By Chris Bye

‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This well-known quote, popularly attributed to Albert Einstein, remains relevant today.

Today, all Americans are coerced, embarrassed or otherwise influenced into one of two old political parties. Which is absurd for a diverse nation of more than 330 million people. How many flavors of ice cream are there? How many brands of beer? Styles of vehicles? Music artists? A plethora of choices exists for every comfort or trivial pursuit, yet we seem to have accepted that only two political parties are sufficient to make decisions that affect all of us.

Whether out of fear or resigned to our situation, so many of us have voted for the lesser of two evils; each time hoping and praying for a different outcome. But regardless of which old party wins, we can all count on one thing: They are going to outspend the already agreed upon bloated budget.

According to the financial website balance.com, Bush incurred $5.85 trillion, Obama $8.6 trillion and Trump $6.7 trillion of national debt. You’d think they would have to ask the people’s permission to incur debt. Every American now owes $89,700, and that number climbs every second. Are you getting your money’s worth?

To make matters worse, we all have to work further into the year in order to (mostly) fill the ever-growing budget. According to the Tax Foundation, in 2017 the average American worker had to work until April 23 to pay for their pound of flesh to the government. In 2020, it was May 1. And who benefits from this runaway spending? The average American doesn’t, but corporate donors and special interests continue to prosper.

What happens if you decide not to participate in this scheme by not paying your taxes? Asset forfeiture, paycheck forfeiture and jail time. It’s forced labor to pay for forced indebtedness, historically known as peonage. Peonage, along with slavery and indentured servitude, was outlawed with the passage of the 13th Amendment.

A solution does exist, and Alaska can lead the way. The open primaries and ranked choice voting available in the 2022 election mean Alaskans can vote without fear. We can vote for the person we want, not against a party we don’t. No longer is it a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Neither political party has the right to enslave our children and grandchildren through their inability or lack of will to address the massive and growing national debt. Alaska needs a representative that won’t trade away our future for federal payouts today. A representative who will work to break the cycle of cronyism in Washington, D.C. Don’t hope and pray for a better outcome, demand one by breaking away from the old parties that perpetuate the problem. It’s time Alaska.

Learn more at www.ItsTimeAlaska.com.

Chris Bye is the Libertarian candidate running for Alaska’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.