The Crushing Duopoly of American Politics

In wake of recent events, whether in news casting or general public indecency, it has become clear to me that our great nation, which was once founded in hopes of freeing people from the clutches of leaders we did not choose, has been perverted to a mere shell of its former intent.

Campaigning today is but a dog show, a clever competition of men and women based on their fine breeding and family line, a glitzy display of power and reach that ultimately surmounts to nothing. We as a people do not judge our candidates based on the content of their character, but rather we look at their lineage, their finance, and whichever of these two eternally plotting parties they align themselves with.

Once, our nation was plagued by corporations that would buyout their adversaries and engage in gruesome price wars. These robber-barons would play the game of monopoly with mountains of gold, and in the end, they would stand on top, their competitors bought out of business.

Today, I suggest to you that we face an equal threat in the field of politics. This duopoly, in which the media and advertisers, after having their pockets filled, force feed us their top two picks, has a large majority of Americans believing with their entire mind and soul that we are indeed limited to two. This magic number, in which we must be ever contained, for there is no possible way to change the system! Almost every American, at the time of the poll, has sat down and thought, "I now have to choose between the lesser of two evils." Now, more than ever, we need to seek reform, and find the third good.

The third party candidates, in our current system, do indeed exist! However, they are routinely ignored by mainstream media, and by effect, the people. Because their reserves of capital are less than that of the currently established parties, they lack the ability to advertise themselves out to the world. In this way, the true nature of campaign spending can be observed in its most distorted and evil truth. Are our great leaders being elected because they are the most competent and qualified for the task, or is it simply based upon the depth of their pockets? The average voter, who sees the corruption in this bipartisanship, will glance to the third party candidates with favor, but think, "I'm just one person. Why should I waste my vote on a third party?" Sadly, in this presently distorted platform, where the top two spenders hog the spotlight, that is the reality. One which we must work to change.

Whenever, as we inevitably do, the citizens of our nation begin to debate on the topic of politics, our minds are clouded by those who hold their views to be almighty truth. Neighbor turns on neighbor. We see each other not as Americans, but as enemies or supporters of the other political party. The very people have been corrupted by this bipartisan system, and the masterminds who control us have no intention of stopping this dissent. Rather, they aim only to thrive off of it. We all fail to grasp the truth, that our freedom has been stripped away from us, and the avid vision of choice we so desperately cling to is but an illusion.

Must we submit ourselves to this oppression? Must we as Americans simply laugh and ignore this threat to our democracy? I suggest to you today that we the people open our eyes and view these parties as they are. These robber-barons who play the duopoly, exploiting the people, should not be allowed to go on unchecked. Hypocrisy, when the very men and women who pride themselves in checks and balances remain unchecked themselves!

The suggestion is simple. Those running for office should not be able to use their personal fortunes and political party alignment as a weapon for favors and advertisement. Instead, the content of their character, the integrity of their views, and their list of achievements should be their sole means of ascension through the ranks of office. Without this change, the duopoly may forever hold control over the American people, and we will forever be choosing from the less of two evils.

I dream of an American society where we do not shun our friends and family for their views and alignment, but rather we open our minds to forge truths and relationships between we Americans, as brothers and sisters, unified in the freedom we hold dear.