Colin Powell's announcement of not running for President made me sad. I couldn't help to see the relationship of his decision to the statements made by some Republicans: if you are for some gun control, you aren't a Republican; if you aren't an extremist and have your own opinion about anything, you aren't a Republican.
Colin Powell is not alone. Why did Jack Kemp change his mind? Maybe he got the same signals as Powell did?
It is a sad story for America, but who cares in politics about the country's interests? We, the common people, believe this should be the politicians' most important duty, but partisan politicians do not share our view.
The two-party system has worked for a long time, but now both parties are polarized and are in the grips of their extremists. Socialist advocates of the bankrupt welfare state are steering the Democrats, while the NRA and the religious right lead the Republicans' agenda.
As a direct result of this kind of party politics we, the American people, are disillusioned.
If the country wants to survive and there are some decent politicians left in the American political landscape, they should get the distress signals about our future. We must make it possible for the country's interests and common sense to prevail.
What if the moderate Democrats and the moderate Republicans join together and form a new party? Just think about it! Even without large financial support from the special interest groups, such a party would attract voters in quantities never seen before. People like Colin Powell and Jack Kemp could run and would certainly win.
Common sense is not missing from the American people; it is missing only from the political arena. The reason is mostly our political system. Who says we cannot change it?
My worry is about the inability to adjust to new circumstances. If we cannot change certain things that do not serve us anymore, then nature's basic law will prevail and we'll sink into the sea of disappeared societies.
-- Julia S. Levai, M.D.
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