A friend asks: What's up with the 2 Party system?

The following is an e-mail exchange I had with a friend before the election. I decided to post it because it is highly relevant to our ongoing problems in Washington. Furthermore, our esteemed candidate for 'change', who is pulling half his cabinet from the Clinton Administration, is shaping up to be more of the same old problems. No suprise there. I'm sorry to say I told you so, but I knew this guy was going to win and continue the Bush/Clinton oligarchy on a larger scale. It's going to be an interesting 4 years.
Question: I was curious to get your thoughts on how America has ended up with a two party political system. I have a few ideas and they're all quite discouraging. I get the sense from your writing that neither of the two present front runners in our presidential election do a lot to excite you and there are certainly alternatives but most voters have this sense that, if they were to vote for one of them, they would be "wasting" their vote (a sentiment I find abhorrent). One possible reason is the amount of money spent on a political campaign has created a situation where the candidate must be backed by a corporation (RNC or DNC). The other possibility is a bit more philosophical but perhaps more plausible. Our culture, for whatever reasons, has come to see issues as strictly right or wrong. I notice that a great many peoples' political views are often not informed by the candidates' platform but by a few key issues that come to serve as pivotal for their vote. Once they have made up their mind on their candidate it means that the other candidates are clearly wrong. This mentality also seems to come up in foreign policy and even religion. It wont suffice that someone or some country may have differing world views. More and more, if someone has a differing view, there is no real debate or exchange, they are simply labeled as wrong and all further decisions are based on that premise. I'm just curious as to your thoughts on this and if you are seeing the same thing I am.
My Answer: I’m happy to answer your questions, please forgive me if I rant. It’s hard to get into politics and resist the urge to be a blowhard. I don’t presume to know everything, or intend to change anyone’s mind. I have opinions, and I’ve found that people like to hear what I think, so here goes.
I had no intention of voting this year until Bob Barr entered the race on the Libertarian ticket. I am sick of voting to keep someone out of office because there is no candidate worthy of my support. This year is different. The only point I disagree on with Barr is going to Iraq, and I will concede that he knows things I do not. I do agree that it is time to pull out and let them take responsibility for their own country.
I genuinely believe that Barr has changed his mind on the issues that he once supported. I support him because he stands for limited government and individual responsibility. For the first time, I have given money and time to a campaign because I support Barr on principle.
The office of President is not a popularity contest. McBama and their sidekicks do not have a right to my vote by virtue of being insiders. You are right when you say the major parties are like corporations, in the sense that they are huge money machines. The platforms of McCain and Obama are not significantly different on policy, only on matters of degree. It doesn’t matter who gets the pork in an income redistribution scheme. The damage is the same either way. They are both big government, big regulation, and scaremongering good old boys. No one has a preordained right to my vote.
As to morality, it depends on who you talk to. I spend entirely too much time with Liberals who think everything is subjective. And, at the same time, they are extremely intolerant. Maybe that proves my point. I tend to get labeled a Nazi for having the nerve to be an artist who isn’t Liberal. Although I would argue that some things are clearly right and others wrong(take theft and murder as examples), I will say that people have a tendency to extremism. This is not a specifically Christian or American mindset, but a human one.

On a seperate note, I feel the need to bring up the fact that the major party candidates are funded by federal money. Can anyone explain to me why my taxes should pay for political campaigns? In fact, one of the candidates this year helped pass legislation on how much I can contribute as an individual. Can you explain the logic behind that? As if that isn't bad enough, they (Republicans and Democrats) work together to keep third party candidates off the ballot and out of the debates. Does anyone else smell the poop? It's ridiculous, and people need to get off their butts and start fighting back. Start writing letters, become politically active, make phone calls, and do what it takes to get these guys in line. If they don't listen, vote for someone else. Voting by party or issues are what got us in this mess. Pay attention to what your Representatives are doing and let them know what you think.

Artist Statement

My work is about a variety of people and subjects that affect our lives. It is meant to engage the viewer and make them think about the world in which we live. These paintings are not being completed in an order that is relative to one another. Sometimes I just get really angry about some thing or a person or event becomes a big news story and I get inspired to work on that subject. My work is mostly meant to point out the role we allow others to play in our lives. I am most interested in the role lobbyists, unions, activists, media and celebrities play in controlling or influencing our lives through our government and their views. And, of course, there are the politicians and judges who have the most direct control over our lives.
My work is also a response to the overwhelming tendency of the art community to be a bunch of raging Liberals. There seems to be very little political art dedicated to any other point of view. I hope that one day there will be a greater variety of opinion in the art community. I would also like to see our government break out of the nearly rigid two-party system we currently have. Our government has begun to stagnate, and the politicians, regardless of party, are predominantly concerned with pandering to their constituents and making a buck, rather than doing the job they are elected to do. In the future, I have plans to do some work highlighting people I think have had a positive impact on history as well as people I admire or consider to be heroes.
My work is my personal outlet for my political opinions. I have found that it is not a constructive use of my time to discuss politics with most people and only causes stress to those involved. I am not out to change anyone else's point of view. I believe in the strength and beauty of the human spirit and in an individual's ability to govern their own life. Life and freedom are not given to us by our government. We are born with them and are responsible for maintaining them. We are responsible for our own health, morality and support. We need to realize that the decisions we make affect our lives and are our own responsibility. It is not the government's place to care for us or help us when we make the wrong decisions and harm ourselves. Nor does the government have the right to punish us for doing better than those around us and redistribute our wealth or property for the "public good".
It is the government's job to perform the duties outlined in the Constitution: provide for the national defense, maintain the courts defend the rule of law, and coin money. Everything else should be left up to private enterprise. The government should not be our nanny, or allow special interests to influence the actions of our Representatives. And, God forbid, world opinion should ever be taken into consideration. There are too many people who consider themselves to be morally or intellectually superior to the "masses". Whether or not that is reality is debatable, but they don't have the right to interfere with anyone's life but their own. I hope my work will make you more aware of these issues and influence you to do what you can to change the system.
E-Mail: frances@machinepolitick.com WEB SITE: www.machinepolitick.com