Happy holidays - It is time for a new party, I think…

Shannon Bohrer

(Dec, 2010) The holiday season is upon us, the time we also hear of peace on earth and good will to man. It is the time of year we reflect back, celebrate the present and look forward to the future. A time to be reflective and thankful. My gift to you this holiday season is the creation of a new political party; the PEA party. The idea came to me during this last election cycle, the idea being that we should be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

If you believe what you hear, and we have heard a lot lately, the traditional Republican believes government should only exist for bare necessities, primarily defending against foreign armies. Conversely, the traditional Democrat believes everyone should have a job, a home, a good income and anything else they need. I believe strongly both ways; I like a minimal government, but I also appreciate the services I receive from a not so minimal government. I believe my conflict is a logical position.

Since both parties seem to fall at the extreme ends of the spectrum, I conclude that a party is needed for the middle of the road. I also believe this middle-party could represent the majority of Americans. Instead of the two parties which constantly find fault with the other, I propose a middle-road party that merges the best of both ends. To express both sides and the best sides of both parties, I have created the People for Ethical America, or the PEA party. The PEA party motto states, "We believe strongly – both ways, sometimes."

I fear the extreme divisiveness between the parties could affect our national well being. Under normal times it would compare to two different groups being in one large row boat. While both groups generally agree on a direction and members of both groups row in that direction, a few members of both parties inevitably row in different directions. I think they call this a democracy; we eventually get there but it sometimes takes a while.

"We believe strongly – both ways, sometimes."

In the current political climate it seems that the majority of both sides row in opposite directions. If that isn’t bad enough, we now have multiple leaks in the boat just in time for the rapids. Just when we need teamwork on multiple problems, our elected representatives have trouble focusing and agreeing on one. Our boat is in the rapids, our elected representatives are rowing in different directions, a few are not rowing at all and a few more are punching holes in the bottom. Currently our national debt along with our private debt is 98 percent of our gross domestic product, if it gets to 100 – do we sell?

With this confusion in mind, the PEA party could represent the middle where individuals can work together and everyone can have their oars in the water. When you think about it, the PEA party would be a logical position if for nothing else than problem resolution. Recent reports indicated foreign monies were being used in our elections. The political pundits and talking heads, the experts, were upset – and, why? The idea that foreign entities would attempt to influence our elections – it is just wrong. Or is it? America spends monies in foreign elections all the time. The PEA party hopes foreign entities spend monies in our elections; the more income, the better for our trade deficit. Besides, even if a foreign entity was successful and got someone elected, could they do any more harm? Maybe, just maybe, we should ask why we spend monies in foreign elections. Why is it right for us to spend monies on foreign elections, and not the reverse?

Another controversial issue is the protection and closures of our borders. This has been an issue for some time and for many reasons. However, similar to other issues where the major parties seem to do more fighting than talking, the PEA party has another perspective that the others have ignored. If we close the borders, what will happen when Americans try to cross the borders to obtain work? If we want jobs in the future, maybe we should think about keeping borders open.

"We care, but not that much."

The PEA party may not have all of the answers, but neither do the other parties, nor the EXPERTS. The PEA party believes that the middle perspective is where compromises are possible, where both sides can have their oars in the water and we can at least row in the same direction. The differentiation between the parties often divides us and what we need is a party that can unite us. The left accuses the far right for not caring, and the right accuses the far left for caring too much. The PEA party slogan could be, "We care, but not that much."

If you think or believe that my ideas are just crazy, think about this – doing something over and over again and expecting different results is supposed to be a sign of insanity. How long have we been voting for the same parties and expecting different results?

Happy Holidays