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If you regularly hand elections over to the party fartherest away from your ideals then you have problems, yes. It happened here, we lost the gubernatorial election because it was close enough for the Dems to pad their count. The reason it was so close was a Libertarian that had zero possibilities of winning. If that warms your heart then you are part of the problem.So because I refuse to vote for (R) or (D) and vote my conscience instead. That makes me mentally ill? Wouldn't it be more mentally ill to vote for people you don't believe in just because they have a (R) or (D) by their name. Keep believing that the 2 major parties have your best interests in mind.I've voting Republican. No Democrat for major office has any where near my values. Libertarians serve only to give the opposite side the votes, a sign of mental illness.Your vote is important, as well as the future of your children and grand children. How will you vote? AMERICAN?
Electing representatives isn't about purity or political/spiritual devotion, it's about finding the best candidate that can win. It would be like selecting a football team based on ideological purity instead of guys that can beat the other guys.
Ron Paul, the mad doctor? Seriously? He got, what, 1% of the vote? He had no chance but even he smartened up and ran as a Republican instead of a Libertarian. Why do you think that was?No I am not! The true problem is those voting for the 2 major parties! Both are hell bent on destroying America. Was I supposed to vote for Romney, even tho he ran with that piece of shit Paul Ryan? The same party that shunned Ron Paul.
Why would I care if 2 corrupt guys could beat the other guy?
Ron Paul, the mad doctor? Seriously? He got, what, 1% of the vote? He had no chance but even he smartened up and ran as a Republican instead of a Libertarian. Why do you think that was?No I am not! The true problem is those voting for the 2 major parties! Both are hell bent on destroying America. Was I supposed to vote for Romney, even tho he ran with that piece of shit Paul Ryan? The same party that shunned Ron Paul.
Why would I care if 2 corrupt guys could beat the other guy?
I never heard it. His performance in the debates is what hurt him.The media told the unsuspecting public that Paul sucks. They obeyed like the sheep they are.
And government didn't. That was the people's job, not government's.
The idea that government should take care of the people, is distinctly Un-American. And it is wrong. Because it simply doesn't work. It fails every time it's tried.
Lets explore this a little. What has failed every time its tried, specifically? Something like universal healthcare has failed ever time? Social security has failed every single time? Public education has failed every single time? Anti-discrimination laws have failed every single time? State funded higher education has failed every single time? Environmental regulation has failed every single time?
Because there are nations all over the planet using those policies to varying degrees. Some far more than we are. And they're still here. Some are quite prosperous. So how do you reconcile the existence of what you insist can't exist? The success of what you insist has to fail?
There's genuine room for disagreement, on degree, on specific policy. As reality isn't a binary switch, where its either lassie faire capitalism or collapse. There's plenty of middle ground.
And that is where I think where many people have lost the ability to perceive. They get caught up in oversimplification, in bumpersticker slogans, in polarization. Where anything but what they believe must be wrong, ignorant and dangerous. And there seems to be a far higher priority placed on ideological purity over practical, pragmatic results. Which is fucking stupid in my opinion. There's plenty of room in between the polar extremes. In fact, that's where almost everyone lives.
The ideologically 'pure' are some lonely motherfuckers.
There are a growing number of people who don't see that. But their ignorance and misguided notions don't make it right. They push the notion of robbing Peter to pay Paul, by pointing out how much good it does for Paul. While glossing over the fact that it's grossly unfair to Peter, and eventually persuades Peter to stop producing or accumulating any wealth. And so the whole country slides downhill as a result.
That sounds like the last chapter of Atlas Shrugged. Where all the rich people moved to Colorado because they were taxed and regulated. But that's fantasy. We've had far higher taxes in the past than we do now and we did just fine. The idea unless we drop tax rates the wealthy and successful are just going to stop working is beyond silly. It hasn't happened. Even at a much higher tax rate, there are still enormous rewards to be had from working, inventing, building and growing. And people are going to keep doing it.
The entire premise of your argument is literally nonsense.
Those people will also scream how much it would hurt Paul if the program were stopped. While still ignoring the fact that it's far more unfair to Peter to keep it going. Or they will say Peter deserved to be robbed for some reason. They are lying.
Taxation isn't theft. We all have to pay for programs we don't like. You're outraged by say, school lunches for children? Someone else is pissed about military spending. Or highway block grants. Or subsidization of corporation farms. The idea that unless you agree with every policy, you're being 'robbed' is blithering nonsense.
The fundamental problem on both the left and right in regards to government spending is this: we want more than we're willing to pay for. And we punish politicians who either take away the services we demand, or insist on raising taxes to match their actual price tag. Leaving deficit spending the only politically viable way for them to move forward.
Only the middle class? So you don't care if you screw everybody else?I don't vote party, I vote for who will actually right the wrong that the middle class has been through the last 3-4 decades.
Or have you convinced yourself that everybody else deserved the screwing you give them?
Please tell me who has been screwed over more than the working middle class.
Whites.
Men.
Christians.
White men.
White Christians.
Regardless of economical class.
[ This is a piece that I wrote on 6/11/2005. It still remains true today, especially considering the upcoming elections in 2016. ( edited version ) ]
REPUBLICAN ? DEMOCRAT ? AMERICAN ?
Political affiliation and personal preference guide voters when choosing our policy makers. The right to vote, and have that vote counted, is one of the most important privileges of a free society. Way too often in America, citizens vote along party lines without actually looking at which candidate has the best plan. If someone has voted Republican all their lives, they usually vote Republican, even if they disagree with the general position their candidate takes on important issues. The same can be said for Democrats, as well as Independents and other political parties.
America needs voters that vote for America. We need to get away from party affiliations and vote for candidates that have the best plan for making America a military and economic super power. No one can claim that their party has done the most good for America, and that our problems are the fault of one particular party. Republicans and Democrats alike have contributed to the problems we face as a nation. Being loyal to one party or the other hasn’t, and never will solve the problems we face as a nation. On the other hand, being loyal to America, and voting for those having the best plan for America, is the only logical choice when choosing our representatives.
Before we vote, the most important things we can do is ask the tough questions, and demand straight answers. Politicians are masters at avoiding answering tough questions detailing plans. Job scared moderators on television repeatedly let politicians off the hook when given the opportunity to pin them down on tough issues. Moderators asking questions during candidate debates are equally as guilty of letting tough questions go unanswered. Smooth talking, silver-tongued politicians have conned many Americans into voting for them. If an issue is important to you, ask the tough questions until you get satisfactory answers.
Being a Liberal, a Moderate, Conservative, Right Wing, Left Wing, Independent, Republican, or a Democrat doesn’t mean American loyalty. Labels can be put on anything, but it’s the actions and desire for fairness and justice that count in the end. Don’t label yourself anything other than American, and don’t vote for anyone labeled other than American. Your vote is important, as well as the future of your children and grand children. How will you vote? AMERICAN?
