A two party system has merit when mixed with civility  

I don’t try to wear my political affiliation on my sleeve because I don’t vote exclusively for that party.There are reasons for this.I learned from my father about the Republican party and my mother was a staunch Democrat. I was lucky to have both exposures and I usually have seen merit in each party. My folks on the other hand; neither could vote for the other party and saw no redeeming in the opposition. My stepmother was the only one of my parents who voted for the person and not the party.I know it drove my father crazy when she would vote because he never knew who she voted for and he really disliked Democrats. He knew she voted for them sometimes. Occasionally, as I got older, she would share who she voted for and why. She  was pretty even as far as what party she leaned towards. Before she married my father she had been a reporter. I can say she  did her research.Anyway, I respected her for picking the candidate instead of the party. When it came time for me to choose what party to register under, I chose the one which was closer to my beliefs. Still, I made sort of a secret promise to myself, I would vote for the candidate and not be swayed because he or she didn’t belong to the registered party I was affiliated with.Over the years this has served me well.I admit, if I don’t know either candidate, I will vote with the party I am registered with, but it isn’t all that often, I don’t learn about all the candidates.I would probably register as an independent but in Wyoming to do so would mean I can’t vote in the primary.Anyway, the other day, after the elections, I heard someone talking to a person who is a democrat (they do exist in Wyoming here and there) and the person speaking started railing against President Biden.Fair enough. There are a lot of people who wish he was not the president of the United States and elected officials are going to be talked about good and bad.Then I heard something that sent chills down my spine.“All democrats should just be rounded up and shot because they don’t really care about our country and are not really true Amercans.”The person being talked to was a democrat. She walked away saying she didn’t want to listen any longer.I didn’t blame her one bit.The person who made the statement struck me as the real person who is un-American.To single out the people because they belong to a certain party and say they have no redeeming is disturbing. It  means to me, we as Americans,  have let this bipartisan bickering go way beyond what is safe for residents of this country.Do people who talk about getting rid of opposition understand what a one party system is like and what can happen?I do.I lived in a one party system country and let me make clear, freedom on so many fronts goes out the window. I don’t know about others, but after having to watch out for who I talked to and what I said or I could end up in jail.  It made me realize how precious it is to be able to speak your mind. Also from what I have witnessed over the years, one party systems seem to corrupt those in power.I have only seen one shining example I can think of is Singapore. It is a de-facto one party state, but the leaders have been for the most part, concerned for the people and the country.  Even there, you have to be careful to a degree on what you say about the government.After living in a few different countries, I am always going to want to see at least a two party system. Without opposition, a country takes the chance of creating a dictator.I definitely never want to see that happen in the USA.It is why any candidate who even remotely has characteristics of a dictator, has no shot at my vote. Civility to others always catches my attention, but that particular trait has been lacking in many elected officials for some time in both parties.Now that the 2022  elections are over, the 2024 elections are starting to heat up. Crazy it is happening so fast.I haven’t made up my mind about the 2024 presidential elections other than there is one politician I know I won’t vote for. I was asked the other day, who I leaned towards. I said there were two politicians I admired and either could get my vote.One is a democrat and the other a republican.Even though the chances of the two of them meeting in the 2024 election are remote at best, be assured, I will vote for the candidate and not the party.

 

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