How the United States can shorten the ever-widening gap between the main two political parties, bring them closer together, including, but not limited, to specifics toward compromise for the greater good

Name of Winner:  Troy Samoski

Winning Essay-

Just the fact that there are two main opposing sides makes for a winner and a loser. If I win then that means you lose. So, if we the people were to eliminate all political parties and just maintain one affiliation, we would have a better chance to agree on matters that concern our country. When you remove the friction of my side versus your side, we have a better chance to talk matters through and come to a compromise for the greater good of all the people. If you remove the pressure to vote one way or the other just because one is a Republican or a Democrat you then can have the ability to vote with your heart, vote with your education, vote with an informed mind. Fundraising should be changed completely. All campaigns for a national office should be given a set amount of funds by the government. This keeps each person on the same ground. PAC’s can only give to the national campaign fund, individuals can only donate to the national campaign fund. This now allows the candidate to focus on a campaign to meeting and speaking to the people. We now have the opportunity to learn about them, their values they have, what issues are a priority to them. By eliminating the political sides that we now have, frees us to become one with the people who voted us into office, we now can serve the people who elected us to the office. Serving the people should be viewed as a privilege, not a cart blanc to be sour and bitter to your fellow member. It’s okay to have your own opinion and thoughts on what is right and wrong. It’s wrong to take sides just because you’re a member of a certain party. Maybe we should look back 200 years and try to understand the meaning behind what our forefathers were trying to break away from. Sometimes looking to the past can improve the future. People will always disagree, and that’s okay, as long as it is with merit and not party affiliation. Just look to our Constitution. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Nowhere does it say we are two parties; nowhere does it say to vote yes or no because your parties oppose the other. Nor does it say to fight or disagree because of your party. It has become easy to lose sight of what elected officials were put into office to do. Why because they have to go with their political parties, eliminate the parties eliminate the division that is taking place. For us to be one for the people, we must be one party, not many.