IV. My Political Views

My Political Views

When I was asked about my political views, I had not examined them with any considerable thought. I felt that my political view was like many young people in America who have become discouraged with today’s political system. The political view that it does not matter which major party is in control of the local, state or federal government. There are little changes occurring in our future. In my judgment, there are many citizens in this nation which see two segments being developed in society. There is an elite society which control the economy, politics, and social issues and a poor society who have modest decision making power in their life. There is a phrase, “All politics is local” which was supposedly said by Tip O’Neil, who served as the U.S. Speaker of the House from 1977 until 1987 (web). The meaning of the statement has to do with politicians and the influence from the people who elected them to office.  In my opinion, local politicians are like higher levels of politicians. They look out for the special interest of the people who finance their political campaign and for the best interest of themselves. They take care of the elite in society.

            After completing the survey questions in the political compass test (web), I found that my political views lean toward the left-libertarian. I agree that there should be a government structure where the leadership is geared toward the common good for all in the community. I do see a flaw in this outlook because the majority may demand some social conformity that would be destructive to a minority. For example, the community may demand that all homosexual/transgender citizens be removed from the community or they face harsh restrictions while other citizens in the community are not subjected to those restrictions. Nevertheless, I believe that if the leadership comes from all segments of society, the tendency to divide the community between majority and minority can be avoided. All citizens should take responsibility to become informed about the decision making process on community issues. In my view, the community can only be strengthened through education and encouragement to become responsible individuals who will participate in improving their community and sustaining their local economy.

            In regards to a participatory economy where the workers make the decisions about what is going to be done in the workplace, I would have to give considerable thought to the concept.  The main goal of a participatory economy is to break down the present economic inequality in the capitalist system and reach a level of one class of workers. Each worker feels they have the equal opportunity and ability to contribute to the workplace. Personally, I believe people are not always equal in the workplace. There are those who have the mental capacity to achieve greater goals, like cardiologist and engineers and those who have the physical capacity, like athletes that excel from the other workers. In a participatory economy, these individuals would be discouraged.

            My political views are developing in an on-going process. As I educate myself, my perceptions are changing based on the information that I learn. My greatest concern is that the economic elite are not permitted to control the poorer people's lives. A person who examines the world around them, debates the possibilities, and evaluates the alternatives will make better decisions in life.

Works Cited

http://www.politicalcompass.org/index, n.d.  Tue. 28. Aug. 2012.

http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/All politics is local. n.d, Tue.28.Aug. 2012