Political parties

I believe that political parties are tearing our country to pieces.
The two main political factions in today's society are fighting such a fervent and angry tug-of-war with America, that it's probably just a matter of time before they tear the country apart, both holding so tight to what they think should happen.
In this "If I can't have it, no one can" attitude, both democrats and republicans have forgotten that each major campaign issue is an independent concern that needs to be worked out, and that the biggest concern of any group trying to run this country should be the best interests of its citizens, not the advancement of a political party.
I am truly disturbed that I have to vote in the upcoming presidential election for a candidate who only shares my opinion on a few major issues, because that's better than the candidate who only shares my opinion on one.

The truest democracy

I believe that America is not a true democracy. That when held to the highest standards, like shown on the map in class, America does not belong with the counrties that have truly democratic elections and hold the rights and liberties of their citizens above all else.
I am not trying to say that America is not a demorcacy at all, or that our elections are terrible, or that the citizens are treated very badly. I am just saying that America cannot be considered a true democracy when held to the highest standards.
The popular vote does not necessarily elect our president, as the various examples in class including the 2000 election show. We currently have a president that less than half of the US wants.
And we do not always protect the rights and liberties of our citizens above all else. A current example of this is the gay community. We descriminate on the basis of sexual orientation when it comes to the right to marry, and often adopt children. A more extreme example was in WWII when we put many of our citizens of Japanese descent in concentration camps.
Looking at these examples, I won't say that America is necessarily a bad place to live, but we are not always the democracy we claim to be.

The Articles of the Confederation

In class today I realized how incredibly short-sighted the Articles of the Confederation really were. I mean, they offered statehood to Canada, but layed out no provisions for any other areas. They laid out no seperation of powers, with every job of the Executive, Lagislative, and Judicial branches of today's government being done by one body, Congress. They made no decision on proportional representation, instead choosing to pass the buck to future lawmakers. They constantly referenced the thirteen states, obviously never intending to expand to more than that. They didn't allow for a central ruling power to defend against other countries attacking. They reference a specific religion near the end, leaving little room for the diversity that we are known for today. And they really didn't leave a practical way to change anything, needing the approval of all 13 states to make any changes at all. I think I understand why the founding fathers decided to just scrap the whole thing

Introductory Post

Well, since we didn't discuss a whole lot in class, I don't have much to say about politics.

My name is Hannah Amling, I am a junior Nursing student who recently moved into town permanently, and I'm taking this course because it's a graduation reguirement. I think I'd like to develop some political opinions myself, and become more informed about the choices I have in our political system.