The most wonderful time of year has arrived! No, it is not Christmas yet, nor is it Halloween. Election Day is upon us once more. The time of year in which we bicker and argue over which candidate is better and then we return to bicker and argue over political issues instead of having a civilized discussion like mature adults.

This year’s candidates for New York governor are Republican congressman and staunch Trumpist Lee Zeldin and incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul was relatively unknown until she became governor one year ago, when it was found out that the incompetent Andrew Cuomo was revealed to have been unable to keep his hands to himself. Zeldin on the other hand, stands by former President Trump regardless of any scandal Trump finds himself in. Zeldin feels confident in his victory, but regardless of his personal qualities, Zeldin will lose the race for governor to Hochul mostly because most New York voters support the anti-meritocratic mantra of “vote blue no matter who.”

The day that most Americans are able to realize that both parties are flawed (to put it lightly) would be the day that this country would finally become more mature. Both parties are rife with hypocrisy and inconsistency in their principles, and they have no problem stepping on the little guy for their own advantage.

Does anyone remember the lawlessness of 2020, where there were massive and destructive riots that tore Minneapolis apart and resulted in millions of dollars of damage of public and private property. The riots coincided with the protests that sprang up as a result of Floyd’s death in police custody and much of the American left chose to ignore the riots, but some decided to outright defend the rioting and looting as a legitimate form of protest. When anarchists illegally occupied a portion of Seattle, the mayor called it the “summer of love,” regardless of the chaos and the violence.

The Republicans tried to brand themselves as the party of law and order as a result of the rioting. Then came January 2021, when angry protestors who distrusted the outcome of the 2020 election, stormed the Capitol building as the Senate was certifying Biden’s victory. The Capitol Police eventually retook control of the building, but a few people were tragically killedin the chaos. Unlike the riots of 2020, these crazed protestors at least took their grievances out with the politicians instead of small businesses, but the chaos at the Capitol should never have happened. It made our country look like a nation of baboons.

How can the so-called party of law and order stand by and allow such madness to take place at the Capitol? What is even more insulting is that the American left demands justice and accountability for the events at the Capitol, even though they have either turned a blind eye to and/or even encouraged rioting and looting during the civil unrest of 2020. Why is rioting and looting only okay when it most affects working and middle class Americans and not okay when it targets government offices and politicians?

The lawlessness and anarchy of 2020 and 2021 show that both parties are inconsistent with their principles and incredibly hypocritical. Yet, we as Americans are willing to kill one another just to see which candidate is the lesser of two evils or simply the “good guy.” This country is in desperate need of a third party, but the current two are tearing us apart.

Image via Michael Judkins via Pexels