Cynicism and Disengagement: The Political System

The current political system which is employed in the United States of America involves the Democratic and Republican parties. In today’s modern world the disagreements are heavily understood in the political parties as well as the social encounters in society. As many Americans associate the Biden’s with the Democratic party they also associate Republicans with Trumps former administration. Key differences can also be aligned with many word salad descriptions such as far-right, far-left, progressive, and conservative ideas.

Importantly, both parties in our political system have been identified as being different sides of the same coin. Many different independent journalists, platforms, and groups have identified that even though publicly the social differences in the parties are massive they may simply be different sides of the same garbage. Ideally democracy should be transparent, understood, and have engagement for the betterment of the population who is ruled under the political system.

This has not been the case in today’s modern world involving the United States of America. It seems all too often that lobbying, insider trading, and benefitting from the political system is incorporated in both the Republicans and the Democrats. Those who are in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches in the government have been all too keen to obtain funding, deals with massive companies and organizations, and even involve themselves with other countries to get rich. All while the Americans from both parties suffer silently believing they are represented by a political system which fights for their rights.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Much is debated in our political system about gun rights, abortions, immigration, debt, monopolies, privacy, and regulations. However, it seems bipartisan support in the legislative branch has been difficult to achieve on many different topics. People should wonder whether they truly are hard-stuck in their ideals or can there be more going on behind the scenes. Keep in mind when you are a house representative or are part of congress there is huge responsibility that comes with that power. Massive power also comes with great opportunity for these individuals. The reality of the situation is that government employees should want what’s best for the people they are ruling. However, transparency, resilience, and beneficial laws have not come without their great costs.

As policies and statutes are enacted to protect the people and help in governing them, there has been a massive oversight against the people themselves. For example, the war on drugs, citizens united v. FEC, affordable care act, patriot act, alcohol prohibition, and mandatory minimum sentencing laws are all perfect examples of the government not properly governing their people with the political system. How you might ask? Lets get into it with the few examples we mentioned earlier:

1. War on Drugs: Initially praised for the attempt to reduce drugs in the population, but was heavily burdensome on the rights of the American citizens. Beginning with the controlled substances act of 1970 which helped spark the real war on drugs which was announced by Nixon in 1971. The Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP), headed by Dr. Jerome Jaffe was also created. The political system decided in these few years that the new surge in recreational uses of drugs should be outlawed by the federal government. The drug enforcement agency (DEA) was officially created in 1973 which originally had a 75 million dollars to operate. These strict rules were later known to have been created for the reason of Nixon’s job as president. He wanted to cause division in the antiwar left and minority communities to continue his reign as president even though he did not fully believe in the policies.
2. Patriot Act: Originally enacted to fight off terrorism which occurred shortly after the 9/11 twin tower terrorist bombings in 2001. This act was hailed as a method to battle against the terrorists who harmed American citizens. Sadly, people at the time didn’t fully understand the repercussions that could also be enacted under the law. Many argue the law harmed civil liberties and privacy rights for citizens of the United States. The political system at the time included the Bush administration who signed it into law. Currently there are many concerns about government overreach and potential abuses in power. What was seen as a historic win for America ended up causing massive consequences for the president to save face in a horrible incident.
3. Citizens United v. FEC: A landmark Supreme Court case which was decided in 2010. Much of it had to do with campaign spending, regulations, and restrictions on political spending. However, its not exactly a good thing for the American people as it mainly benefitted politicians in the current political system. A conservative nonprofit organization created a documentary about Hilary Clinton and her campaign in 2008. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was referenced by the FEC stating it would not be right for corporations or unions using general treasury funds for electioneering funds within 30 days of a primary election. Such an odd battle was won by Citizens United allowing freedom of speech rights through spending. Essentially this allows increased money influence in politics, potential for corruption, disproportionate influence of wealthy interests, negative impacts to democracy, and potential erosion of campaign finance regulations. The decision created the ability for super PACS, potential for quid pro quo relationships between donors and politicians, corporations and wealthy to spend significant sums on political campaigns, undermining the fairness and integrity of the electoral process, and the rise of “dark money” further eroding transparency and accountability in the campaign finance.
4. Affordable Care Act: In this area we will discuss the ACA’s individual mandate. It required most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty fee. This faced criticism for its perceived infringement on personal freedom and the potential burden it placed on individuals who couldn’t afford insurance. While the individual mandate was later repealed, its imposition was seen by some as government overreach. It undervalued the political system imposing strict penalties which were mainly going to be faced by the less wealthy of the nation. In a way it promoted health insurance, hospitals, and clinics as it would force people to enroll into the system regardless of their ability to pay or their beliefs.
5. Alcohol Prohibition: Lasting from 1920 to 1933 which was a law created causing severe distress among the American people. As alcohol is currently loved in the economy, our society, and throughout history it was essentially banned during this period with both sides of the political system being in favor of the decision. With the majority of both Republicans and Democrats being in favor of the ban. The ban was overall seen as stain in history as it caused many undesirable affects to the people in the United States. For example, increased organized crime, public health risks, and erosion of civil liberties. As many know from the past people did not stop using alcohol just because of its ban. The consequences arose such as increased organized crime as criminals took a foothold of a new sector of illegal alcohol, decreased safety in alcohol products as many created it in their bathtubs involving bootleggers, and encroachment on peoples civil liberties with increased enforcement from the police.
6. Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws: Imposed predetermined minimum sentences for certain offenses. They were increasingly criticized for limiting judicial discretion and leading to lengthy prison terms particularly for non-violent drug offenses. Critics argue that these laws can be overly punitive, disproportionately affecting minority communities, and failing to consider individual circumstances. The vote was passed 91 to 1 with the only dissenter being a Republican from Maryland known as Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. who was opposed to uniform sentencing. As we can see time and time again in these voted laws the political system tends to not benefit the average American.

These are simply a small portion of the laws passed by bipartisan support which not only harmed democracy and civil liberties, but also created an avenue for politicians to continue being corrupt. Regardless of the party lines and all the other garbage that comes with division in our political system. Politicians, Government, and Corporations tend to benefit themselves while harming the American citizens. Remember laws are not passed for the benefit of the majority of the population, but they are passed to keep the minority in power who continue to consolidate the wealth they have creating the ability for them to ravish in it.

It doesn’t truly matter whether you have Republican ideals or Democratic ideals. It matters much less whether you’re progressive, conservative, left-leaning, or right-leaning as these phrases only continue to separate the populations of America allowing for those in power to easily manipulate the masses while keeping their reign. Although much of politics is attempted to be broadcasted as for the people, many times more than not do a handful of individuals benefit from such policies. Government overreach has always been an issue in the past and it will continue to grow stronger with better technology, manipulation, and greed. Let’s try to get into why people are so divided regarding the political system.

Presidents in the Political System

It appears in many articles, news outlets, and personal experiences that Americans have become increasingly polarized with their world views on politics. Today we will try to analyze the impact of the polarization on the people and understand what topics are people truly having difficulties in coming together in. If it was the goal of our current political system to divide and conquer their own people they have been truly successful in achieving it. President Donald Trump was one of the key influences on the polarization causing people of the left (Democrats) to truly hate a Republican president. However, such polarization happened before with many presidents people don’t even remember anymore as people’s minds, attention spans, and knowledge about the history of America has dwindled into nonexistence.

The infinite reason Trump caused such a polarization in the current political system is mainly due to his undeniable and unfiltered comments to the citizens of the United States of America. He did not hold back any of his beliefs, judgements, or propositions with many comments coming off as distasteful in the eyes of Democrat leaning individuals. The polarization was only made worse due to social media, online news, and traditional news medias as they continued berating him and his policies throughout his presidency. However, keep in mind when you piss off one group of people you may be speaking to another.

Followers of Trump have been extremely polarized due to the judgement and discrimination from Democrats throughout the United States of America. Whether it be news or social media they have felt demonized for simply liking the president. Many people are even considered closeted Trump supporters as they will never tell the truth about their voting due to the harsh criticisms from the left. Whether they are right or wrong in their beliefs its crucial to understand they are also being manipulated by the political system. Currently this aspect of Trump hating has been waning throughout the Biden and Kamala administration as much has happened since the vote in 2020.

It appears that the Biden presidency has been continuously drained of the support due to inflation, the proxy war in Ukraine, continued COVID-19 deaths after his presidency, horrible immigration numbers, the disgusting pull-out of Afghanistan, his failing speech with continued mental decline, and increased crime throughout the United States. The avid lovers of the Biden and Kamala administration have grown quiet due to feeling the affects of the current president and his policies. Some have even criticized their own choices during the 2020 election stating they were lied to by the current administration. It’s important to keep in mind that many of these people have been victims of the political system we have today and it’s important to note that even Trump supporters should understand their stances on the previous president should not be met without criticism.

Whoever people support in their beliefs should not overarch the betterment for the American people. If Biden truly was good for the United States of America then he should be voted into power regardless of the political standing of a Democrat or Republican. The sad news is that among all the potential candidates of the United States of America, these two individuals were the top priority in the 2020 political system. The choices were endless with many presidents who could serve the American people yet the two choices at the end of the 2020 election included a deranged grandpa who can’t keep his mouth shut and a deranged grandpa who is actively losing his mental health.

Division in the Political System

It’s not so simple to describe the discrepancies within the political system by only referencing the presidents we have to choose. Many politicians in congress and the house of representatives also play a role in the division which is caused today. Certain topics seem extremely taboo to talk about in person as people may potentially call you a monster for having different political beliefs. We’ll get into some of these in this portion of the article.

Republicans in this current political system tend to preach increased policing, freedom of rights, pro-life, pro-gun, and decreased regulations in the United States of America. These topics are heavily polarized in today’s atmosphere as there are many issues in today’s day and age.

1. Policing: It has been seen as an extreme situation after what happened during the Black Lives Matter Riots following the George Floyd murder by a police officer. Whether the situation is right or wrong doesn’t truly matter as the implications have been felt throughout the country. Many Democratic cities have increased regulations on police officers due to this incident which happened in a different state by one police officer. It highlighted the importance of policing in communities which may disproportionately affect minority ethnicities. Again the problems in policing may be true, but the problem is that all police officers throughout the nation were affected by this event. Many cops tend to do a good job and truly care about the populations they are serving. In such a crucial role in the community there are also bad actors who may try to harm certain minorities. Both these facts are true in nature and the overall idea of defunding the police or abolishing police is not a solution to such a massive problem. Reducing cops can cause increased crime rates such as homicides, car jackings, rapes, robberies, or burglaries. In our current political system
2. Freedom of Rights: A massive issue about civil liberties has to be discussed when speaking about Republican ideals. They tend to believe in owning your own home, gun, or lifestyle. Many in the modern age have been increasingly unhappy about school systems which they believe to be indoctrinating their children into certain idealistic beliefs. A few which has been stated by Republican citizens center around toxic masculinity, gender, and gun control. In the modern age these topics have become polarized due to increasing transgenderism, mass shootings, and the idea that men should no longer be the old definition of a man. Apart from the direct examples above there are also additional ideals about being able to make your money and keeping more of it instead of trying to distribute it to the poor through taxes. Freedom is highly spouted in Republican ideology which increases the demand of freedom in their current political system.
3. Pro-Life: This stance is one of the most highly debated as many Republicans believe abortions should be banned on mass throughout the United States. It creates separation between many individuals in the Republican Party as many women may agree with the rest of the Republican ideology. However, many women believe it’s their right to choose whether they want to have an abortion or keep the baby as they are going to be the one’s with the womb. Pro life stances definitely incorporate the fact that upon inception or a certain period after pregnancy such as 6-8 weeks the fetus should be considered a child. This creates exclusion in women who believe they have the right to choose whether they want to keep the child. Many consider this argument as an issue as there could be underlying factors where the fetus/baby/child may not be wanted due to circumstances the mother cannot control which we’ll dive into in the Democrat ideology in the political system.
4. Pro-Gun: Many Republicans believe that guns are a right which was included in the second amendment in the bill of rights. It is true that in the second amendment it allows for the right to bear arms in any method. Keep in mind that the bill of rights has many civil liberties that protect Americans from policing, authoritative regimes, and military action. Of course a tank will always beat a Glock, but the idea that Americans are armed and dangerous could provide reason for people not to overreach into their homes. It not only protects people from government controls, but also against criminals who attempt to harm those who have more than them. In the current climate of mass shootings this is a heavily debated topic in the political system.
5. Decreased Regulations: Republican ideology includes the fact the increased regulations throughout the United States has harmed the overall health and wellbeing of the nation. For example, environmental regulations, gun regulations, tax regulations, safety regulations, and healthcare regulations. They state that such reach from the government has caused many companies, corporations, and businesses to flee America and go toward less regulated economies such as third world countries. This is difficult to debate against as many businesses have truly left the United States due to the difficulties in operating a facility without being able to maximize profit in the political system we have today.

Democrats in this current political system tend to preach decreased policing, less freedom of rights, pro-choice, anti-gun, and increased regulations in the United States of America. These topics are heavily polarized in today’s atmosphere as there are many issues in today’s day and age.

1. Policing: After the Black Lives Matter Riots following the George Floyd murder by a police officer there has been increased scrutiny to police officers nationwide. Democratic cities have listened to the demands from the protests and attempted to defund aspects of their police departments. Communities tend to be disproportionately affected with many minority ethnicities being targeted by traffic stops, higher incarceration rates, and increased use of deadly force. In the current political system it appears that policing will continue to be debated on, but many Democratic individuals are becoming quite upset with the regulations and lack of help from police officers. Even though the people asked for this exact scenario the repercussions are being seen in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and other cities with increased crime rates in all categories following the new standards set onto police officers.
2. Freedom of Rights: Certain ideals about Democratic individuals go completely against the idea of freedom of rights. As there has been increased societal need for correct pronouns, genders, and treatment of individuals it causes a violation of the first amendment of free speech. Other factors should also be counted such as gun rights which are heavily ridiculed by Democratic voters as they see an increase in gun violence and mass shootings throughout the nation. They feel this way due to feeling hopeless from hearing about the horrible situations including the racist New York shooter at a grocery store, the Uvalde elementary school massacre, and the Sandy Hook mass shooting. People feel cheated and helpless when it comes to gun rights and wish for stricter regulations in the current political system to protect themselves and their loved ones. Specifically people are worried about their children who they cannot save in these events.
3. Pro-Choice: Democrats in general promote the idea that females have the right to choose whether they should keep their fetus or baby. This is due to the fact that men shouldn’t decide what a woman can do with their body. In theory this is an important issue as there can be horrible occurrences such as rape, incest, or simply poverty regarding childbirth. Regardless of these extreme situations there are chances where women may not be ready to birth a child such as being impregnated at young age and still going to middle school or high school. Many factors come into play with this belief in the political system. Many Democrats believe it’s a violation of their own right to choose if they want to bear a child. The conflicting view in this area is that Republicans believe the fetus, baby, or moment of insemination of the egg is directly associated with ending a child’s life.
4. Anti-Gun: A heavily debated topic in the political system today as many Democrats are against the idea of bearing arms. They tend to believe that many other nations do not allow for this right which directly is associated with less gun violence. Specifically in mass shootings at clubs, bars, schools, churches, and malls they believe that ending the right to own a firearm could potentially save all these needless deaths due to weapons. Being a part of a community which has been rocked by a mass shooting is enough evidence to know that feeling unsafe is one of the worst feelings they could have.
5. Decreased Regulations: Many believe that increased regulations in taxes, environmentalism, and safety is associated with the betterment of people’s lives. Other regulations come into play in this political system such as gun regulations and healthcare. They tend to believe that environmental regulations have protected the lives of hundreds and thousands of people as chemicals can no longer be the reason for diminished health. It directly helps keep water, land, and air clean for the majority of the population to live healthy lives without the potential of cancerous chemicals, reproductive harm chemicals, and neurotoxic chemicals from entering the environment. Other regulations include increased safety at the workplace which allows people to have jobs that allow them to do their job without the chances of working in an unsafe jobsite. Tax regulations also come into play in this sector as they believe increased taxes can help the less wealthy by distributing giant masses of wealth to those in need through food stamps, government housing, and Medicaid.

Conclusion

With all this mass of information we can see in the current political system that people have been completely polarized in one direction or another. People have lost their friends, families, and loved ones due to conflicting idealism. Whether it’s about gun rights, abortions, presidents, taxes, immigration, etc. it doesn’t matter as its created further division in the United States. Societies tend to grow through conflicting ideas and progressive thoughts as it helps create a discussion within the society itself. However, in the current age we live in today there has been massive issues which we haven’t dealt with correctly.

Many have attributed the current political system to be the problems as politics play a crucial role in people’s lives from afar. Others have critically commented on the fact that government seems to not care about the average citizen with both parties becoming increasingly corrupt due to greed and control. What’s important is understanding that the political system does not define who people are. This is the reason independent media has continued to grow as mainstream news and traditional media has began to fail. People no longer want one-sided views of topics or the political polarization that has occurred in recent years.

Remember the political system cannot ultimately control a person. Finding some common ground with whatever the topic is can potentially help each of us understand each other. Fact of the matter is that it’s okay to disagree without abolishing your relationships and friendships. Political systems do not create your life and they cannot remove your life. Continue to learn that division and hatred can only harm society as a whole. Keeping government in check and modifying the political system is America’s job including every citizen of the United States. Ensure that you understand why you feel the way you do and do not allow the division to define your lifestyle.