Let's get rid of all political parties.

No more Republicans, no more Democrats, no more Libertarians.

What I'm proposing is not a new concept.

In fact, the first president of the United States, George Washington, advised in the beginning that political parties would only hurt the patriotism of this country.

According to the 1992 Almanac biography on him, Washington feared that allegiance to "factions" would someday eclipse the guiding light of patriotism. After refusing a third term to be president in 1796, he warned in his farewell address against party spirit.

Imagine that -Êa politician advising against political parties in an effort to put the country first.

Political parties have overtaken American policies to such an extent, though, that the right thing is whatever will advance the party, not the country. If they can't help their own party, politicians make their decisions based on how they can hurt the other party.

How much better could the United States be if its leaders would act in a nonpartisan manner to advance the country? What kind of better education would students receive if political parties didn't exist? What would the economy be like? Social Security? Life in general?

Of course, people will always differ on the ideas and means of making our country better; that's not debatable. However, when parties enter the picture, they only complicate matters. There's left-wing conspiracies and right-wing conspiracies, but they are only called conspiracies for one party to make the other party look bad. If there were no political parties at all, there may still be conspiracies, but I believe there would be fewer of them.

People may also believe in fewer conspiracies if political parties were absent from the scene. If there are only two groups running the country, there's more of a likelihood that a group of people can cover up schemes and misdeeds. However, if every candidate is out for himself knowing that he had to be at his best behavior because no one was going to cover up for him, there should not be an easy means for the truth to be hidden or for lies to be told.

Of course, that may be too simple because everyone is born inherently bad anyhow.

During the Clinton impeachment in the House of Representatives, partisanship divided the House. Many Democrats felt the Republicans were "picking" on Clinton to avenge the Nixon impeachment in 1974. Republicans accused the Democrats of not doing what was right just because the president is a Democrat. Other accusations, party slanders and slants were thrown around the House like children throwing stones at recess.

Regardless of whether or not one thinks Clinton should be impeached, the whole childish behavior demonstrated by both parties is embarrassing. Republicans and Democrats booed and hissed whenever the opposing party made a comment or did something they didn't like.

The political party hostility even turned so ugly that Bob Livingston needlessly resigned when his inappropriate behavior was noticed.

Now all members of both parties should go to their corners and take some time out.

When I go to the polls, I don't vote straight party. I try to vote for whom I think will be the best candidate. In the 1998 elections, I voted for a few Democrats and a few Republicans. I felt that the candidates I voted for would provide the best service to the community in which I live.

And the same will go for the next presidential election. I voted for President Bill Clinton in 1996 because I thought he would do a better job than Bob Dole, but won't vote for Vice-President Al Gore for president because I don't think he is the best candidate for the job. I also won't vote for Dan Quayle, who just announced his candidacy Jan. 21, because I don't think he is capable of being president.

So, hopefully, someone who I think can do an effective and great job for this country will step in the spotlight soon so I will have someone to cast my vote for in 2000.

And they won't even have to be a member of any particular party.

Why do some people insist on a straight party ballot when they go to the polls? There's no guarantee that you're getting the best candidates that way. Sounds pretty ignorant, if you really think about it.

But I digress.

While the Constitution of the United States of America does not create political parties, it allows for them. One area of the Constitution that allows for the creation of political parties is the First Amendment. It states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the right of the people peaceably to assemble. Any effort to abolish or break up any political party would be a great violation against this great land of ours because the Constitution allows for parties to assemble. I still think, though, that political party members' mothers need to turn them over their knees once in a while and give them a good spanking.

And so, while I believe that political parties are here to stay against my better wishes, the parties could learn to be bipartisan. Instead of voting against something because a person of the opposing party backs it, why not give it a chance? If it's really not a good, sound piece of legislation for the country, then they should vote against it. And if it does make sense to pass it, the politicians should pass the legislation and congratulate the politician who initiated the matter.

Guess that will never happen, though, as the parties just continue to divide from one another and divide America. [[In-content Ad]]