Two-Party System Offers Choice

To the Editor:
We are a diverse society, once our strength, now a weapon for politicians exploiting our differences. The issues dividing us are their platform. We allow the nation’s leaders to ignore our schools, infrastructure and major health issues while we bicker over principles, best resolved in different settings.
There really is no one size fits all for our assorted society. That’s why laws vary as they do from one jurisdiction to the next. Clean up the politics and we’ll find many of our misgivings to be politically convenient exaggerations or in fact, complete fabrications.
 Still, the professional politicians are not the problem, we are. We, the voters, make these things happen. While addressing this to one political party in Cape May County, it is the same situation with the opposite party right next door.
In fact, there are only a few counties in New Jersey that are somewhat evenly split along party lines. Association to a party is healthy, allegiance is not. Political positions are not designed to be careers. It is not an arena that brings out the best in us.
 We have a five-member freeholder panel that has not seen an opposition party member in over 25 years. Its director, nearly 80 years old, has been on the board for all of those 25 years and another 11 years from 1976 to 1987, 36 years total.
Through nepotism policies, many of our important services are under the direction of family members of influential party associates. Often, long-term, dedicated employees are passed over, employee morale suffers accordingly.
Recently the freeholder board members and certain staff have been viciously casting aspersions upon one another, still they are easily reelected.
 In addition, there are 16 municipalities in Cape May County; all are majority led by the same party as the freeholder. Many are reelected time and again while concerned citizens are passed over at the polls. If you cannot vote for someone because of their party affiliation, you are drinking the Kool-Aid.
 The two-party system was meant to give choices while creating checks and balances. Though professional politicians are using it to divide us like never before. Whose fault is that? Politicians cannot perpetuate their careers, we do it for them.
 This statement from a party chairman at a recent political event is where the leaders want to take us.
 “But our work is not over, my friends. The Progressive Left and its Communist agenda threaten the very fabric of our Republic. They want to destroy our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, yield our national sovereignty and open our borders to unlimited illegal immigration. They condescendingly ignore the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of men and women who have bled and died to preserve our liberty”
 These disgraceful, divisive, outrageous lies are being said of our neighbors, friends, and family for purely political purposes. And it’s coming from both sides.
It is completely irresponsible for a community leader to speak like this. Many leaders in both parties are defining us by the absolute extremists who are just that and not representative of either party. To turn this around and bring civility back to our communities, we need to bring diversity to our governing bodies and get rid of all the professional politicians.
Simply put, if they’re in, vote them out. Most people I speak to are sick of it; let’s bring the incivility to an end at the polls. “And crown thy good with brotherhood.” That’s what “hundreds of thousands of men and women have bled and died for.”