| the haverford greens | |
| news | about us | links | officers | contact |
|
Today I was asked to write down ten things that troubled me in the world and that warrant change - only ten. I was given five minutes, and if I finished ten ahead of time, I could just continue writing. Sure enough, I scribbled down ten problems way ahead of time. So I just kept on going, and going, and going . . . The list goes on and on.
Among the things I wrote were corrupt political institutions around the world -- including ours, poverty, famine, the destruction of the environment, mistreatment of animals, war, killing, slavery, and so on. The reason it came so easily is because these are things that I think about often. I read about suffering in the world. I see so many things wrong, and I wonder how they can be changed. I think that the Green Party is a great way to get things changed. The Green Party is a growing third party that can help not only our country, but the world. How can it really help these widespread problems? Well, first, we must understand what exactly the Green Party is and what its obstacles are. The Green Party: Not An Offshoot of the Democratic Party Although many former Democrats may have switched to the Green Party, it is important to understand that the Green Party is not an offshoot of the Democratic Party. The Green Party is a solid third party with its own platform, quite different from that of the Democratic Party. The Green Party does not endorse the Democrat Party, and when compared with both major parties, it makes Democrats and Republicans look like identical twins. One could argue that the Democrats are not true liberals anymore; that really both parties are of a mushy liberal-conservative mix, ever since the conservative Clintonian democracy. Members of Congress seem to be much less predictable, now that we have senators that are Republicans but vote democratically, and representatives that "are Democrats, but not really." Now we seem more than ever to be a moderate country, as far as politics are concerned. The election of 2000 reveals our 50/50 split, and the amount of "swing voters" makes things even more murky. Still you have half of the country's ELIGIBLE VOTING POPULATION that does not even vote. My personal view is that the American public feels generally disassociated with politics, and for good reason, for there is much that is going on behind closed doors that we seem to have no say-so in. There seems to be a general disinterest in both parties, now that they are more similar than ever. The Green Party is not a grouping of disillusioned Democrats, dissatisfied with the Democrat's Party's center sway, but an entirely new party, founded on ideas and concerns not adequately addressed by either party. It is here to satisfy those that are disillusioned with both parties, and are looking for an alternative, rather than "the lesser of two evils." |