Parties aren't always fun

Political parties are the bane of most any government, particularly the people the members of the part in Congress (parliament, whatever) are supposed to represent. The party turns the representatives into "replicants" that are just there to advance the parties needs and wants. If someone in the party goes against the current party line funds are cut, endorsements are lost and the party will work hard to replace them with someone more tractable in the next election.

I have looked long and hard for a party that fits right, but have yet to find one, maybe that is just as well. Did a stint as a Young Democrat in high school (didn't help me score any chicks though), handed out fliers canvassed neighborhoods, the whole nine yards. I kind of lost interest in the whole process as time went on -- I just wasn't as zealous as some of the other members.

One of my high school courses was a history Russia and Eastern Europe. I think some of the things we covered that year must have spoken to me, because in my first try at college I became a socialist. This phase lasted right up until I met some of my "brothers" and found they weren't quite what I expected. The only reason most of them seemed to espouse socialism is so they could hook a free ride.

Not one to leave any stone unturned I became rather conservative after joining the military (I didn't mention my stint as a socialist to my recruiter). It was a rather practical consideration as the Republicans were all for big military and our benefits and pay hung on their largess to a great extent. I remain somewhat conservative to this day and have developed the notion that folks shouldn't go running to the government every time they have a problem and that the Founding Fathers went to a lot of trouble writing the Constitution so maybe we should use the thing. I have however, become disenchanted with the Republican party and in fact any party.

Then there was the rise of the Tea Party. I thought a grassroots movement like that would spawn some new candidates, have some fresh ideas, and espouse less government. I've blogged on their site and was pretty happy with the whole thing until Sarah Palin was selected as a keynote speaker at the national rally. That was followed rather quickly by the discovery that the whole Tea Party was just a front for the Republican party, much as Move On works for the Dems. You can rebrand your group the Hitler Youth, but when all is said in done they're still Nazis, and no one in their right mind wants to head down that street.

Libertarians have the right idea, but many of their candidates are buffoons, other third parties may have one or two planks that resound, but for the most part fall short and in the end have a snowball's chance in hell of ever winning anything. Add to that the Media ignores them -- and why not when the regular party clowns have millions and millions to pay networks off. It is a lopsided affair at best.

In the end I wind up voting against candidates rather than for them, writing in my own name (what the hell, eh?) or crossing party lines in the hope a new face might help make a difference. I'd like to think that some day someone will come up with a candidate or party that is palatable and actually gives a shit about the people they represent, but then if geese had plane tickets they wouldn't have to fly South for the winter.