Why we are really shut down.

A recent (cough) debate on facebook sparked this piece.  It followed the opinions of a person, clearly of a liberal bent, and another, decidedly of a conservative one.  It went about like you'd expect.  I threw in a few things too.  Mostly because both sides were right, and both sides were wrong, in equal measure.

Let me explain.  The debate was (well began anyway) over the government shutdown / affordable care act.  The liberal posted a rather inflammatory image from a liberal page, that was unthinkingly one-sided.  This of course, elicited an even more one-sided response from the aforementioned conservative.  It then went quickly off the rails into other partisan talking (as opposed to thinking) points.

The liberal's actual point, I have surmised, is that the Republicans in congress are being juvenile, spoiled, jackanapes, who are "taking their ball and going home."  This is exactly correct.  Yes, I said it.  We have, in the history of our country, repealed bad laws.  If they are so convinced this is a bad law, they should let it be.  If it turns out as bad as they are saying, no one will ever vote Democrat again.  To quote the most famous Republican president, Abraham Lincoln: "The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."

On the other side it was pointed out that blind allegiance to the Democrats was ridiculous, and that the Affordable Care Act (you probably call it Obamacare because you obey your programming) was passed through backroom dealing and abusing procedural loopholes.  This, it was said, was because despite a long stretch with a super majority, not one progressive agenda item was passed, save for the Affordable Care Act.  No Gay marriage, etc.  These things are of course, also true.  (although they, admittedly, had little to do with the argument... er, debate.)

I got the impression though that both of these assumed adversaries, if they listened to each other rather than talk past each other, would find much common ground.  Which brings me to my point.  The thing I have made the point of my existence actually.  Both parties (if you can even say there are really two) are completely corrupt.  Please, for the love of all that once made this country great, vote for a third party.

See the "liberal" is progressive, and the conservative stated he was certainly not a Republican.  From the sounds of it he is a Libertarian, bordering on Anarchist.  (bravo, see you at the meetings).  Being Progressive should not condemn you to a lifetime of being a Democrat, any more than being Conservative should brand you a Republican.  Both parties do a grand disservice to those causes.

A progressive would not impose a fine for not having insurance, on the very people who can't afford it in the first place.  They would be fixing the education system.  As in taxpayer funded college for all who earn "B"s or higher.  We wouldn't have most of the other problems they claim to be trying to fix, if they got that one thing done.

A conservative (as opposed to a Zealot claiming to be conservative) minds their own business.  As in they wouldn't care who married whom.  They would also be fixing the procedural loopholes that were abused; something they, very tellingly, are not doing.  And they certainly would accept that a law that was passed, tested by the Supreme Court, and still law, should be allowed to stand or fail on its own merits.

Vote Libertarian or Green party next time guys.  Really.  We need better options.