Columns/Opinion, Letters to the Editor

Enemies of the people are political parties

Jim Hinebaugh, Maysville
Political parties may start based on principle but inevitably they become a means of pitting voters against voters. In our lifetimes, that has never been more evident than now. The old adage that any person who would seek to pit one American against another is unworthy of trust seems to be ignored when associating ourselves with a political party.
As warned by President Washington during his farewell address, it is natural for people to organize and operate within groups such as political parties, but every government has eventually recognized political parties as an enemy because of their tendency to seek more power than other groups and to take revenge on political opponents. As we now see daily, political parties are attempting to exact revenge upon Americans willing to oppose them.
Political party factions now seek to obstruct the execution of our laws and are preventing the branches of government from exercising the powers provided them by the Constitution. They claim to be trying to answer popular demands or solve pressing problems, but their true intentions are to take the power from the people and place it in the hands of those controlling their seat of power at the government table. Our politically controlled educational system now ensures that students understand sexuality and their right to abortion but cannot teach students to read, write or count change properly, God and patriotism are no longer tolerated.
Our political parties are out of control, and in a popularly elected government such as ours they are preventing government from serving its intended purpose. They are creating unfounded differences among groups and regions and are raising false alarms among the people.
They are promoting riots and insurrection and have provided foreign governments access to our country where they can impose their will upon our people.
The primary defense we the people still have against the destruction of our freedom is our right to vote. To keep voting professional politicians into public office expecting different results is killing the future of American freedom. Stop it, please.