On Monday, November 3rd, the students of the American Government class staged a political debate in the Upper School commons that incorporated the three political candidates in the 2014 Florida gubernatorial race. The class bent over backwards in an effort to produce a debate that mimicked the real debate, which took place on October 15th. Students replicated the views of each candidate and their party.

Unlike the real Florida debate, the school event included the dark horse candidate to the general election, Libertarian Party Representative, Adrian Wyllie. The Republican Party chose the business-based candidate Rick Scott and the Democratic Party featured well-known liberal candidate Charlie Crist. In the school election and current election, the time-honored two parties and their representatives once again went head to head for the title. The Libertarian Party, as usual, was neglected by the people.

This got me thinking… Are we “stuck” in a democracy, with only two possible options? People refer to our government as a democracy, but how true is that? Contrary to popular belief, by definition the United States is a Constitutional Republic. It is operated by citizen-elected officials wielding power over foreign and domestic affairs. The US prides itself on being a “democracy,” which grants complete power and trust to the people. Though not technically a democracy, America can be described as democratic, in certain ways, and its democratic nature is supposed to allow freedom and opportunity. In reality, the system leaves people with only two choices: “yes”or “no”.

The two party’s platforms generally oppose each other. Republicans believe in a free-market economics while the Democrats believe the market should be regulated. Democrats believe in public healthcare while Republicans believe in private healthcare. The United States is ruled by a two-party system, and that bothers me…Where does the creative voice of the people come in if the government is only giving them two options to choose from?

History and Evolution
The Democratic and Republican Parties have been present in the political system in the United States since the formation of the nation, while other parties have come and gone. There is nothing in the Constitution that ensures political parties, but by nature humans are factious and tend to split into different groups based on beliefs. The Democratic Party traces its roots back to 1792. Now its platform consists of “supporting organized labour, the civil rights of minorities, and progressive reform.” The Republican party, established in 1854, simply took the opposite stance and associates itself with “laissez-faire capitalism, low taxes, and conservative social policies.”

The original, unified American system with no political parties, of choosing the best representative, was cut short by the fear of chaos and corruption in the early moments of the country’s history. The fear of mobocracy, multiple series of rebellions and chaos impacting government policies, changed and shaped the Democrats, while the fear of tyranny, corrupt politicians possessing the power and wealth and using it their best interest, was the motivation that molded the Republicans.

Take a look at these polarized stances: Democrats are pro-same-sex marriage, Republicans oppose it. Republicans are”pro-life,” Democrats are“pro-choice”. If you support federal-funded projects select Democrats, conservative beliefs on federal spendings choose Republicans. Pro-individual rights nominate Republicans, or against it elect Democrats. Our political parties are weak, brittle, and under-regulated. Both sides take stances on trivial issues and avoid making ambitious vows that will benefit the people for the fear of not winning reelection if those promises aren’t kept. For Example, Obama is now being blacklisted by his own party because he made the ambitous promise of cutting unemployment rate in half by 2014. Children nowadays are born Republicans and Democrats for all the wrong reasons, and they hold onto their ideas tightly. Through their lives, Americans put an emphasis on being one or the other, and they lose sight of the purpose of government.

Our government is expected to be the representation of ourselves and beliefs. They exist to solve the problem and it is their job to step in for resolution. However, it can be said the government does neither or not enough. Many conflicts have risen out of proportion because the government hasn’t stepped in and done their job. Currently, for example, in Ferguson, Missouri the racial crisis, is destroying a town with so much history because it’s political officials failed to step in to stop the mob mentality that sprouted from a court decision. Ferguson is suffering through riots, burning down of stores, looting, and violent run-ins with police. It breaches the questions: Where is the government? If our democratic government is a representative of our people then why does it not acknowledge the voice of the people? Bringing more police to appease a situation with such zest only enrages the them. If the government is a representation of the people, should not the representatives listen?

Resolution
The United States government was thought to be foolproof, but the test of time has shown otherwise. Edmund Burke said, “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse,” and the United States with all its power has seen rampant scandals that have damaged its reputation. For example, the Jack Abramoff Scandal during George Bush presidency, the Watergate scandal under Nixon, the Corrupt Bargain under Quincy Adams, the NSA warrantless scandal surveillance under Bush, and there are countless others.

I struggle with the idea of a two-party system that has been in shambles since the 1960’s. The purpose of our government, representing the people, has been lost in the hands of corrupt politicians. But don’t get me wrong… Our government has been one of the most stable governments since its beginning and the Constitution has survived two World Wars and five economic depressions. I strongly believe that our government needs change, but it would be ignorant to say it doesn’t work.

Our congress approval rating is at an all time low, 15%, according to Gallup’s monthly poll, and currently the political systems (especially the entities of Congress and the House of Representative) are structured around Democrats and Republicans. This system has been unwavering the last 150 years, and I say “currently” because it is time for change.

The two-party system dominates our government, and change must be made at the most basic level. The Democrats and Republicans are weak political parties that are “playing the field” to get control of power. Both parties are avoiding strong political platforms with a few direct goals. Instead both parties are using the “umbrella” approach which encompasses a lot of aspects that officials might not even reform or designate time to reform. The game for politicians is getting into office and as soon as they obtain that position a new game starts: getting re-elected.

Here is how we change the Democrat and Republican long streak of getting by: (1)The Democrat and Republican politicians need to take strong positions that apply to the times, not just a platforms that are in line with traditions from 100 years ago. (2) Both parties need to be structured around a few issues that they intend to address in office, not umbrella issues that are meaningless to them. (3) Campaigns should be funded by outside investors.

Like Libertarian, Adrian Wyllie, some small known candidates are significantly hindered by the lack of funds. Offices shouldn’t be won by popularity of the name but by the qualification and true skill and passion in addressing the current issues. These simple changes won’t solve the problems that plague the US, like the large gaps between the “haves” and the “havenots,” or the poorly regulated public school education system, but these changes are meant to provoke change on a larger scale.

Winston Churchill once stated that, “…democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried,” and there is serious truth in that statement. Thinking about a handful of governments, many have risen quickly but died out just as soon, in the other hand democracy has been one of the most stable types of government. There are other governments around the world that don’t allow for freedoms that are so easily available in the country we live in now. Freedom of speech and rights for women and children have been denied by many corrupt governments. The regime in Mauritania still practices slavery, mostly of women and children, who are used as organ reservoirs. In addition, North Korea takes extreme measures to control the media, feeding their citizens lies to deny them the privilege of knowing the harsh reality.

However, with any type of government, democracy is not perfect and comes with its own list of issues. In the midst of the most corrupted governments on earth, the United States looks like the beacon of hope, an emblem of true freedom, but compared to most developed countries the United States still has far to go to reach the ideal state of a democratic government. With such an organized society of privilege, the United States should be or aim to be a world leader for democratic principles.

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Special thanks to Mr. Yanelli for guidance in writing this article