I'm not saying that we have arrived at authoritarianism, I'm saying that we are moving in that direction.

The right wants to ban abortions, stifle LGBTQ rights and gut medicare. The left wants to ban guns, the death penalty and are far too optimistic about how far the federal budget can go. One party might babble about "supporting the troops" but both sides openly support the industry that supports the troops and get filthy rich in the process.

The problem with politics in the US nowadays is that the only measuring stick used is the opposing party, so things gradually get worse over time. Tribalism has become integral to our political ecosystem, so anybody with an opposing view automatically becomes the enemy. People rarely care to talk about issues with those across the aisle and most discussions devolve into name calling and whataboutism.

This is not the way forward.