Wednesday, January 9, 2013

One Party State



One Party State
Charlie Earl

OK….please explain to me why the cherished “two-party system” is so precious when our money, property and liberty are being consumed by both parties when they are in power? One would think that two parties would mean that there were stark differences between them thus offering the voters clear-cut philosophical options. Instead… we have the “Me party” and the “Me too party.” What a crock. Whatever differences exist are merely matters of degree and nuance. They appear to share the same goals for this great nation, but differ only slightly on the vehicles for achieving them. In a homogeneous society such minor differences would not be all that remarkable, but in the caterwauling cacophony of our nation today, how can we function and prosper with a single-track statist mindset as our sole national vision?

People who adamantly support the purity of the present two-party system are somewhat like those who live in a household with an abusive alcoholic. As the episodes increase in intensity and frequency, the family attempts to accommodate the abuser, forgive the abuser and shield the abuser. As time goes on, however, the compliant victims begin to understand that there are but two sensible responses to an abuser. One must either flee from him or confront her. Any other response merely prolongs the inevitable tragic outcome. So it is with our dominant two parties….their oligarchy has fostered massive abuses on our liberty and our property. In league they have developed a monstrous government apparatus that will collapse of its own weight but only after devouring our wealth and our liberty.

Why is it that after nearly 160 years of the same two-party rule that has led to decay in our federal republic so many voters feel compelled to support the status quo? Perhaps the Soviet Union would still exist if only the Politburo had the wisdom to divide into two nearly identical factions of the Communist Party. The hungry and discontented citizens may have been mollified a few years longer by the false choices presented by their statist leaders. False choices…..ah! there’s the rub. Their rhetorical gamesmanship differs, but the two old parties offer little real choice for voters. Some of you will insist that there is a yawning difference between them because without one party to apply brakes to the other….things could be much worse. So then, I ask why does the defending party that introduces legislation this is a watered-down version of the original to prove that its “compassionate,” “fair,” or any number of bogus reasons for advancing a statist agenda? Either path steals our property and restricts our freedom, so how can one be better than the other in absolute terms? The differences are matters of degrees while the outcomes are similar.

Some think we over simplify when we claim the two old parties are similar. A Thoroughbred is sleek and fast. A Clydesdale is big and strong, but any 3 year old can identify each of them as a “horsey.” The differences are ones of scale and purpose, but they are too similar to be considered different. Knights rode Clydesdales into battle, and Thoroughbred offspring have pulled buggies in Amish country. Two different horses or parties, but in the end…..basically the same. So are our representatives of the two old parties comparable to horses, you may ask? Of course not, or rather not to be confused with the front end of the equines. One final metaphor may illustrate why our two party system is actually two slightly different wings of one party.

If you are familiar with football, you may know that the game is played on a field that is approximately 53 yards wide with out-of-bounds lines indicating the field of play. Running down the field, straddling the center are two series of short lines at one-yard intervals. Those are called “hash lines or hash markers.” When a play ends to the outside of a hash line, the ball is placed on the nearest hash marker for the next play to begin. If a team continually runs or throws to the left despite how the defense reacts, every play during a specific drive or series will begin on the left hash mark. Our national will and our national destiny are resting on the left hash mark. All that is required for changing the position of the hash marks is an alteration of the rules, and the two parties write the rules. Given the history of their compromises and collusion, we may be playing near the out-of-bounds sideline very soon….with little room for maneuvering.

Charlie Earl

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