Senior student signature series

Jared Suderman next author in 2016-2017 MLHS senior student editorial series

* The 2016-2017 senior student signature series features area senior class students – and their own “signature” outlooks on a topic of their choice. A new outlook will be posted on Cross-Counties Connect each Friday. The series opens with point of view comments by seniors from Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS). The opinions can be found by clicking on the Family & Faith link on the website’s header, and scrolling down to, and clicking on, Outlook.  Their teachers are Brenda Feil, Kim Syverson and Debby Jass.
JARED SUDERMAN
JARED SUDERMAN
 

Putting America First

For over a century, the American political system has been dominated by two major political parties – the Republican party and the Democratic party.  Over the time this system has been in place, these two parties have grown more and more extreme, and the political environment in the United States has become increasingly toxic.  Now, many Americans are disgusted with the constant discord between members of both major parties in national and state governments, gridlock bringing legislative progress to a halt.  People may believe the solution to this problem is to have one party gain a majority.  However, the solution does not lie in political parties, but in Americans prioritizing their values and principles over party loyalty, even if that means voting against the party they have supported their entire lives.

Even though political parties are firmly established in America, many of our country’s founders never intended to have them.  In fact, multiple founding fathers spoke out against them.  George Washington and John Adams fervently opposed parties and warned of the dangers of forming them because they knew that parties would divide the American people and cause hostility and strife in government, creating a competitive environment rather than a collaborative one.  Of course, the formation of political parties was inevitable because they were a way for people to join together in order to get the representation they wanted in government.  Soon after America was founded, so were political parties, with two parties fighting for a majority.  However, having just two opposing political parties has created an environment in which the parties continually grow farther apart until each side does not want to cooperate with the other.

The two-party system in America has become so polarized that voters adhere to one party, voting based on the letter next to a candidate’s name rather than the individual merits of that candidate.  Instead, voters should be open to other options if the major party candidates are not satisfactory.  According to the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2016 American Values Survey, 61% of Americans feel that neither party represents their views anymore, and over half of the participants viewed both the Republican party and the Democratic party unfavorably.  Despite voters’ dissatisfaction with the major parties, many people believe a third party vote is a wasted vote because the major parties are so dominant in our political system.  However, if Americans are constantly willing to vote for the “lesser of two evils,” then nothing will change; citizens will be forced to settle for whatever candidates the major parties give them.  How Americans vote is a reflection of their beliefs and values, as well as any groups they may be a part of, such as a church.  Electing someone who has not shown proper values and ethics can affect others’ perceptions of groups of people who voted overwhelmingly for a certain candidate.  Therefore, to represent themselves and groups they are affiliated with well, Americans should vote for candidates in line with their values and morals because doing the right thing is more important than winning elections.  If all the voters dissatisfied with the major party candidates would be willing to take a stand against them and support the candidate they believe is the best choice, real, positive change could occur in American government.

I think most people would agree that America’s political system needs some change, and that starts with the voters.  A greater presence of third parties would be one way to increase accountability among politicians and increase competition for public offices.  Making informed, ethical decisions is more important than party loyalty.  While many people will probably never abandon their party affiliation, Americans should have multiple viable options at the polls and should prioritize America before political parties.  The most important aspect of voting should not be parties but rather the well-being of America.

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