Political debate in this country has been relegated to the realms of irrelevance and inanity. While the "Right-wingers" engage with the "Bleeding heart liberals" in some eternal battle of ignorance, the country is left decaying, her people suffering immensely. And yet neither side seems willing to see the errors in its ways, instead blaming all of this country's problems on the other. The fact of the matter is that Conservatives have conserved nothing of value, destroying the principles upon which the Republican Party was founded, while the Liberals seem concerned with liberating only the baser qualities of man, waging war against societies they believe can be fixed only through their wise guidance. All of the while, our Constitution, and the very notion of individual freedom, has been thrown to the wayside, neglected in favor of political expediency and some ill-conceived notion of the Greater Good.
It is within this environment that the simple truths becomes ever more evident. If you support an interventionist foreign policy, increased governmental spending, limitless executive power, private ownership of government, fiat currency and the Federal Reserve, then you are an enemy of liberty and peace, whether you are aware of it or not. If you are supporting John McCain, Hillary Clinton, or even Barack Obama for president, then you are neglecting the Constitution and fating the country to more depression and bloodshed. The Democrats might pay lip service to helping the poor and getting us out of Iraq, but they will do nothing about the system which has caused our problems. They will continue debasing our currency, allowing for an ever-expanding empire doomed to collapse, and waging a war of terror upon the world. I do not apologize if I have offended anyone. In fact, I hope I have.
So how might we solve these problems?
Do it yourself. Ask nothing of the government but to stop stealing our money, controlling our lives, and getting in the way of progress. Their interventions into our educational system, health care structure, foreign relations, economy, and personal lives have been disastrous to say the least, and yet we throw even more money into such boondoggles. We will never be able to meet the country's obligations to its citizens unless we reign in this spending once and for all. Big government is not the answer - it is tyranny!
Become learned. Read, think, and discuss. Be unafraid of debate and dissent. Keep an open mind and try to think about things from many different perspectives. These ideas seem simple enough, but somehow open discussion of politics has become a taboo subject in America. The internet has certainly been changing that, but the more we bring this discussion to the real world, the more informed the debate becomes. It is not our right to govern and lead the masses because we are better educated than them, but rather our responsibility to share our knowledge with them, providing them with the proper faculties to make informed choices on their own.
Stop compromising and conceding. Have a set of principles and stick to them. If a "major" candidate does not fit squarely within what you consider to be right and true, then do not vote for him or her! Find an underdog you can support. You may not have taken as many standardized tests as I, but you should still know that "none of the above" is often the correct answer.
Make friends. Dennis Kucinich, arguably the most left-leaning member of the Democratic Party, and Ron Paul, the most conservative Republican in our times, are both good friends despite some of their policy disagreements. Dennis once made an interesting comment concerning the possibility of running with Ron, saying something to the effect that the country needs two wings to fly. It seems real Integrity and honesty transcend party lines.
Read The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul. You need not support the man or his policies, but it would be foolish not to read this book. The Congressman received more than twice the amount of money than John McCain in the fourth quarter of 2007, set all-time fundraising records, caused the Republican Party to walk out of the Nevada convention, and has a book that is #1 on Amazon and number #7 at the New York Times! This is the real free market and it is speaking, if you care to listen. The ideas espoused by the actual Republican maverick are going to be what shape this country in the coming years. How do I know? Because they are the ideas that formed this magnificent land in the first place.
I do not know when the Revolution will succeed, but I know that it will and I have a feeling that it already has. I can see the world rejoicing as The United States of America once again becomes a shining beacon of freedom and hope. It is inevitable. Just like everything else, it is only a matter of time.
