The World Used to be Flat

In 1492 Columbus sailed "over the edge of the earth" in search of the West Indies.  Of course, we now know that he actually landed in America, and the rest is history.  The amazing thing is that Columbus, his ship and his crew actually survived their incredible, disastrous plummet off of the globe.  Everyone knew the world was flat.  Even after Columbus returned to Spain with treasures from the new world, folks were still certain that he simply hadn't sailed far enough to reach the edge.  They were still 100% convinced that the world was flat, it had always been flat, and it would always be flat.  In the minds of the American voter, American politics is a 2-party system, it has always been a 2-party system, and it will always be a 2-party system. 

In reality, our American 2-party political system was never a part of the original design.  On the contrary, our founding fathers were appalled by the idea.  Their original design assumed representation by leaders with enough moral character and integrity to put aside special interests and personal ambition for the good of the country.  To their dismay, 2 opposing major parties quickly emerged in American politics.  The Jefferson party promoted strong government and economic development, whereas the Hamilton party promoted limited government and the prosperity of the common man.

Other than the definition of the 2 major parties, not much has changed in the past 200 years.  Minor parties have emerged in American politics since the 18th century, only to be squelched by our nation's "winner-take-all" election laws.  Even if a minor party candidate receives 31% of the vote in a 3-way election, the voters who support this candidate will receive no representation whatsoever in the operation of their government. 

Although there are overwhelming odds against them, minor parties continue to emerge in American politics.  American voters rely on mainstream media for political information, and modern-day elections are consistently won by the candidates that spend the most on their campaign.  Minor parties cannot match the incredible resources of the major parties, and  the minor parties are generally discredited by the major parties as crazed, fanatics with little or no strength or ability to lead.  These conditions have effectively turned the 2 major parties into "playground bullies."  Might is right, and the little guy is in for a beating if he stands up to them.  

Thus, the two major parties have formed a monopoly in American politics.  This has resulted in an "American Power Club" with exclusive membership consisting of our elected government employees from both parties.  Theatrical elections continually pass the official leadership back and forth between the 2 dominating parties, while the "American Power Club" continues to gain strength and tyrannical control over our nation and our daily lives. 

The American Power Club has become masterful at manipulating the American people by effectively polarizing our nation to maintain their power.  Although our nation is faced with unprecedented challenges, theatrical pride and arrogance from both major parties have have effectively divided our nation.   As long as the American people are focused on these divisive issues, we are not scrutinizing their activity or holding them accountable for their actions.  In short, we are giving the American Power Club free reign to rule over our lives. 

To secure their reign, the American Power Club continues to behave like 2 children in the same room that are each playing "house" separately rather than playing together.  Like classic co-dependents, we, the people, have enabled, condoned, and even joined in on this counterproductive "parallel playing."  Are we so enamored by election promises and political charisma that we have been overlooking the obvious?  Have we bought into the idea that either the right or the left are the answer to saving us from an inevitable crash & burn?  

WAKE UP, AMERICA!!!  Political leadership has consistently swung like a pendulum, from right to left, over and back again throughout our nation's history.  The American Power Club has robbed us equally for decades.  Aside from basic equal rights reforms, what significant changes has the American Power Club made over the past 50 years towards our nation's overall welfare and happiness?  Why is it that a “poor” family is able to enjoy a better standard of living today than if mom and dad both went to work for minimum wage?  

In 2003, Senator Robert Byrd was quoted as saying, "If the voters really understood what we were up to, they’d vote us out of office."  It is important to note that Senator Byrd did not specify any partisan affiliation in his statement. 

So where do we go from here?  We, the people, must demand election law reform that will force the 2-party American Power Club to surrender their monopoly.  This will require an overwhelming, crystal-clear message from the majority of the American people.  Unity is our most powerful tool, and complacency is our greatest opponent.  We can count on tremendous resistance from our government towards any proposal to upset their 2-party apple-cart.  It is working far too well for them, and they have successfully hoodwinked the American people for far too long.  Still, the outlaw gang bullies of the wild west decided to leave town when all the townspeople showed up with baseball bats and farming tools in their hands. 

Albert Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” 

Is the world still flat?

Brian Buckta

103 S. State St.

La Farge, WI  54639

(608) 625-6372 / cell (608) 606-2062

brianb@wigrantwriting.com