index
archives
profile
rings
booklist
reviews
about
links
notes
email
View my guestbook
dland
RP Designs
Rachelskirts


free hit counter

How To Waste Your Vote (2004-09-23 - 5:16 p.m.)

Ok, so it's not "tomorrow." So sue me.
I read this editorial in Saturday's Startlegram whilst waiting to get a haircut. It's called "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." The subheading says this: Our political system is a snake with two heads. No matter which head gobbles the most ballots, both gullets feed the same gut: Big Government.
What Garry Reed says in this editorial is exactly what I have believed for quite some time now, and he said it very well. He will be voting Libertarian in November. I haven't yet decided between the Libertarian and the Constitution candidate, Michael Peroutka.
Here is his column.

By now you've been bombarded repeatedly with reasons to vote for one of the nation's two great Lesser Evil brand names, Republicans or Democrats. I'd like to tell you why I'll be punching a proverbial chad for the Libertarian label.
I still remember a mildly amusing cartoon from my youth, probably published in the old mildly amusing Saturday Evening Post.
A citizen is standing in the lobby of the U.S. post office, dutifully sliding his letters through different slots in a wall labeled "Local," "State," "Out of State" and so on. Then we're shown the other side of the wall, where all of his mail is falling from the various slots into a single box.
This depicts American politics today. We have only one political pary, and it's a snake with two heads. It's name is Republicrat.
No matter which head gobbles the most ballots, the one on the Left or the one on the Right, both gullets feed the same gut. The name of that gut--the belly of the beast--is Big Government.
Keep feeding the gut through either gullet, and Government gets bigger--more expensive, more intrusive, more coercive.
In my youth, I was told that Democrats believed in civil rights. Great, I thought--I believe in civil rights, too.
And I was told that Republicans believed in economic freedom. Great, I thought--I believe in economic freedom, too.
Today, the two-headed Republicratic Party believes in whatever will get it elected. Democrats ditched civil rights for group entitlements. Republicans dumped economic freedom for corporate welfare.
Both belly up to the pork-barrel buffet, each trying to out-pig the other. And no matter which head controls the power, Government gets bigger--more expensive, more intrusive, more coercive.
Whichever head bags your ballot, you'll be wasting your vote. Neither side will give you what you want.
Think otherwise? When that major bill that you so fervently fought for comes up for consideration, sit back and watch it get sliced and diced and twisted and tweaked and watered down and then bulked up again with a half-billion dollars worth of your tax bucks in the form of special-interest pork to benefit the re-election of Republicrats.
And Government gets bigger--more expensive, more intrusive, more coercive.
Still insist that your snakehead is better than their snakehead?
Consider this simple story. John McCain and Russ Feingold, a Republican head and a Democratic head, induced Congress (consisting of Republicans and Democrats) to make a law that abridges freedom of speech.
It's called "campaign finance reform," and it stifles political speech during the latter legs of national campaigns. The Supreme Court upheld this law even though our Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech."
It is clear. There is no confusion. There is nothing to interpret. yet Congress abridged freedom of speech, and the court upheld the abridgement.
The Supremes who did this were "conservatives" and "liberals" appointed and confirmed by members of the party you vote for and the party you hate. Your favorite snakehead helped take away more of your rights and freedoms and helped Government get bigger--more expensive, more intrusive, more coercive.
If it weren't so tragic, I'd find your devotion to partisan politics mildly amusing.
I still believe in civil rights and economic freedom. That's why I'll be voting for the only U.S. party that believes in both, the only party that consistently believes in freedom--real freedom, not just rhetorical words like "Government is not the solution, government is the problem" (Ronald Reagan, Republican) or "The era of big government is over" (Bill Clinton, Democrat).
Libertarians are clear. There is no confusion. There is nothing to interpret. If a law extends freedom, we're for it. If not, we're not.
And, no, I won't be wasting my vote. That's because voting is not like placing a bet at Lone Star Park. Voting is giving your sanction to someone who represents your beliefs. The only way you can possibly waste your vote is to give to someone who doesn't.
If you want to waste your vote, give it to the Republicrat snakehead of your choice. No matter what you really believe, you'll be supporting conservative socialism or liberal socialism.
It'll all end up in the same gut anyway: Big Government's gut--more expensive, more intrusive, more coercive.



There you have it. That's why I will most certainly NOT be voting for George W. Bush OR John Kerry.
Wake up and notice that we have other choices in the great land.

0 comments so far

last ~ next

Missed anything?
The Beatles--Abbey Road/Alice Cooper--Killer - July 04, 2012
The Beatles Eponymous Album - June 26, 2012
Autism's False Prophets - February 12, 2011
Santana--Guitar God? - November 11, 2010
Tribute To the Red Sox - September 29, 2010