The two party system in theory isn't too bad of an idea, if you have two parties that represent two different views of how our country should be run. In theory the Republican party platform represents small government, balanced budget, tough on crime and a robust military. In theory the Democratic party platform represents human rights, education, the environment, and health care. If you are a Republican or Democrat you probably reading this disagreeing with what the other parties platform is. This is my point exactly. The two party system splinters Americans, but what they don't realize is that today these political groups do not exhibit these noble ideas and they most certainly don't stand for you.

Let's break down the Democrat and Republican platform and see if they are the same party today as when they were established. Before that a word for Bill Clinton's mentor Carroll Quigley, "The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can throw the rascals out at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of these things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies."

Republicans report card:

1. Small Government(Big Government only gets bigger [1]) D
2. Balanced Budget(Under Bush, Federal Spending Increases at Fastest Rate in 30 Years [2]) D
3. Tough on Crime(Bush challenges hundreds of laws [3] / As Crime Spikes, Bush Slashes Law Enforcement Funding [4]) F
4. Robust Military(House Passes $409 Billion in Defense Spending [5]) C

Democrats report card:

1. Human Rights(Human Rights: The Clinton Administrations's First Term [6]) D
2. Education(Bill Clinton's Educational Crusade is Misguided [7]) C
3. The Environment(National environmental policy during the Clinton years [8]) C
4. Health Care(What Clinton could learn from the catastrophic health care catastrophe [9]) F

For the past 40 years the two parties have been merging closer and closer together becoming an abomination. The Republicans and Democrats have sold out to lobbyists and special intrest groups.
They are only concerned with holding on to their pathetic power. The constant bickering you see on television is only one party trying to regain it's control and the other attempting to hold the reigns of power. The sooner we unburden ourselves of these flimsy labels that divide us the better.