Republican or Democrat. The debate of which party is better has persisted for decades. Political parties have existed ever since the second presidential election and has been a practice of American politics consistently since that time. But should they be now?

Political parties, in theory, are not a bad thing. However, overtime these parties have become more and more polarizing, and the process of democracy has slowed to a near standstill.

Republicans and Democrats both have turned the United States into a warzone of political opinions, each side worried more about winning than the good of the American people. Compromise was once a very good thing in republics in general and especially the United States, but today compromise means giving in to the other side, a practice that is suddenly unacceptable.

Take the most recent presidential election as an example. Both parties wanted so desperately to win that the debates turned into verbal combat focused on name calling and insults of character rather than calm examination of each side of the picture. The politicians sadly are not the only ones to blame in this situation though.

The political debates of resent history are the stuff of reality television, and the citizens of the United States love it. By preferring the fighting and name calling to actual debate, we have encouraged an environment of antagonism in our politics. We the people have pushed politics to become a warzone rather than a conversation.

Political parties should exist to represent two sides of a picture, that picture being the United States. No side of the country is less important, and each should be equally represented in the political parties that we have. The problem we have with current state of affairs is that both sides are represented, but they both see the other side as an enemy.

Republicans nor Democrats are evil, villainous people; they are just different. The people have to see that the other side should not necessarily be agreed with, but it is a valid opinion that deserves to be heard and represented.