Showing posts with label Political opinions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Political opinions. Show all posts

Friday, September 26, 2008

Why I Will Be "Wasting" My Vote

I’ve heard it said too many times that voting for anyone other than a Republican or Democrat is a “wasted vote”. I cannot tell you how frustrating an idea I find that to be. I’ve heard all the reasons; a third-party candidate can’t win so why vote for them or if you don’t vote the lesser of two evils, the greater evil might win. Seriously people? Is this what it’s come to? Voting based not on preference but on popularity, like some high school contest? I think it was Jesse Ventura that said voting is not a horse race. We’re not betting on who we think will win. We’re telling others who best represents our views.

So for those that are curious, here are all the reasons I’ll be “wasting my vote” this year:

1. Voting for a candidate other than the best representative of your views has the exact opposite effect. Since the candidate already knows that your vote is in hand, he can then concentrate on moving the platform AWAY from your wishes, in order to court the votes of people with beliefs far from your own.

Many people who like Libertarian ideas always vote for Republicans. What does the party do to reward them? They make policies to win over moderate liberals. Similarly, many people who prefer Green Party ideas always vote for Democrats, and so the Democrats ignore them and make policies to win over moderate conservatives. Either way, the voters get the opposite of what they wanted, as the Democrats and Republicans both move toward the political center. Even Democrats and Republicans are getting screwed as their party plays politics as usual, instead of standing up for their ideals.

2. If the greater of two evils was to win it wouldn’t be my fault, because I didn’t vote for him. Nor would it be my fault that I didn’t vote for the lesser of two evils. The fault lies in the hands of anyone voting based either on popularity or fear, rather than policies, issues and ideals. Keep in mind that voting is suppose to be FOR something, not AGAINST something.

You personally have only one vote. Like it or not, you are powerless to turn the results of a democratic election. This being the case, your one vote counts for something only in the sense that it represents your approval of some set of principles. Voting is a means of conveying information about what you believe. If you ignore your principles then this information is lost, and your vote really is wasted.

3. I do not wish to take part in the status-quo. I believe in real change, not just change of hands. And real change will never come by supporting that which we do not agree with out of fear of who might win if we don’t. I think we’re on a slippery slope to fascism and both parties are to blame. My supporting the status-quo with my vote sends the message that I will tolerate what they are doing. (Click here to watch the documentary, America: Freedom to Fascism to fully understand my view.)

4. My vote may be extremely unlikely to affect the outcome of the election. But it can influence policy. A vote for one of the two main candidates will be lost in the mass of voters, while a vote for a minor candidate, especially if he gets enough to make the margin of difference between the other two, will have far more influence. It will impel the other two parties to appeal to the voters for that minor candidate, and that may come to be as important if not more important than their main positions. So my vote can be a drop in the ocean or a splash in the pool. I’ll go for the one that gets more attention.

5. Voting for the lesser of two evils, still results in evil in the White House and I refuse to take any part in that.

6. On a more personal note, Both McCain and Obama support this ridiculous “bailout” plan. I don’t find the solution to all our problems to be in the form of more government. And you don’t save a sinking ship by adding more water to the hull. Big Government got us into this mess, Bigger Government won’t get us out. Neither of the major candidates seem to understand this fully, therefore they do not share my utmost ideals. See #1.

So there ya have it. All my thought and research laid out for you. Call it a wasted vote or call it a protest vote. Either way I plan to send a message by supporting my third-party candidate this year. Whoever you choose to vote for, I simply hope it’s a vote for the right reasons; someone who best represents your views.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Huckabee Drops Out of Race

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080305/ap_on_el_pr/huckabee_14

But don't expect the MSM (mainstream media) to admit that there is still another candidate up against McCain.

So with Romney and Huckabee out, do you really think all their delegates will support McCain? Nope. I already know many who are backing Ron Paul.

Our Clark County convention is this Saturday. We will be narrowing down our hundreds (thousands?) of Clark County delegates and alternates down to a smaller number who will proceed to the State Convention next month. The State Convention will further narrow things down to 37 who will go on to the National Convention in September.

It's not over folks. Far from it. It *is* still possible to win this thing but it will take all our prayers, energy and efforts. Keep donating what you can, keep doing what you can. We can take this thing. We may be a long shot but long shots do win!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Update:

All has been pretty quiet on the Ron Paul homefront in Nevada.

Our County Convention is next Saturday. If you are a delegate, make sure you pay prior to the convention. If you are an alternate, be sure to show up! They have made all alternates into delegates! For more info, go here.

Other than that, I'm still keeping an eye on things while focusing on some personal stuff. The Democratic race is mildly amusing and I'll be interested in its outcome.

Did you hear Nader entered the race as in Independent? This one is a bit worrisome if John McCain gets the nomination and Ron Paul doesn't go independent. On one hand he will pull votes from the Democratic race which could swing it for the Republicans. On the other hand, having John "One-Hundred Year War" in office is a frightening thought.

I'm not giving up on the fact that Ron Paul does still have a chance, albeit a small one since most of his supporters no longer believe it. But the delegates are still there, we could still swing the convention not to mention we have more and more Romney delegates joining our ranks.

Also with John McCain's fundraising debacle being called into question, as well as his "alleged" consorting with an "alleged" woman who "allegedly" was a lobbyist who "allegedly" got McCain to do favors for her "alleged" friends, who knows if he'll be a viable option come September. It is still 6 months away folks and anything can happen!

If for some reason it doesn't, (my 8 year old son is convinced of voting fraud - I swear he didn't hear it from me!) I just don't know who I'll vote for.

Big government Republican or big government Democrat - they are both heading toward the same destination, just taking a different route to get there. I'm so tired of choosing the lesser of many evils.

Oh and for anyone concerned about the economy, send them to these two links:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0EZeNulOz9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnijgIbm1qc

Finally some good interviews!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Catching Wild Pigs

There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange Students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.
The young man said this was no joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a Fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity."

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees
happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward
Communism/socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. While we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.

One should always remember, "There is no such thing as a free lunch!" Also, "You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Also, I hope you can see that all of this wonderful government "help" is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably ignore this message, but God help you when the gate slams shut!

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Do you want a Republican in office?

Of everyone I've spoken to, I can say that the majority of us want a Republican in office. In fact, most people's primary goal is to get a Republican in office, even if the chosen nominee wasn't their first choice. Now with three Republicans left, I think it's time we start putting serious thought into our strategy.

According to The Pew Research Center(1), The Republican party has decreased in size, shrinking from 43% in 2002 to a low 35% in 2007. The Democratic party which was similar in size to "The Grand Ol' Party" in 2002 has increased to 50% of the population. Long story short: We're outnumbered, folks!

And now for the strategy: Out of the remaining Republican candidates - Huckabee, McCain and Paul - who is going to best represent the majority of the nation to win enough votes in November to secure the White House?

To understand this, we have to look to the key issues. Besides what the Onion News Network(2) comically refers to as the most important issue, I think it's obvious to say that for most Americans, their primary concerns are the Iraq war and the economy.

According to numerous polls(3), 57% of the nation say that going into Iraq was a mistake, while 64% currently oppose the war in Iraq, and 63% say that we should withdraw within a year or less. Will such a large disapproving majority of the nation vote for a candidate that supports the war in Iraq?

And considering the enormous cost of the war, I can unequivocally say a candidate's stance on the war is directly tied to a candidates stance on the economy. How can a person be strong on economic issues yet support the war when our nation is 9 trillion dollars in debt(11), our dollar's value is free-falling(12) and we are virtually bankrupt? Will the majority of the nation support a candidate who doesn't see we are falling into the trap of Bin Laden(4)?

So if getting a Republican in office is truly our first goal, shouldn't we look at who is most likely to receive the votes of the majority of American people, not just the Republicans (because remember, we're outnumbered)?

Huckabee and McCain both state their support for the war; McCain even going so far as to state he would stay there for "one hundred years or one million years" if he thought it necessary. Now whether or not we agree with this, it's obvious that the majority of the nation does not. So when these two candidates are put up against a Democrat that promises to bring the troops home, which of these do you think the majority of the nation is going to vote for?

Which leaves Paul. He voted against the war in Iraq, something that even anti-war/anti-Republican Clinton can't claim(5) and something that the inexperienced Obama admits to not being sure(6) of how he would have voted as he shared the same political views as Bush at the time.

Paul wants to bring the troops home in the fastest and safest way possible, something that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have stated they can't promise to do for several years(7) and possibly not within their first term(8), a full five years from now. Again, we may not agree with this stance, but the overwhelming majority of the nation does.

So when placed against either inconsistent Democrats, Paul starts to look really good to voters in all parties. He represents true economic conservatism, the core beliefs of the Republican party and a foreign policy that resonates with the majority of the nation. There are no issues that he has flip-flopped on that can be drudged up, like with the other candidates. There is no dirty laundry that can be paraded through public. Just a solid, consistent and constitutional voting record and a message that can reach across party lines and secure us a shot at putting a Republican in office in 2009.

So ask yourself what is most important; nominating your favorite candidate at the risk of losing in November, or nominating a Republican that stands a good chance of siphoning votes from all parties?

You owe it to your party to think these things over. And you owe it to yourself to open-mindedly educate yourself on Ron Paul. Here's a great and easy way to start: Ron Paul Intro(9) and for those with some uncertainties, check out The Spins(10) page on that site.

For the future of the Republican party and ultimately our nation, I ask you to consider Ron Paul.

Please continue to send this forward to other Republicans. Information is golden and we deserve all of it before we make an educated opinion.

Links:

1 http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
2 http://youtube.com/watch?v=_9AH-ufAkCU
3 http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
4 http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html
5 http://harpers.org/archive/2007/05/hbi-90000033
6 http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/03/clinton-obama-aides-spar-over-iraq.html
7 http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/15/519023.aspx
8 http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/stuck_in_iraq.html
9 http://ronpaulintro.com
10 http://ronpaulintro.com/thespins.phtml
11 http://brillig.com/debt_clock/
12 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001519.html





"If you are lucky enough to find a way of live you love, you have to find the courage to live it." - John Irving

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine

"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks." - Samuel Adams

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God! I know not wht course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

"History convinces me that most bad government is the result of too much government." - Thomas Jefferson

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, its a plant of rapid growth." - George Washington

Sunday, February 3, 2008

How can you waste your voice?

I'd like to take a moment to speak to all parties here - not just Paul supporters, not just Republicans. This is a message we all need to hear and absord and truly understand.

I've heard so much lately about "electibility".

"I like this person or that person, but I just don't think they are electible."

"I really agree with so-and-so but I don't think they stand a chance at winning so I'm going to vote for this other candidate."

I'm here to tell you that is the most errant believe pervasive in our nation today. Millions of people, dating back to the conception of our nation, have faught and died to give you your vote. Your vote is your voice and it is your vote that tells Washington what you believe and what you want. Your vote is not suppose to tell anyone what they think but what you think.

There is no such thing as a wasted vote. Let me repeat that, there is no such thing as a wasted vote.

Too many of this nation's citizens will look to the top-tier candidates and assume that any other vote is not worth being cast. But who decides who the top-tier candidates are? The mainstream media. That's right. At the beginning of this political process, bets were cast on who would be most liked. They guessed who might win! And we followed suit but voting for their guess.

This is not a beauty contest; we are not voting on who "looks like a president". This is not a popularity contest; the question on the ballot is not "Who do you think most other people will vote for?".

The question is "Who best represents your beliefs?" and that should be the only question you consider before marking that ballot.

We vote how we perceive our neighbors or the rest of the nation votes, while our neighbors and the rest of the nation are voting based on what they believe we think. Truly the blind leading the blind. If we are choosing how we think others will choose, we have already lost our voice in Washington. The mainstream media and the political powers-that-be have already won.

Here's a question: If the other candidate is "going to win anyway", why feel the need to jump on the bandwagon? Just so you can say you were part of the winning team?

It doesn't matter who you support, the idea is that you should support them. Not because they may or may not win. But because regardless of who does win, your opinion will show that person where the rest of the nation stands. Your opinion, saying this other person best represents me, will help to influence everyone who should be listening.

You think you'll waste your vote? You think they won't be listening? Then you might as well not vote at all, because it seems as if your neighbor already has it covered for you.