This week, along with Democratic primary results and a report on a Republican caucus and rally, our front page highlights two political events that drew much less attention last week: local caucuses for the Green Independent and Libertarian parties.
While The Lincoln County News does not endorse either party, we enthusiastically support efforts to find another way in American politics. The two-party system is not working!
The federal government can’t even balance its budget or maintain roads and bridges, let alone pass common-sense reforms on health care or immigration.
Sure, some of the ideas from the Green and Libertarian parties are extreme.
The Greens have presidential candidates who want to abolish the military (a foolhardy move in our dangerous world) and one who apparently supports the ruthless Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, support we find disturbing and difficult to reconcile with the party’s principle of nonviolence.
We are not sure what a Libertarian government would look like in practice, but as the deficit skyrockets under a Republican administration and a socialist has a chance to win the Democratic presidential nomination, we like to see at least one political party advocating for limits on government.
It takes a combination of idealism, stubbornness, and independence to stick with one of these parties against all odds.
Come to think of it, those sound rather like the qualities of our Founding Fathers.
