h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The framers of the Constitution had never intended for political parties to form. This is because they had seen the sharp divisions between political factions in Europe, and the framers purpose for creating this new country was an attempt to bring the common man into the political world. Despite these warnings, the formation of political factions among the people was inevitable. The two-party system was already emerging before the end George Washington's term as president.
As of today the two major political parties in the United States are finding themselves abandoned by the vast majority of Americans to whom they claim to speak for. The strong showing by Ross Perot in his bid for the presidency and the victory of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura illustrates that over the past decade; we have seen a steady rise in the number of people who refuse to register in one of the major two political parties. Today, unaffiliated voters represent well over a third of the population and in many states, and that number isn’t declining.
If the Republicans and Democrats fail to heed the powerful message that the alienated citizenry are sending out, they will do so at their own peril. The Republican Party to some degree has been revamped by conservative extremists with a moral agenda, who are obsessed with cutting taxes at any cost, disregarding the potential windfall this would have for the national debt. I can’t think of a time outside of the McCarthy witch trials that the people actually fear the president as many fear what George W Bush will do next.
The Democrats certainly are not any better off, while President Clinton arrogantly proclaimed that the age of big government is over. And many utopian thinkers of the left refuse to recognize the fact that the government simply cannot be all things to all people. Hoping to cater to each and every special interest group, liberals continuously propose new programs that consistently expand upon the ever-growing national debt and continue to impoverish future generations. More importantly, the Democrats have been uniformly on the wrong side of the entire tax debate. There are very few working Americans who do not believe that taxes are too high. Unfortunately, instead of looking for ways to provide sensible tax relief that will not increase the debt, the Democrats continue to expand the tax code with targeted breaks that will help their electoral constituencies. The Democrats are no more interested in fundamental reform than their Republican counterparts. It is time for our politicians to unify around a simple agenda that follows the will of the American people.
First and foremost, we must be committed to eradicating a burdensome national debt that eats up 10 to 15 percent of the budget every year in interest payments. Secondly, we must be committed to fundamental tax reform that will simplify the system, eradicate loopholes for special interests and provide substantial tax relief to working families. All tax cuts should be paid for with offsetting budget cuts. Third, we must be committed to keeping the size of the government down. Federal expenditures should not be equal to nearly one-fifth of the entire economy. Finally, we are committed to protecting civil rights and personal freedoms for all Americans and trying to create a society where we can move forward together. The divisions of race, sexual orientation and gender that continue to create a glass ceiling for millions of our citizens must be broken down. The party that learns to embrace these four core principles will win the center of the American electorate and become the majority party of the future.