The Two-Party System is a Charade

by Marti Hiken and Luke Hiken / December 16th, 2011

Many people are under the misguided impression that The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, constituted a failure on the part of the world’s leadership to come to terms with the implications of global warming. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their failure to reach an agreement was a forgone conclusion, and as predictable as Exon’s profits in the coming quarter.

It should be obvious at this point that neither the U.S. government, nor the corporate oligarchy (forgive the redundancy), is interested in formulating and carrying out solutions to the problems facing the world: poverty, inadequate health care, meaningful education at affordable prices, world peace, environmental protection, sustainability and justice, to name just a few.

It is not that the powers-that-be disagree as to the ways to deal with these problems. On the contrary, there is total unity that meaningful solutions to the problems would affect corporate profits, and accordingly the parties simply agree to disagree. In that way, the status quo remains intact, assuring the destruction of the earth, the economic disenfranchisement of the masses of people, and the ongoing monopolization of wealth into the hands of the billionaires.

Indeed, the charade that is seen every day on national media and within all three branches of government, suggests that there are significant differences between Newt, Romney, Obama and the other charlatans who pass themselves off as credible candidates. There are no differences – only a façade to placate the average Americans’ reaction to the outrageous policies hammering us farther into the ground. By pretending to offer us a choice, they cover up reality: the leadership of both parties like the situation just the way it is.

Who is in a position to argue for the arrest of Wall Street gangsters, of corrupt politicians, of corporate boards that destroy our economy and our natural resources? Where is the political power to demand justice for the many, and the imprisonment of the profligate few?

No candidate in any of the current political parties calls for the prosecution of the criminals who have destroyed our economy. None has identified the enemies of the environment – those who eat up the world’s natural resources for individual profit. None calls for the redistribution of wealth from the 1% to the 99%. None calls for an end to our imperialist, religious crusades throughout the world.

Until there are voices to carry out an agenda that helps the poor, and punishes the super rich, voting for representatives of either ruling class party is a meaningless act. It is a fool’s game. Do not get caught up in the tweedle-dee, tweedle-dumb conundrum. Let the oligarchs continue to occupy the White House, the Congress, the Pentagon and the board rooms until such time as we, the people, can identify and support legitimate alternatives to illegitimate impostors.

Organize locally, build upon a solid foundation, and abandon any hope of obtaining co-operation from the rich. Supporting the lesser of two evils is simply not possible in this climate. This is a period that demands serious action, and not trite sloganeering. Supporting one millionaire over another offers nothing to the 99%.

Luke Hiken is an attorney who has engaged in the practice of criminal, military, immigration, and appellate law. Marti Hiken is the director of Progressive Avenues. She is the former associate director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and former chair of the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force. Read other articles by Marti Hiken and Luke Hiken, or visit Marti Hiken and Luke Hiken's website.

This article was posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011 at 8:00am and is filed under Democrats, Elections, Right Wing Jerks.