Following in the footsteps of the DNC, the Republican Party is now promising to penalize several states for holding their primaries too early. This has been one big, nasty mess all around with states fumbling over one another to hold the "first" primary, and the craziness would be good late show material if we could get the writers off of their strike. On second thought, that might mean no new episodes of "Cavemen", so let the strike continue!

There is a very simple solution to this quagmire, one that's long overdue amd, frankly, quite obvious. And that is to end the state sponsorship of political parties.

For too long, these competing parties have enjoyed "protected" status, guaranteed ballot access even though they do not even run candidates in many races against the opposing party's candidate. In a nation that values itself on free enterprise, it is absurd that we preserve a two party system so feverishly, while continuing to perpetuate the notion of "choice". The two party system is at best an anachronism, at worst a crystal palace of demagoguery, where there is little hope of real reform.

It is telling that we demand choice in our phone carriers, in the vehicles we drive, and in the clothes we buy, but not politics. It is to our shame that we belittle and deride third party and independent candidates as "wasted votes", while we sit back and complain about the status quo.

Every day, in many different venues, I hear people crying for change. Yet while they verbally clamor for it, few are willing to work for it. Real change can only come about because we're doing something different than before. Real change doesn't come about by simply marching into the voting booth and voting for whatever garbage the "big two" throw at us.

I live in the hope that I will one day see an America willing to stop simply voting in every schmuck that pops up under the name of their favorite political party and will instead choose candidates that want to affect real, meaningful political change. And a good way to start down that path would be to end the state sponsorship of political parties.