To save democracy for our children, kill the two-party system

However, even though we vote for our politicians, the two-party system that gets those candidates in front of the voters is corrupt and unfair. Alternative candidates can get their names on the ballot but have zero chance of getting votes.

The main difference between our country and some third-world dictatorship is freedom, a concept upon which this country was founded.

Americans are free to choose their religion, express their sexual orientation, celebrate their lifestyle and elect their government officials. Anybody who wants to become president, a congressperson or a senator should be chosen by the people, meaning that ultimately we, the American people, are in charge.

However, even though we vote for our politicians, the two-party system that gets those candidates in front of the voters is corrupt and unfair. Alternative candidates can get their names on the ballot but have zero chance of getting votes.

Today, in every major election, we are all but forced to choose between two major political parties — Democrat and Republican. If a candidate is not in these two parties, they have no real chance of getting elected because the process they have to go through makes it almost impossible for them to compete with Democrats and Republicans. They can struggle to be considered a candidate, but having a real shot is practically impossible. They have to jump through hoops and tap dance around so many laws and regulations — and even then, it’s just like Donald Trump said: “If you are rich, it’s doable,” though not likely.

Today, the most important requirement for someone to become our president is being a member of one of these two parties, not being the best and most effective leader. This is completely against the American way. We say the best man or woman for the job will get the job, and that’s what makes us unique in the world, but this political system is far from that.

Today, you need to know your way around Congress to become the president of the United States. You have to hold IOUs among a large number of influential politicians and the will to pay every favor back with a favor. That’s how our politics work.

So, considering every moving part on the board, I’d say our future, the future of our children and of this country, looks dark. We will constantly be at war with people we don’t need to fight. We are going to be the “bad guys” around the world because our government does things we are completely against. And we’ll ask ourselves, “How did we get here?” We will get there by continuing our current path.

If we want a better life for our children, if we want our government to be our representative not our boss, if we want to live in a free country, we have to change our political system. It doesn’t matter whether Republicans or Democrats are in power, as long as they are the only two political parties that matter, as long as we are have to vote for only one or the other, there will be no freedom.

Nothing will change unless we change it. We should tell our politicians about our concerns, we should tell the media what we want, and we should stand strong until we get what we want. This is not a small issue that will go away on its own. This is for our children. And if we want them to have the freedom they deserve, we have to get it for them now.