Partisanship

Before I continue I would like to reassert that this house believes that a two-party system is preferable to a multi party system. Partisanship is a problem that has plagued America for centuries. In recent decades the issue has become even more severe with the American people witnessing the first government shutdown in the nation's history in 1981. A government shutdown is the result of the failure of congress to pass a budget for the new fiscal year and results in the halt of most federal services. The shutdown in 1981 occurred because the president of the time Ronald Reagan vetoed a budget that had been passed by the Democratic majority in congress. In 2013 the government fully shut down for over two weeks; the result of the partisan debate over Obama care. In recent years the problem of a government shutdown has become increasingly prevalent as the sectarianism within the essential political institutions such as the United States congress become even more extreme. This year the government has already shut down twice. A clear sign of the danger that the irrational level of partisanship within the United States' government poses to its citizens. Beyond government shutdowns partisanship drastically affects many other aspects of government. Recently the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has showcased the intensity of the sectarianism in the United States today. The hearing, which should have served to validate or invalidate the claims made against Kavanaugh, was instead used by members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties to point fingers at one another in mock outrage. This is only one example of how sectarianism has frequently prevented the United States' lawmakers from properly doing their job, causing laws that benefit many Americans to fail. Laws such as the DISCLOSE Act, which would have forced companies to disclose their political spending, would have helped to ensure transparency in government-private business relations, is only example of a law that was killed by sectarianism. There are countless other examples of laws stopped by nothing but partisan hatred such as the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have ensured equal pay for men and women doing the same jobs. In other words, for no reason then hatred of the basic ideology of another party dozens of men and women in the United States congress have chosen to vote against bills that would serve to make America an even greater country. All that has been accomplished in this country's recent years: rapid economic recovery and growth from the 2008 crash, government subsidized health insurance, and the legalization of gay marriage, has happened despite, not because of the partisanship within our government. Furthermore the sectarianism outside of the United State's government negatively impacts the people of the United States. Far too often people are unable to agree with or even recognize perfectly reasonable claims or ideas simply because they are presented by a person who does not share the same political affiliation as them. This leads to discordance and dissatisfaction among the American public, as well as most populations around the world, as people who do not share opinions constantly fight and bicker failing to see things that are legitimately important. Additionally partisanship leads to extremism such as that propagated by groups such as ISIS or the KKK, due to people forcing the opinions of their party on those who do not share those opinions or violently attacking those who refuse to change their minds. It is clear that with only two parties in America the sectarianism in the country is already stretching the country to the breaking point. With only two parties America's governmental institutions struggle to pass the bare minimum of laws to keep the government running. Ultimately, the addition of new parties to a two party would only add to the strain felt be the American government and others like. More parties would mean more sides, each with their own separate agenda, attempting to force laws through a legislative branch filled with people that oppose them. As no one party would have the majority in a true multi-party system it would be next to impossible for any law to gather enough support to pass through congress let alone the desk of a president who, in all likelihood would be of a different party affiliation than the people trying to pass the laws. The sectarianism seen among the public of America and other countries today would increase as well, the result of even more separate political affiliations, causing further social unrest. The famous saying, â€Å"united we stand divided we fall,† is true. A multi-party system will divide a country's citizens, causing discordance and the eventual failure of its government, while two or fewer parties will unite the country, allowing it to continue unimpeded and grow stronger. From the arguments that the members of my team and I have made, it is clear that a two party system is far preferable to a multi-party system. We affirm the resolution and strongly encourage an affirmative ballot.