Letter: Make politics honest

By The Daily Ilini

I just finished voting in a terrible election, and I feel the need to lament.

The country has been going in a new direction since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This nation seems to be splitting into two schools of thought on domestic policy. We face new diplomatic challenges, and we have defined new enemies of our country.

And, at this pivotal moment in time, the two greatest candidates we can muster are John Kerry and George Bush. It’s tragic, frankly, that these two men are duking it out for the most powerful position in the country, and perhaps the world. Can’t we do better? Right now, our country needs to produce a great statesman, not someone that is almost popular.

To that end, I can count two ways we can keep the two major political parties honest and make them work harder.

First, find a way to make third-party candidates worth voting for. It’s ridiculous that, in a presidential election, having more candidates on one end of the political spectrum makes it less likely that any of them are elected. This won’t change unless we nag our officials to do something about it; they won’t unless their jobs are on the line.

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Second, vote in the primaries! I made the mistake of ignoring the primaries this year. The party primaries mark the time when a party’s platform is the most malleable. You want to make a difference? Start early. Until we get electoral reform, this is your best chance to influence who appears on the ballot in 2008.

Andrew Bartkus

junior in engineering