The recently held elections in this nation has brought to contrast an absurdity of our system, its complete domination by two parties.

The problems of being limited to a two-party system is perhaps most apparent in the race for the presidency of the United States. These problems include a lack of choice, candidates without any actual plans, and candidates who run on a platform of being less of a bad choice than their opponent.

The presidential candidates presented a lack of choice as both were men in their late 70s, of considerable financial means, prone to bizarre mannerism of speech, and likely suffering from cognitive declines. Neither candidate seems particularly well-suited to lead an overwhelmingly younger constituency in our rapidly changing modern times.

These candidates also lack in their willingness to present comprehensive policies. With voters forced to align with one of the plans because voters are captive to their parties. Most disappointing, both convince voters of their opponents faults rather than attempting convincing voters of their own qualifications. It is no longer important that a candidate be qualified, nor even competent; the candidates now seek to convince voters that they are just not as bad as the only other choice.

The solution to this dilemma is the establishment of a multiple party system that is not dominated by two parties. Such would provide voters with real choice, force parties to develop comprehensive platforms with detailed policies, and require candidates to be more than just better than one other “bad” candidate. I urge readers to explore and become involved with political parties other than Democrat and Republican. If these parties can gain support now, the disappointing prospect of an election in 2024 featuring two unappealing candidates may be avoided.

Charles Picarella Jr.

Frackville