Word is leaking out that a majority of Americans are sick at the thought of a presidential election where the choices would be limited to Biden and Trump. I would be one of them, except, in the land of the entrepreneur, I believe additional choices will become available. I am certain that more choices would be available now if more voters had made it clear that neither of these two choices is acceptable.

Is the Problem Limited to Biden and Trump?

Some would be happy if Biden and Trump were not actually nominated. After all, each of them has proven to be disorganized, careless with the truth, capable of low, perhaps criminal, behavior, and, likely, too old. If these things are true, it immediately begs the question: If a political party is capable of nominating for president a candidate who is disorganized, careless with the truth, capable of low, perhaps criminal behavior, and, likely, too old, how can anyone support such a party?

The question answers itself. Neither American political party is fit to serve the people of the United States of America, who are not responsible for this situation.

But, wait a second. In a way, the people ARE responsible. John Locke and Thomas Jefferson would say that the people under an oppressive dictator have the right and the responsibility to rid themselves of this tyranny. In the same sense, the American people are responsible to challenge the situation we now see, in which both political parties have become captive to a combination of corruption and wrong ideas.

Whether or not Biden and Trump are the nominees, we are approaching a point where every American has the right and the responsibility to do what the actor Peter Finch advised in the 1976 movie Network. “I want to to rise from your chair. Go to the window, open it, and shout: ‘ I’m mad as Hell, and I not going to take this anymore’.”

How did it feel? Pretty good? Let’s continue.

Is There a Political Party We Could Not Vote For?

We could start by selecting a political party we would not vote for under any circumstances. To anyone who is actually a moderate and has been around for a few decades, one party immediately jumps to mind.

In the USA, one political party champions climate change, inequality, and the environment as today’s most important problems. The other party is backward and disorganized, but leads more often with the physical and economic security of citizens and sometimes champions educational opportunities for children.

People may disagree about solutions to any of these problems, but the order of priority seems most important to me. The odds of solving any problem decrease dramatically if you don’t even think it is important.

America’s Failing K-12 Schools

During my lifetime, I have watched K-12 education in the US descend from the best in the world to the lowest tier compared to other developed countries. I don’t think anybody really disputes this, but one political party and most of the media do not believe America’s failing schools are important enough to talk about.

One political party in the US doesn’t think failing US schools are as important as climate change, inequality, or the environment. When K-12 education problems are mentioned, this party argues that all education problems are due to systemic racism, inequality, and inadequate funding.

School Choice – An Obvious Tool Against Racial Inequality

A remedy for failing schools is currently at hand in the form of school choice programs, inspired by Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman. Under many state-run programs, a parent can move their child to a school of their choice which then receives the state funding allocation for that child. School choice programs gained traction in the 1990s with some bipartisan support, but their advance has since been seriously impaired in blue states by the take-no-prisoners opposition waged by extremely powerful and well-funded teachers’ unions.

It doesn’t take a genius to imagine that the equal opportunities offered equally to parents of all races by school choice programs could likely take a big bite out of racial inequality within a generation.

It goes without saying that improvements in K-12 education would be likely to induce improvements in the economy, public safety, the environment, inequality, if not in climate change.

Americans Understand That Public Schools Are Failing

According to a Gallup Poll conducted in 2022, only 28% of Americans had high confidence in public schools. The clear reason that failing schools are ignored by one party, and rate back page coverage in media, is that the political party favored by media has been captured by huge political contributions made by the organizations most responsible for the collapse of K-12 education. During my lifetime, US teachers’ unions have strongly opposed any and all schools reforms, backing up their opposition with astounding political contributions to a single party.

Speaking as a person who attributes most of my successes to an excellent public education, what I have already said is sufficient to prevent my hand from ever casting a ballot in favor of the party that has unanimously and unreservedly opposed any and all efforts toward reform of our failing public schools over my entire lifetime.

And Then There is Public Safety

I a second reason were needed in order to select a party for whom one would not vote, I would give you public safety. Crime is a difficult problem, and failures in law enforcement are complex with many nuances. That said, in 2020, the leaders of one political party made many public statements openly supported rioting, arson, and general criminal behavior leading to $ billions in excess damages and dozens of excess deaths. Subsequently, many of these same political leaders advocated defunding the police, reducing the prosecution of felons, and release of felons already convicted.

No Other Reasons are Required

In summary, the US does not have a political party that anyone in good mental and moral condition could support. Each party is inconsistent and filled with contradictions, incompetence, corruption, mixed in with some well-meaning public servants. Accordingly, voters should exercise every opportunity to support candidates who stand up for issues they regard as critical, regardless of whether such candidates are members of, or supported by, a major political party.

When a deserving candidate is not available, it may be reasonable to vote for the least un-deserving candidate.

For my own part, I will not be pulling the lever for any member of a party that has continuously and unanimously opposed school choice programs for decades. I will also never to pull the lever for any member of a party that goes on TV and cheers on rioters, looters, and arsonists.

As former comedian and now internet pundit David Rubin (of The Rubin Report) has succintly put it: “You don’t have to be a Republican, but you can’t be a Democrat!”

Categories: Commentary, Culture, Philosophy, Politics