The party system within the United States has consistently stunted the productivity of our national government. Requests from Democrats and Republicans have continually slowed the passing of legislation to better improve the lives of people not only in the U.S., but worldwide. One of the most recent examples of this was the government shutdown from October 1 to October 17 in 2013, which was a direct result of Republican and Democratic officials failure to appropriate funds for the 2014 fiscal year.

The ongoing fight for power between the two main political parties has posed major disagreement within the legislative branch. Currently, President Trump is pushing congress to approve funding for a wall and in return he is offering Democrats a solution to allow the near 1.3 million “dreamers” (children of illegal immigrants) the opportunity to gain citizenship in the United States. This seems like a logical compromise, however Democrats refuse to accept a deal involving the construction of a wall because they see it as a 14th century solution to a modern problem.

My point is how can we expect our government to run efficiently if we have two political parties with near polar opposite agendas? If the main goal of our government is to provide the best possible living situation for every citizen, then why are representatives allowing the party system to stand in the way.

The disdain for each other between the two parties has come to a point that it seems almost petty. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Republican Governor Chris Christie was criticized by fellow Republicans after embracing President Obama as he arrived in New Jersey following the natural disaster. The fact that politicians criticized Christie for his actions directly reflects how political parties have got in the way of official’s ability to prioritize the people’s needs rather than the party’s.

In no way am I saying that the party system should be eliminated, however politicians need to understand that they need to utilize their platform to better the people and not their respective party.