German Politics
Like Davey, I agree that the simulation we were a part of taught each of us what it’s like to be a politician. Though the simulation was far from a complete and realistic setting, it was easy to see the policies, goals, and compromises made by different political parties and individuals on our “parliament” floor Thursday. I was even swept up in it. The need to make gains for my political party came first and foremost, and then my own personal beliefs and principles came second. This isn’t something I’ve ever encountered, but in a political arena where you are basically split into teams, it only makes sense to score points for your own team. Not that I didn’t think without my own ideas in mind. I noticed that other groups shared policies that my party agreed with, and that by bringing together these ideas we could form coalitions of minority rights, education, economic growth, and social reform that could really improve the country. Although this wasn’t a real situation, the foundation of politics was there, and I was able to see that people of differing views all want the same thing in the end: to make life better for people and help the country as a whole. So really, this very “human” simulation opened my eyes and my mind to a new view of politics, and it’s really taken my interest. I only hope that there is as much pursuit of change in our current government. But as Davey says, we can’t expect our government to be perfect. Yet I feel we can all strive to improve it.
April 22, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hey Davey G, I agree with all of your assertions about the German election system, but I would like to know what you think of it in comparison to the United States election system. Personally, I like the German system better in that it allows a teaming up of a number of parties with concern to the same interests, rather than dividing each other between politicians and political parties with stubborn views. The idea of compromise is something unfamiliar to U.S. politics, and I think that our political system would work much better democratically in this sort of joint effort to find political equilibrium in all policies of the state.
April 24, 2008 at 6:37 pm
That’s an interesting question, and I’m not sure which would be better. I feel in the U.S. our system of government may be trying at times, but it works overall. I feel that a drastic overhaul of a political system could be bad news for any nation, especially a successful one like the U.S. I like the German system, and I would be interested in seeing it in action and learning about what elements could benefit other nations, but I feel that although our system may be stubborn, it has led us to where we are today. Hopefully the faults of our government do not go out of control to the point where we might have to consider a change in regime. But I do feel that this question is one that more citizens and politicians should be asking: what can we do to increase the democracy in our government?