The daily distractions such as healthcare are but symptoms of a larger disease we are dying from in this country - the two-party system.

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"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." George Washington

George Washington was a pretty smart guy. He was able to see hundreds of years into the future and warn us of what would come to pass. And he was right. We just didn't heed the warning very well"

Amidst the rancor of the faux healthcare debacle and the political posturing over the reconciliation process, the larger issue continues to go on unmolested. This country has many serious problems; most of which we would agree on. The education system is a disaster. The economy is in shambles. Job creation is stagnant. We have abandoned our history as a producing nation. Torture, terrorism, war crimes, civil liberties (or what's left of them) the list just goes on. But the mistake we keep making is a diagnostic problem. We keep treating these as conditions instead of symptoms. They are not the disease itself but merely the results of the disease. And that cancer, which is slowly eating away at the fabric of our once proud republic, is the two-party system.

Take a good long look at that quote from George Washington; the father of our country. How frighteningly accurate is that? Sure political parties may now and again answer popular ends. If you want to pretend something will be done about abortion, the GOP will sell you on pro-life. If you want to fight for gay rights, the dems will likely provide you with the answer. But that's the side show folks. I know that is a bitter pill to swallow; that your cause célèbre may not be as important in the grand scheme of things as you think it is; but too bad. Open your minds to accept the fact that you are being used; regardless of which party you swear allegiance to.

And while they may now and again answer popular ends, they have indeed become potent engines by which cunning and unprincipled men have been enabled to subvert the will of the people. That is a brilliant dissection of our current problem proffered by a man speaking hundreds of years ago. Because what you have in WashingtonDC is absolute power. The fact of who is in the majority is nothing but an illusion. They both are in the majority and neither care about the interests of those who actually still believe there is a significant difference between the two parties. Skeptical? Just look at the healthcare debate. The democrats and progressives in this country voted for change. This proposal is not change. Every significant provision has been stripped out of it. Whatever the special interests and lobbyists wanted they got from both parties. Even after all of the dressing down of this bill, the GOP wants it shelved completely under the guise of "starting over." The dems want something, ANYTHING to pass so they can claim some sort of victory. They each go before the cameras and grandstand and pretend that their positions are so diametrically opposed but they are not. Either way, big pharma and big medical wins; while you and I lose.

You can look at almost any other issue and see the same dynamic playing out. Real creativity and change are impossible because at the end of the day, they care about the power they consolidate and nothing else. What happened to the accountability we expected regarding the crimes from the last administration? How is Karl Rove allowed to be a fake news analyst and not in jail? What about Darth Cheney? It was foolish to assume that Barack Obama would do anything to hold anyone accountable. Each party ultimately protects the other. Sure they will bluster at each other to create the illusion of opposition but when push comes to prosecution, suddenly they protect each other. Same thing happened after Iran-Contra so it should have come as no surprise.

A third party candidate though may have been more willing to uphold the rule of law and make an example of people who abused the laws and intelligence in this country to further their own political or financial ends. A third party candidate may have been willing to say no when lobbyists were throwing their money around to buy votes. Because George Washington was right. These unprincipled men have usurped for themselves the reigns of government, and are in the process of destroying the engines which have lifted them into power. There is too much money in campaigns, assuring that only the rich can play at their level. They control the debate formats, assuring there are no coherent third voices heard amongst the two-opinion lie they want us to swallow. I can have over 1000 channels on my TV (but still can't find something decent to watch). I can get 32 flavors of ice cream. But when it comes to political opinion, we are supposed to buy the lie that there are only two sides. Pick one and blame the other. That is their method.

Because while they have us fighting each other over table scraps, they are finishing the work of destroying the engines that lifted them into the power they enjoy. They give up the other party as the enemy, someone we can blame for all the ills in our society and all of the bad in our lives. They are not of course. They are just another American; like you or me but maybe with a different opinion. They did not strip out the real change from the healthcare bill. They did not cause the economy to tank. They are as much a victim as you are. They are in the same sinking boat we are in, while the two parties are securing the life rafts for themselves.

The republic is sick and dying. But not from a lack of healthcare, poor education, or a decimated economy. Sure those are important but fixing the symptoms without addressing the cancer is like using a band aid when a tourniquet is needed. Now is the time to try and do something; anything about the two-party system. Before 2012. Because if we get there it will be Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin winking at us from one side while Obama winks at us from the other. Both steeped in the disease and neither caring that one day, it will kill us.

Authors Bio:

Anthony Wade, a contributing writer to opednews.com, is dedicated to educating the populace to the lies and abuses of the government. He is a 53-year-old independent writer from New York with political commentary articles seen on multiple websites. A Christian progressive and professional Rehabilitation Counselor working with the poor and disabled, Mr. Wade believes that you can have faith and hold elected officials accountable for lies and excess, regardless of party.


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