Downward Spiral?

The United States has at arrived at a time of great need. The inadequacies of our political system have never been as clear as they now are. Many across the country are disillusioned and disenchanted with the results of the recent party dominated election. The election was determined by a single state- Ohio and those of us in Democratic “safe” states such as Maryland realize that our votes did not make a bit of difference. The same of course holds true for those in Republican safe states, though they don’t seem to be quite as upset about their disenfranchisement.

The corporate fat cats now hold more power over the future than ever before. The CEO of Diebold (the company responsible for such things as pay for print and the electronic voting machines) and a staunch Republican is rumored to have promised the election to George W. Bush. Regardless of whether or not he actually did deliver, something delivered America into the hands of “more of the same.” Conspiracy theories aside the most widely accepted factor in steering us in our present direction appears to be the issue of moral values. Clearly terrorism, the threat of a draft, and the jobs of millions of US citizens are secondary to whether or not two men are allowed to kiss. This is dangerous and a clear path to disaster. The fact that we are so secure and but yet so stagnant that we are most concerned with government advocated morals is a herald of impending disaster. It is not the government’s job to dictate morals, nor is it the right of any individual or group of individuals to attempt to dictate the morals of others. I am a practical anarchist. I am a personal anarchist. I believe that a government that attempts to dictate morals is an unjust government, violating individual freedoms.

In my vision of an ideal world individuals would have maximum freedoms through maximum self sufficiency. This is not my ideal world. Sadly, my ideal world is not possible but what is possible is an overhaul of the present political system. The time is at hand for the elimination of a monstrous two party duopoly to be replaced by a multiparty system, leading to the ultimate ideal of a no party system. The inadequacies of the present are clear and the time is ripe for change. Only through massive change will it be possible for the United States to remain a viable nation into the twenty-first century.

--Ben Porter