My car displays two bumper stickers reading: “ONE-PARTY VOICE…TWO-PARTY CHOICE”, and “TWO PARTIES…VOTE®CHOICES.” I thought their political message obvious, but I was quizzed one morning recently as I pulled into a Wailua Golf Course parking lot. A course worker approached
My car displays two bumper stickers reading: “ONE-PARTY VOICE…TWO-PARTY CHOICE”, and “TWO PARTIES…VOTE®CHOICES.”
I thought their political message obvious, but I was quizzed one morning recently as I pulled into a Wailua Golf Course parking lot. A course worker approached asking “What do your bumper stickers mean?”
Well, I was taken aback momentarily and joked off-handedly that politics in Hawai‘i is typical of a Banana Republic. I remarked that for many years Kaua‘i has only candidates of one political party filling federal and state offices; and for the state’s national offices all Congressional representatives and senators are a one-party bloc.
But that question on the meaning of the bumper stickers really got me thinking. I realize now it’s naive to think that most islanders are politically aware that they are represented by one political party. In hindsight, for all I know “One Party” may get other drivers wondering where and when? Is “Two Parties” a driving advertisement for a dual tryst? With most islanders working two or more jobs, raising families, and having little free time, low voter turnout at elections proves politics obviously holds little interest.
In any event, since I’m the one trying to raise awareness, what is the message here? A two-party system provides checks and balances over the party in power. Could we have more than two main political parties? Sure, but historically attempts to start a third have been unsuccessful. The out of power party provides a loyal opposition to identify alternatives to legislation governing our lives. The opposition can identify fraud, waste, wrongdoing, and abuse.
A two-party system can give us the stability and longevity that totalitarian countries lack. The out party can attempt to block the party in power from doing anything completely out of reason from what people want. But when one party gains total control they can ram through programs such as the new universal health bill legislation that apparently many citizens didn’t want.
The party in power can achieve their objectives in that they appoint the heads of all committees where the real work is accomplished. They can push through changes to our tax laws, laws that can affect our daily lives, our environment, our employment, and now binge spending. And here resides the danger that can happen when a strong faction such as the progressives in the Democrat Party’s take over our government. Under a cloak of spending put forth to solve the economic crisis they have forced through legislation taking the nation down a Socialist path. In effect the bailouts and stimulus spending has nationalized the banks, the auto industry is now also nationalized, as are investment brokers, and the mortgage industry and so on. Those of you with moderate or conservative views now without representation in Congress will continue to have no voice.
Consider how fast Germany was converted to Socialism in the 1930s. The German people were strongly nationalistic in their political views but the long depression and raging unemployment presented the opportunity for one political faction to take over the government. The National Socialist Party appealed to the majority of farmers, veterans, and middle class hard hit by the depression. These Germans feared the depression would deprive them of their standard of living and allowed a demagogue to take over their government.
Margaret Thatcher, past Britain prime minister, had it right when she said, “The socialist’s disease is that they soon run out of other people’s money.” (Conservative Party Conference speech, Oct. 10, 1975.) “People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations.” (Quote by her in Women’s Own Magazine, Oct. 31, 1987.)
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. — Thomas Jefferson
What’s the solution? A very simple one here, just take time to vote.
Vote for national and state candidates with your values, not candidates backed by organizations, employers or associations. We can achieve a two-party balance in Hawai‘i and Washington in the November election.
• Ron Holte is the former chair of the Kaua‘i Republican Party.
