I am currently enrolled in two classes. United States Government – for which I am writing this editorial, and United States History Pre Civil War. While it is very easy to confuse which specific content belongs to which class, it has made it very clear why the United States government faces the issues it is facing today. Ever since the days of our founding fathers, Jefferson and his followers believed in a weak national government with strong states’ rights while Alexander Hamilton and his followers promoted a strong central government. Both of these men had good reasons for their beliefs.
We often find ourselves fighting the same battle today. Should we let the national government interfere in our domestic, social lives, foreign affairs and economy? Strangely enough, while we face those same questions that Jefferson and Hamilton faced, our parties are not split down that clear line that distinguishes central government intervention and government nonintervention. Instead, today’s Republicans favor government’s intervention on foreign affairs and certain social issues, but not our economy and other social issues. Meanwhile today’s Democrats favor government intervention on the issues opposite from what the Republicans favor. Republicans want the United States Army to interfere with international warfare; they want the government to be able to outlaw gay marriage; but they don’t want the government to intervene with the economy or raise high taxes. Democrats want the government to intervene with the economy by raising taxes to finance national financial aid systems; but they don’t want the government to interfere with their choice for an abortion.
It seems to be a very ambiguous political party system, which may explain why so many Americans are scared to completely devote their allegiances to either of these confused parties.
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Look I can completely understand where you are coming from. Most people are either not informed nearly enough to choose aside, do not wish to participate, or find it difficult to nail down ideologies that are perfectly aligned with a particular party. The best example I can give is that of myself. In general I side with many aspects of the republican party I support the death penalty and the right to bear arms and I am most certainly economically conservative. However I find my self divided then when it comes to my view on abortion which I am for and gay marriage which doesn't really affect me so truly I could care less what happens. Its funny because if someone asks me who I vote for or what my political alignment is I will always respond I am conservative but yet I have these two huge contradictions to the conservative view.
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