POLITICS

"Democracy is a poor system; the only thing that can be said for it is that it's eight times as good as any other method."
-Jubal Harshaw in Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land

No, democracy is certainly not the perfect solution to our need for government; but at least we have the opportunity to speak out and have some influence on those who represent us. Unfortunately it seems that in America our representatives hear only the voices of those who have lots of money to wave around. Both major parties are guilty of this which is why Ralph Nader is once again running for President to represent those who feel disenfranchised by our system. I like many of Nader's ideas and feel he would make a good President, which is why I voted for him in 2000. Unfortunately, Al Gore stayed in the race and stole too many votes from Nader and gave the Presidency to G.W. Bush. ;-) Of course, no candidate "owns" anyone's votes. Support must be earned by championing causes which people believe in. Our current electoral sytem tends to punish people who vote for third party candidates. Elections should not be a horse race in which we vote for the person who we think is most likely to win. We should be able to vote for the person who would make the best leader for our country without having to worry about handing the election to the candidate we fear most.

There are ways to change the way our votes are counted which would make our elections more fair.

Proportional Representation (or Fair Representation) is one such option. It would allow people to vote for third parties and still gain some representation in government proportional to the percentage of votes cast for that party.

Another option is Instant Runoff Voting. In this system, voters rank the candidates by preference so that the person with the greatest overall support would win.

For more information on these and other ways to ensure the fairest possible elections visit these sites:

Confused about conflicting campaign ads? Visit Fact Check to find out which ads are the most truthful.

Not sure which party best represents you? Here are some options for you: