Something's Rotten In...

...America.

I'm sure you've all read about how the GOP is incredibly concerned about the state of their party and how it will impact the upcoming elections. And of course the Democrats see a grand opportunity to regain control of the House and Senate. Between the secret wiretapping, the war in Iraq, the now-defunct ports deal with the United Arab Emirates, the Scooter Libby case, and the Jack Abramoff scandal, the Republican party is justifiably concerned.

Here's my issue with the whole problem. Most of these idiot politicians -- both Democrats and Republicans -- are posturing for the sole purpose of capturing or maintaining power for their own interest or for the interest of their political party. They don't care about America and her constituents; their only interest is gaining, retaining or advancing their own power. When the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal came to light, the Democrats pounced on the opportunity to decry the corruption of the Republican party, and Republicans scrambled to distance themselves from anything Abramoff. Both parties in both of the legislative houses cried for reform and demanded greater accountability. In their hearts though, I'm positive that they secretly hoped that America would find another scandal, so that lawmakers could maintain the status quo of perks, secret deals and graft, allowing them to continue lining their pockets at the expense of average citizens.

Lo and behold, a few weeks later the UAE ports scandal came to light. Now politicians have conveniently forgotten about lobbying reforms, instead choosing to carry the torch decrying foreign operation of American ports. Suddenly they are all quietly "conceding" that lobbying reform probably won't happen due to "lack of agreement" and saying that today's problem of foreign port operation is more important. What I want to know is why can't they work on more than one problem? The answer is because they don't want to. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The American political system is a sham, and in a shambles. Those in power don't care about us... they only care about their own well-being, and to a lesser extent, the well-being of their party.

Don't get me wrong. We've got the best system in the world. I wouldn't trade it for any monarchy, dictatorship or socialist government in existence. But if we don't band together and change things, it will only continue to get worse for the common American. Our rights will continue to erode, our taxes will continue to increase, wasteful government spending will continue running amok, and the middle class will continue to decrease in size. It's my opinion that we need a third major party that's strong enough to ensure that neither the Democrats nor Republicans have enough clout to single-handedly control any branch of our government (much less the whole thing). This would force all parties involved to form true coalitions, enhance accountability and reduce the influence of the two existing parties of corruption. Throw out the rotten apples and bring in some fresh fruit.