The Aug. 4 Associated Press article, “Blanket primary gets its day in court,” reminded Washington citizens that we have been using the blanket primary system for 66 years. What has this system done for us over that long course of time? By allowing everybody to vote for anybody, those candidates with the broadest array of likable ideas or character traits end up appearing on the ballot. Unfortunately, these types of candidates can most easily be characterized as middle of the road. When standing in the middle, with constituents on the left and the right, they become paralyzed with political fear, seeing pitfalls whichever way they turn. Nothing that is beneficial to the public as a whole gets done. Problems like transportation brew for many years.
Democrats, supposed saviors of personal freedom, happily vote for draconian drug laws and ridiculous mandatory sentences that often imprison the lowly pot smoker for more time than a child molester or a killer. Not to be outdone, Republicans vote for more social spending, such as President Bush’s latest Medicaid scheme, in order to show the takers in our society how compassionate they are.
While they are both busily moving sideways, left and right, left and right, spinning their wheels in the mess they’ve made, consider voting for the Libertarian Party of Washington State, the only major party that is moving in the only sensible direction that exists – forward, into the future.
Everett
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