Wednesday, April 2, 1997
POLITICS:
United States, USAC should learn from Germans
Greetings from behind the infamous "Orange Curtain," also known
as Orange County, formerly known as a Republican bastion. Even my
family contributes to the Republican population. Because of this,
politics always played a central role in my life. I recall sitting
in front of the television in 1984, hoping that (gasp) Ronald
Reagan would win the presidential election. (Since then, I have
realized the folly of my former ways and ask that no hate mail be
sent to my home.)
Talking about American politics immediately precedes a
discussion of political parties. (Try talking politics without
mentioning the Republicans or the Democrats and I will truly be
impressed.) Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to
exercise my "right" to vote for a presidential candidate.
Early one November day last year, I stumbled upon a polling site
and decided to exercise my privilege to vote. I eagerly entered the
voting booth with ballot in hand. To my dismay, I discovered that I
couldn’t decide on a presidential candidate. The horror! The ballot
blurred before my eyes. Republican? Democrat? Who could run this
country better, Bob or Bill? I skipped over to the propositions to
postpone the inevitable. This just augmented my disdain for how
inadequately the two-party system represented my values and
beliefs.
Imagine attending a UCLA where only two majors existed. (I am
sure that those who are still undeclared would find this a twisted
blessing.) Or going to your favorite restaurant with only two
options for what kind of soda you may drink. I eventually found
myself staring at the presidential candidates again, trying to
figure out what distinguished one from the other. Oh well, I
thought, as I voted for Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate.
Ralph Nader?! Why would anyone be foolish enough to vote for a
third-party candidate? Voting for a third party in a two-party
system equates to throwing away your vote. You might as well just
sit at home and watch some PBS. The Republicans hold the title of
first and probably last third party to develop into a strong second
party. All other third parties past and present rarely even create
a ripple in the stagnant political cesspool. According to what my
brain mysteriously learned from my political science class, third
parties can only hope to influence policies in the United States.
In other countries such as Germany and Italy, proportional
representation systems accommodate three or more viable political
parties that are more responsive to their members.
Staring at the likes of Newt Gingrich and Ted Kennedy leaves a
bitter taste in my mouth. As the media continues to drown the
public with various news stories of Republicans and Democrats
ruining reputations, I uncover more ugly tendencies of our
two-party system. For any hope of success, politicians must
affiliate themselves with either one party or the other. To add to
the confusion of the constituents such as myself, both the
Republican and Democrat candidates wrestle over the majority of the
American voters, who are supposedly moderates. Thus, both parties
offer similar platforms when election time comes. The Republicans
and Democrats compromise their positions in an attempt to dupe the
majority of the constituents to capture their votes.
On a local level, examine the USAC election party choices.
Conveniently, two major campus groups struggle to lure the most
votes. Where are the third parties? I know they exist somewhere. (I
vaguely recall a third party last year, as well as the previous
year.) Where is the representation? My apathy for campus politics
stems partly from the lack of accountability of some of the
offices. The bickering between these two groups makes my cast-iron
stomach (living alone in an apartment without a kitchen will do
that to a person) cringe.
When I opened my packet to register for a political party, I
weighed the pros and cons of each of the major parties. (I realized
the irony of only looking at two positions on key issues of both
parties much later in life.) The Democrats tended to be confused
statists. The party seemed to ignore the future by focusing most of
their energy on resolving current problems which involved
increasing taxes and reallocating money to various programs. The
Republicans embodied the spirit of rugged individuals with limited
vision and with religious undertones (sometimes overtones). I could
not bear choosing one or the other party.
Alas, I chose. Wisely? I’m not so sure. I still failed to vote
for any of the candidates in my party, the Libertarians. If you
don’t quite know what a Libertarian is, our bumper sticker slogan
would read "Pro-Choice Everything."
Obviously, the two-party system destroys any chance of a
marginal third party like the Libertarians succeeding in any
election. And both of the majority parties seem to enjoy hoarding a
broad range of positions. The Republican and Democrat parties grab
at so many issues and special-interest groups that each party
becomes a huge bureaucratic nightmare. The Republicans must appease
the Christian Coalition, which is a very conservative group, while
maintaining good relations with the moderates, who make up the bulk
of the party. Similarly, the Democrats must consider the "liberal"
groups such as the Rainbow Coalition, labor and feminists without
alienating the moderates of the party.
The American political system ought to take lessons from Germany
or even the United Kingdom. Political parties must be responsive to
its members and realize that they can’t have it all. Decisions must
be made. Parties need to streamline their platforms and concentrate
on those that really matter to them. (Yes, even large, inefficient
organizations must make decisions.) Maybe that billionaire chart
guy had a point.
So what is the point of all this ranting and raving? Take a
gander at the system around you. Are you content with what you see?
Do the Republicans and Democrats cover all the possible positions
out in the political spectrum? Do the USAC parties represent your
concerns?
(Does anyone care? Or will it take some fascist to take over
this country and take all your "rights" before you understand that
this is an important issue?)
I suppose I am talking about a revolution (not the violent kind
associated with the likes of Lenin). Wake up, all apathetic
citizens of the United States and UCLA. If you sit back and let the
other guy run things, you may not have that opportunity in the
future to share what you think. (The Libertarian in me is about to
speak.) For example, some paternalistic person in Sacramento
thought up the law that forces you to purchase auto insurance, wear
a seat belt in a car and wear a helmet on a motorcycle. Who knew
that you can only purchase alcohol before 2 a.m. and that, when
transporting those bottles of brew, they must sit in the trunk of
your car? Why is it that television shows are now rated? Yes, I
admit maybe there are some merits to some of these laws, but do you
see the trend?
The next time you pick up a ballot, educate yourself and give
that candidate who best represents your beliefs and values your
vote, even if he or she is a Libertarian. Don’t tie yourself down
to two measly choices. Exercise your privilege to vote and to
choose. Perhaps if there are enough dissatisfied people who care,
maybe  just maybe  our political parties will represent
the people.