7.4.2014
When I graduated from high school in 1974, I was only modestly politically aware. At 18 years old a lot of things seem more important than politics. But even in my youthful ignorance I realized that both political parties were doing more harm than good to America. Having been a teenager in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s I watch the hippie movement grow and die, and I watched the Vietnam War come to an end. I saw the end of the Draft. I watched the 26th Amendment pass that allowed me to vote at 18 instead of 21. I watched Watergate.
So at 18 when I registered to vote, one of the questions was which political party was I affiliated with. At that time the Democrats were still wreaking from the stench of Johnson’s Vietnam, while the Republicans, and Richard Nixon, were mired in the cesspool of Watergate. I realize at that time that neither political party deserved my loyalty or allegiance. So I registered as an independent.
Since then I have never missed a chance to vote. And in almost 40 years of voting neither political party has convinced me that they will put the interests of the American people ahead of their own personal interests and political agenda. In all those years I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I have voted for raising taxes and for not raising taxes. I have voted for various initiatives on both sides of the political arena. Since I feel no loyalty to either political party I am only loyal to what is best for America. Over the years it became apparent that my lack of allegiance to a specific party had caused my political viewpoint to look at both parties from the middle of the political spectrum. It also allowed me to weigh each candidate and each issue on its own merit without the hindrance of a predefined political stance.
Somewhere during that time the popular term has changed from independent to moderate to undecided. Lets get this clear, voters that do not align themselves with a particular party are not undecided. We have decided that neither party represents our interests or political beliefs. We have decided that it is the extremists in both parties that keep this country dysfunctional. We have decided that we refuse to support politicians on both sides of the aisle that are owned by corporations, or unions, or other organizations or wealthy individuals.
A moderate watches both parties continually blame the other for the problems that hinder America today. The left points at the right and the right points at the left and they both screamed loud and long that the other one is to blame for all the problems. And they both swear at the top of their lungs that they are the only ones that can solve those problems and “return America to greatness”. And the Party Nazis wholeheartedly believe that what they’re saying is the truth. Yet neither one can see that they are all to blame, that both parties are equally guilty. And neither side is willing to accept that their party is equally responsible for the damage that the members of their party have done to this country.
One thing I have realized through the years is that most Democrats and Republicans do not understand the moderate point of view. As I have often stated, my Republican friends think I’m a liberal and my Democrat friends think I am a conservative. My personal views are socially fairly liberal, fiscally I lean toward smaller government whenever possible. I believe America should keep a strong military in order to defend ourselves, but we should not try to police the world or participate in nation building. I believe that capitalism works well but unbridled capitalism leads to class separation and a distorted distribution of wealth, while over regulated capitalism results in a bloated government bureaucracy, oppression of the American spirit and economic decay. I believe in keeping government as small as possible, but adequate to run a country that can move effectively and prosperously into the future and allow all it’s citizens a fair chance in their right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
I believe in the words of Albert Einstein, “The only justification for an organized government is to insure the uninhibited advancement of the individual” and in the words of Mahatma Ghandi “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” These views are not mutually exclusive. The primary function of a government is to provide peace, freedom and liberty for its people. If the nation is prosperous enough to provide more, then the government should do more. If it can feed the hungry, it should. If it can provide health care, it should. If it can insure security for the elderly, it should. But it must be able to do these things without infringing on the rights and freedoms of the people, without imposing overly burdensome taxation and without incurring unmanageable debt to the nation and future generations of Americans. This requires our politicians to run a frugal and honest government. A government that uses every penny it gets to the best advantage of the nation and the taxpayer. However our current two party system has produced just the opposite, as politicians waste billions of dollars in ridiculous legislation that serves them and their contributors and does little good for the American people. I believe the biggest problem this country faces is wasteful spending by our government officials and the allegiance our elected officials have to the organizations and individuals that continually give them money to get them re-elected.
So the purpose of this website is to explain and propagate the moderate viewpoint. Because this moderate believes the answers to America’s problems can only be solved when common sense prevails and the voice of reason resonates over the screaming of the Party Nazi extremists on both the left and the right. It has become apparent that the only time good decisions are made by government is when both sides are forced to compromise and meet in the middle to solve a problem. This is the only time that the voice of the extremist is minimized and the voice of reason overcomes the bigotry of the Party Nazi mentality.