I have never been affiliated with a political party.
I find it next to impossible to trust politicians of any stripe. While I know that some must truly want to do what is best for the country, I think too many are corrupt, beholden to whatever groups paid to help them gain office, whoever may have dirt on them they don't wish exposed, etc. It isn't just US politics that brings me to this opinion, I think it's been the way of politics through most of history.
Anyway, for the specific parties : my issues have probably mostly been discussed. The Dems and Repubs both spend way too much, if on somewhat different things. The D's are too intrusive when it comes to things like health, the R's are too intrusive with relationships. Both major parties spend too much time talking about wedge issues such as abortion, creationism in science classes, etc. without actually doing anything about them. I don't like the religious right, the fundamentalist types...but neither do I like the hardcore environmentalists of the left. Neither side seems willing to discuss real solutions to our over spending. I believe that is because neither side wants to do anything that might push away potential voters by ending entitlement programs for individuals or businesses.
The Libertarians have some good ideas, but I find them to be too idealistic and unrealistic about the effect some of their policies may have. They seem to look at the way they think the world should be rather than how things are. Government DOES have legitimate uses in places they seem to think it should be abandoned, such as education. The foreign policy ideas, completely removing the US military presence around the world, to me is also unrealistic. It may be unfortunate, but we are tied to other nations in many ways and sometimes that may necessitate a show of force. I think we are involved in far too much conflict at the moment, but the idea of shutting down every foreign base and becoming isolationist, even if only in purely military terms, is not a good idea IMO. I might be more willing to look at the LP if they seemed more geared toward gradual change, I suppose.
As to the question of whether we are already in a one party system....I am not sure. Certainly the two major parties are very similar in too many ways (if you ignore the rhetoric), but while the presidency is always one of the two, there is still at least a little independent/third party representation in congress and at the state and local levels. Too much does flow through the major parties for my taste, though. I don't think we get a lot of real choice when D or R are the only ones with a chance.
I find it next to impossible to trust politicians of any stripe. While I know that some must truly want to do what is best for the country, I think too many are corrupt, beholden to whatever groups paid to help them gain office, whoever may have dirt on them they don't wish exposed, etc. It isn't just US politics that brings me to this opinion, I think it's been the way of politics through most of history.
Anyway, for the specific parties : my issues have probably mostly been discussed. The Dems and Repubs both spend way too much, if on somewhat different things. The D's are too intrusive when it comes to things like health, the R's are too intrusive with relationships. Both major parties spend too much time talking about wedge issues such as abortion, creationism in science classes, etc. without actually doing anything about them. I don't like the religious right, the fundamentalist types...but neither do I like the hardcore environmentalists of the left. Neither side seems willing to discuss real solutions to our over spending. I believe that is because neither side wants to do anything that might push away potential voters by ending entitlement programs for individuals or businesses.
The Libertarians have some good ideas, but I find them to be too idealistic and unrealistic about the effect some of their policies may have. They seem to look at the way they think the world should be rather than how things are. Government DOES have legitimate uses in places they seem to think it should be abandoned, such as education. The foreign policy ideas, completely removing the US military presence around the world, to me is also unrealistic. It may be unfortunate, but we are tied to other nations in many ways and sometimes that may necessitate a show of force. I think we are involved in far too much conflict at the moment, but the idea of shutting down every foreign base and becoming isolationist, even if only in purely military terms, is not a good idea IMO. I might be more willing to look at the LP if they seemed more geared toward gradual change, I suppose.
As to the question of whether we are already in a one party system....I am not sure. Certainly the two major parties are very similar in too many ways (if you ignore the rhetoric), but while the presidency is always one of the two, there is still at least a little independent/third party representation in congress and at the state and local levels. Too much does flow through the major parties for my taste, though. I don't think we get a lot of real choice when D or R are the only ones with a chance.
