Our country right now is the most divided it has been in recent history. I believe it is because we are debating the wrong things. Our nation is too hung up on debates that have no place in politics; our petty differences, which, magnified and exploited by the modern 24 hours news cycle, have torn a divide, pitting Americans against each other. If so much of the developed world has moved past these debates, why can't the United States? I point the blame squarely at the of the party that cannot let go of their misguided view of the past (which, of course they were never really alive to see nor did they see it from the perspective of anyone who wasn’t a middle-class White American.)

I'm talking, of course, about the Republicans.

Our nation was not founded to debate how much control over our lives the government should have. The founding debate between agrarian Jeffersonians and industrial Hamiltonians was centered around the role of government in terms of size and scope (i.e. services it should provide). This is a healthy debate, and while I personally believe in a large government that provides many services, I understand the need for a counterpart to ensure the government doesn't get too big too fast or too big for its own good. When a government increases its scope without adequate measures to ensure efficiency, none of the programs work.

This is not the debate we see today, at all. Instead, we're hung up on whether same-sex couples should be able to marry (they should!), or whether women should be able to make their own choices about their body (yes, they should!). The founders would laugh at the grievances we have, that we bring into the great chamber of the people that is the House. This obstructs the path to progress and is why we've seen such stagnation in our government: we're arguing about things we shouldn't. I've had many discussions with Libertarian and Republican friends of mine, and while I'll never be a Libertarian because I believe in a large government with expansive social programs, that debate makes a lot more sense than the one we're having now. It's time for the Republicans to go the way of the Whigs, and let the Libertarian Party rise up to be the counterpart to the Democrats.

Republicans want to continue wasteful military spending. They want marijuana, a drug increasingly shown to be safer than alcohol and even medically beneficial, to remain on par with heroin in the government's eyes. They want same-sex couples to lose the right to marry and for women to be forced to carry every pregnancy to term. For a party that claims to want small government, they certainly want it to have control over your personal life. This is not a healthy debate to have, it prevents us from getting to real issues that could make a large impact to better peoples lives, like expanding healthcare or access to quality education. The Libertarians want to discuss these issues while the Republicans want to keep their heads buried in the sand, and frankly, as a Democrat, I’m ecstatic at the possibility that we can return to having a civil dialogue in the hope of forming a more perfect union.

Our country is being held back by a close minded party that is resentful of white men losing power, and the simple-minded voters that support them because of "family values" and the fact that their candidates are often seen as "simple Joe's you could get a beer with." People don't want a well educated, highly qualified commander in chief so long as they feel like they trust and like them. But the problem is this is that we don’t want and, actually, should not have a President Joe Shmoe. It takes more than that to be a good president — indeed, the leader of the free world. It's time for Republicans to give up the fight over other peoples' lives, worrying about these issues will never bring us prosperity as a nation. Religious beliefs have no place in politics.

Like I said before, I am not now nor will I ever be a Libertarian, but as someone who sees a future in politics, with plans to run for office myself, I would much rather be debating what our government can do for the people rather than what the government says people can't do. Libertarians will cast aside these petty squabbles that get us nowhere, except infringement on peoples' lives. Debates will be around how to best educate our kids, provide healthcare, and keep the planet safe. It's not that I don't think Republicans care about these issues, they do, they're just too preoccupied with other matters that they have no business in. With Donald Trump as the new standard bearer of the party, this is not going to change.

The Republican party is clearly fracturing, and like Zachary Taylor did with the Whigs, it could be heading for a permanent split that would doom the party for good. I say let it happen. Younger conservative voters will be drawn to the Libertarian Party that shares their view of smaller government, a less active role in the economy, and scaling down the military-industrial complex. Listening to the recent Libertarian Town hall will show you just that. It's time to embrace the future of American politics, where Democrats and Libertarians can debate the merits of government programs and move forward together. Imagine a time when the national debates are centered only around how best to move our country forward and not imposing beliefs on each other. How great would that be? If you're a disenfranchised Republican, help support the Libertarian Party so we can have a healthier democracy. And if you want to keep Donald Trump out of office, please vote for Hillary Clinton (even if you were a Bernie supporter, like I was). Finally, never neglect the local candidates, they affect your daily life the most.