This is one of several guest columns that were submitted in response to this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you?
By C.J. McElhinney
I identify myself politically as independent. Should not every American, regardless of political affiliation, be an independent voter?
I am independent because it gives me the freedom to exercise my political choice as I see fit and not according to the whim or pressure of a political party. When I cast my vote, I base it not on the letter next to the candidate’s name, but on what kind of person they are, what they have accomplished in their life, what ideas they have and how well they will lead.
Politicians, more so than giving speeches or making promises, must lead for the good of the many. Politicians almost always promise things they usually cannot deliver, but in reality they are called upon to deal with situations and crises that emerge while they are in office, which are almost always unforeseen at their time of election.
The two-party system has become a debacle for our country. The two major parties in the United States have morphed into a single nightmarish creature with two heads constantly at war with one another.
I blame each for abandoning the traditional American values of individual freedom and limited government. Instead, they engage in a seemingly never-ending war of rhetoric where nothing ever gets done. Think about it — every problem our nation faces today it faced a generation ago. The War on Drugs. A rational energy policy. A bloated and out of control federal government.
These problems have only become worse, not better. The founders of our nation never intended or foresaw a two-party stranglehold on our federal system and would be aghast at the areas in which federal power and regulation have extended their reach, and at the complete lack of our politicians to compromise for the good of the public.
The average American should be more fearful of the federal government than Al Qaeda. You are substantially more likely to be imprisoned by the federal government than injured or killed in a terrorist attack.
Government is not the answer
Government is not the answer to our problems. It almost always makes things worse. Even more troubling is that right now the two major policymaking branches of our federal government, the executive and the legislative, are held by one party. Within a few years, add the judiciary to that list.
These are dangerous times, and I say that not just because it is the Democratic Party that is in power. I would feel just as uneasy if the situation was reversed and the Republicans were in the position the Democrats are in now.
I shook my head when the Patriot Act was rushed through the Congress and enacted as law just as much as recently when the American Clean Energy and Security Act was rushed through. In both instances, many politicians admitted to not reading the entirety of the bill they were passing into law. Instead, for the most part, their votes were bought based on the pork they were promised.
This is astounding, irresponsible and reprehensible. Our legislative branch was intended to be deliberative. Instead, because of the current power makeup, it has become a quasi-parliament, which is completely antithetical to our Constitution.
Moving away from traditional American values
I venture to speculate that most independents favor limited government, lower taxes, greater personal freedom and rational government spending. Independents want the government out of their lives and want a smart and efficient government to stay within its enumerated powers. These are traditional American values that provide our national identity and from which we move further and further as the years roll by.
Regarding the current economic crisis, what can be done? Most independents would say the government must do what every other rational entity does — cut costs, increase revenue, become more efficient. When your family does not have enough money to pay the bills or put food on the table, do you go out and purchase a new car or the latest plasma television? No. You get a second job. You make your current car more efficient. You find better deals when you shop.
Why should the government not operate on these same principles? Why can politicians not seem to grasp these simple principles? Do they run their personal affairs in the same way they run our government and spend the public’s money?
As has been said by many wise men, people get the government they deserve. Well, the United States deserves better. There is no better time for change than during a crisis. And remember, as Winston Churchill once said, “Politicians have the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterward to explain why it didn’t happen.”
Demand accountability. Question your government and your politicians. Use your vote wisely. Be independent in thought and action and do not surrender your own principles.
McElhinney graduated from New Mexico State University in 2000 with a degree in government and earned his law degree from the University of New Mexico in 2003. He resides and practices law in Las Cruces and practices mostly in the area of criminal defense. He can be contacted at cjmclaw@yahoo.com.