The Green Party Deserves a Look

We live in the land of the free, the birthplace of democracy. The United States of America has long served as the beacon of hope and liberty to billions of oppressed people around the world.

But how free are we? Consider the following points:

- 70% of country's land and wealth is controlled by the wealthiest 5% of our citizens. To make matters worse, our two-party system makes it exceedingly difficult for under-funded candidates to make any headway in an election. So the wealthiest citizens are overwhelmingly represented in our bodies of government, making them even more powerful.

- In our two-party system, very few individuals are given the ability to connect with voters. If you are not an accepted member of the "establishment" of one of the two major parties, then you are quickly silenced and pushed to the sideline in elections, both national and local.

- With only two parties given an adequate voice, a third-party candidate in any election essentially acts as a spoiler, and not as a serious contender for the winner's circle. Election laws and precedents are blatantly stacked against third parties. In my home state of Michigan, third-party candidates are not even allowed to participate in a primary election, even if more than one candidate from that party is seeking the nomination.

- We are given only two points of view from which to choose: the official Republican Party line, and the official Democratic Party line. Any candidate who does not adhere to the official party line is not given a chance to represent his or her party. Third-party candidates who offer a third point of view are not taken seriously and are not given any exposure.

How does this represent the democracy that our founding fathers created? How does this give the common man and woman a say in how they are governed? How does this allow for true progress to occur in our society?

It doesn't.