unlike some people who feel like they have it all figured out, I'm not too proud to say I don't get it. There is just too much fuzzy gray area for anything to be as clean cut as some people would like you to think it is. If you ask me my opinion on things like abortion, embryonic stem cell research, gay marriage, illegal immigration, and Iraq, I'll tell you, but my opinion is just that, opinion. Yes, my opinion may be based on what I've read, my religious beliefs or personal experience, but in the end, it is my opinion.
When it comes to voting, opinion isn't enough. This is where the fuzzy gray area comes in. If you vote your opinion, you might make things a bigger mess than they already are. If you are going to vote, it is your civic duty to do some homework. Don't listen to the mudslinging ads on TV, don't listen to the news, get the facts for yourself. Know which political party stands for what, know which candidate stands for what (because they may or may not vote their party line).
That being said, I am greatly dismayed at the election results we are seeing today. It's not that I think one party is necessarily better than another, it's not that I was hoping for either the status quo or a dramatic change, but I was hoping to see a little more intelligence from the voting public.
Instead of doing their homework, most voters fell for the hype and even more deeply entrenched the flawed and dangerous two party system that had been becoming more polarized and less productive over the last 14 years. A better balance of "left wing republicans" and "right wing democrats" would have been much more encouraging, but instead this election was more about mudslinging and inaccurate character portrayals than anything actually resembling the facts.
The only way this country can move forward is to trash the political party system as it exists now and have candidates that will actually do the right thing for the people. One party shouldn't run scared and start firing it's prominent people just because the other party suddenly has a majority in one branch or another. Today's events clearly show that it's not about right and wrong or black and white, it's about red and blue. The parties, not the people, are in control.
Now, don't get me wrong, political parties are not a problem in themselves. It's the current "club of two, no one else allowed" system that we currently have. They are not allowing room for the fuzzy gray, they are instead moving further apart, with neither one actually representing the best issues of the people, they are just trying to be as different from each other as possible. When the two become so polarized that there is no middle ground, that is a problem.
And that's where things get worse. Neither side wants to let the other have the things they want, even if it's what the people want. In effect, they are neither democratic or republican - they are instead selfish and vindictive.
So, where do I stand on the war and all that? What does it matter? Any changes that may occur in the next two years will not amount to much beyond bipartisan bickering and finger pointing. After that when a new president is elected, it will either continue or turn into a steamroller, progressing the platform of the party and not the true interests of the people.
It's time to wake up America. The political system we have has to change. Not the people in charge, the places we get the people who are in charge. Do your homework, talk to the candidates if possible, learn what the Democratic and Republican parties really stand for, read, study and vote for what is right, not what's red or blue.
As for me, I'm thinking of moving to Canada or Australia.....
