Our country is falling apart. It really is. But the danger isn’t from North Korea, or Iran, or China. It’s from ourselves. It’s from a country where people are losing faith in their government, a country where our politicians spend their time squabbling about party issues, refusing to compromise, and smearing their opponents. This system can- and will- not work. If radical change does not happen now, dark days will descend upon our country.

I love the ideals of this country. The idea of “liberty and justice for all” is truly beautiful, and our country has been working towards that idea. Our country has many flaws, but the beauty of the system is that we usually manage to overcome injustices with the vote. The “common person” has the vote, so change can be achieved. Over time, though, our country has been losing its national pride, its dedication to freedom and equality. Politics right now is a mess. Obama was elected promising change, and he has made progress, but the Republicans are blocking him every step of the way. The Republicans want to get as little done as possible so they can make Obama look bad and blame the Democrats so that they can get elected. It isn’t just the Republicans, though- Democrats have used the same tactics in the past and will, most likely, use them in the future.

The current candidates for president have been going increasingly negative, blaming their opponents for everything and running ridiculous smear ads. I was shocked when I saw Mitt Romney’s latest ad, where he actually used a recording of Obama quoting McCain in attempt to make Obama look bad. This is where it crosses the line from a bunch of people striving for the best for America to politicians making things up for personal gain. Even more disheartening is the fact that campaigns are now more based on the amount of money candidates can raise than their actual beliefs. The more cash a campaign gets, the better chance they have of winning. Some politicians have begun cutting corners, taking money from lobbyists then voting based on monetary contracts with them rather than what’s right. This is plain sad because political campaigns shouldn’t be about money or smear ads, they should be about what’s best for America.

The failure of the Supercommittee is a discouraging reminder of the disintegration of Congress. Even when they are given more power and bigger incentives, Democrats and Republicans don’t seem to be able to compromise. Compromise is essential to the functioning of our government. Our country was founded on it, and nothing will get done if we can’t compromise. It seems that politics is no longer about the actual ideas, it’s about political parties. Democrats and Republicans simply don’t listen to what the other side is saying- they just disagree because they’re from the other party. We can’t function until the gap between the two parties can be bridged. The future of this country depends on it. We need to be able to have rational, mature discussions about the issues, not just shouting matches between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. The time is now, and if we don’t act now, it will be too late.