I feel fortunate, in some aspects and especially with regards to this question, to live in Illinois where you aren't expected to register with either of the two major parties. In effect, all registered voters in Illinois are "independents" or are "unaffiliated." When it's time for the primaries, you just ask for the ballot of the party you want to vote on for that particular primary. And, of course, in the general election it doesn't matter what party you belong to-you can vote for anybody. And, hopefully, that's what everybody does. Vote for the right person for the individual job rather than voting a straight party ticket.

With only two parties to choose from, I really feel party affiliation does a disservice to the voter. There is a certain image evoked when a person says, "I am a Democrat," or "I am a Republican." Especially when it is said to someone who is a member of the "opposing" party. A Republican views a Democrat as wasteful-someone who wants "big government" and want to tax heavily. A Democrat views a Republican as a believer in big business, guns for all and as war mongers. In the narrow sense, these views are often correct. But, they are both oversimplifications.

When I was younger and lived in Colorado, I registered as "unaffiliated." I could still vote in primaries, but at that moment I had to "declare" a party. It's a thin difference from the way it's done in Illinois, but an important one. During that 20-minute stretch of voting, in Colorado, I was, in the eyes of the state, either a Republican or a Democrat. I don't view myself that way and, frankly, that irritated the hell out of me. Here, I'm always considered "independent" but just ask for the ballot of the party where I really care who is going to run in the general election. Like I was saying, it's a small but important distinction. I really don't want to be "affiliated" with either of the two major parties.

As a whole, from the outside, most people probably view me as a Democrat. The values that interest me the most are treatment of the disabled, the poor, minorities and others who feel disenfranchised in this, the most free nation in the world. But, I can relate to the Republicans in some ways. Government often oversteps its bounds. There is a large amount of waste. I feel we can serve the needs of the disenfranchised and still keep taxes relatively low, by curbing government waste. That's probably the biggest reason I oppose choosing a political party at all. The pigeonholing of ideals is actually anti-individual and, in effect, anti-American. We are supposed to be rugged individualists.

So, choose a political party, if you must. But, hopefully, in the end, you can still look at the individuals for various offices and choose the right candidate based on qualifications, and not just party affiliation. It's the American thing to do.

Learn more about this author, Paul Schingle.
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