Voting Based on Principle alone
68The more I try avoiding politics, the more I get sucked in...
While it is true that I have tried alienating myself from the election debacles, I found it difficult at best. While it seems that I can never escape the atrocities that I define more as a celebrity death match than an actual battle for our freedom, the battle in and of itself is enticing. It calls to me through the nearly impenetrable fog that those involved have created to divert the truth that they flaunt after such a vote is cast.
In my proverbial expedition through the mud and grime of what is affectionately dubbed "Washington", I have come to little sense in the end. While I feel strongly that America has and always will be best navigated by a conservative fiscal government, I have never really seen a candidate advocating such terms in my lifetime. Those who lean in that direction are as equally fascist on moral terms as liberals are in governmental control over social programming. Avoiding the hogwash that is American Politics seems to be the only way to remain sane within a country devoured years ago by the lobbyist and the gun.
What we're looking at this election is a chance to vote on principle. I believe the sentient American citizens are tired of being tossed the same lies, and in the last twenty years we've heard our faire share of them. Whether it was Clinton's self-righteous claim to the success of the economy, or Bush Sr.'s inability to end a war he started, we've had it with that sort of deal. We've seen more atrocities committed by the VP in the last 8 years than I care to delve into, and the constitution remains in shambles on both sides of the moderate middle.Combine that with a completely backwards term by W with his allegedly conservative campaign, and you get the idea that we're merely riding a treadmill.
The latest insanity inducing phenomenon was this 700 billion bailout. Who in their right mind wanted this thing to pass? Most conservative pundits think this is something necessary, probably because they have millions invested on wall street anyway. What I'm seeing is an attempt to keep te rich...well, richer, in an attempt to utilize a watered-down form of Reaganesque politics. Which, folks to be reminded, never truly was proven to work. The theory that the rich's funds trickle down [trickle, key word] to the poor is ridiculous. In short the rich folk generally are misers and see no reason why anyone else can't attain the same level of wealth by "hard work ethic." This is hilarious since many CEOs are family of the last generation's CEO. This is where I get off that train of thought and move towards the reality: we are screwed.
In what might be my final political attempt until next month, I decided to pounce on the ultimate issue that diseases America: voting for the same dumbasses time and time again.
Bill Maher, self proclaimed liberal and agnostic [whose views seldom make me feel good inside, mind you] even told Congressman Ron Paul that "you never hear this kind of 'logic' from someone who is actually going to run the country."
The saddest truth of all is that Paul will not be running our country starting in January. Instead we'll have either the Manchurian Candidate name Obama who will essentially be the misnomered 'Messiah Figure' of the Democratic party, or we'll have the nearly-dead walking corpse John McBush to usher us into another preemptive war. Either way, life is over in terms of our individual freedoms.
While I was a staunch supporter of ron Paul throughout his campaign, I rode the fence on Obama, buying into the same propaganda that is still being pushed by the media. The fact that his shortcomings have been dumbed down considerably duller than McBush's irritates me, since both are about the same in my book. I genuinely dislike them both, Obama since his wife opened her mouth and opted to be anti-American. McCain, well, has been on my blacklist since I was capable of political reasoning. He is the biggest anti-conservative there is, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Obama is a big-government radical, wanting to take money away from those whom he deems "rich." I just hope this doesn't include struggling 'whities' who oppressed the slaves, None of those exist, so forcing those of us in today's world to pay for something so ridiculous is truly wrong and is a breach of our individual freedom. If I could keep ranting, I'd say how badly the irish were treated by everyone else. Called the "green niggers" for many years coupled with signs of "the irish need not apply" grinds my gears to this day. On a side note, my kind also built the railroads and fought the civil war on boths sides, eventually gaining recognition of Stonewall Jackson:
[paraphrased] " There are two things I fear: the union's cavalry and the irish."
Enough said on the matter, my social ranting is done now.
On voting on principle: I've been hearing about wasted votes. The truth is there isn't such a thing, in fact to say so is unconstitutional. We cannot waste a vote for someone legitimately running for president. Bob Barr is as viable a candidate as Barry. The truth is that the media will continue to smother third parties until their flames are extinguished. The power that is held by the Dems and Reps is so strong that neither can allow it to be distributed evenly. What we see as a result is what I've been ranting agaisnt this entire time, and that is corruption throughout the entire horde of Washington.
Whether it's Reagan's war crimes, Clinton's selling nuke secrets to Chine for his campaign, or Bush's warmongering in the name of God, it all screams the same shite year in and year out: change the fundamentals of Washington ONCE AND FOR ALL.
Until then there cannot be anything worthy of the name "change."
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The UK scene is similar in that the so-called 'new' labour party and the conservatives are now barely distinguishable from each other. And the liberal party will always get a few seats but never a majority.
Hi t.keeley. You sound really depressed. My better half voted third party the last two elections too, but not for Barr, he voted for Nader. I saw Ralph on Maher's show not too long ago and he was awesome.
The entire economy is about the melt down big time, so you might get your wish for small government--I mean, we are practically bankrupt right now and by all accounts it is going to get so much worse. In the long run, that might be for the best. We really need to rethink our priorities. The last eight years have been a nightmare.
Thank you for sharing you views. It's almost over. Hang in there.
Marmalade: I dislike Palin more and more the farther along she opens her mouth. No one who really sits back and thinks about America will want someone as, pardon me, retarded. She is just as stupid as it gets.
Paraglider: Your input on the UK is always appreciated. I have longed more and more to live in your country merely because I appreciate your people/culture so highly.
Pam: Ouch! You hit the nail on the head. I guess my feelings for Obama are mostly negative because I am sick of big--EVERYTHING. Business, economy, healthcare, morals, decisions/indecision, etc. I want simplicity and efficiency, something that will make America rely on its people once more. Perhaps that makes me a small-government socialist, but I don't care about the titles anymore. I want a nation that relies on the people that used to make it great. Now we're just entranced with our own popularity and money-making scemes and fame. Everything we do in America is so empty. The only thing I have that makes me individually purposeful is my religious beliefs, and even those are getting trampled on by our government.
Thanks for the comments, all. I will be less depressed as soon as I discover what it is in life I am supposed to do and stop running on this useless treadmill.
Third parties will never be the solution of our turmoil, t.keeley. There will always be a left and a right, and the middle is where we all have to meet if anything is ever to get done. For the past few decades, with time out for Clinton, we have been on a wave of right wing fury that has delivered our present financial and social chaos. The circle now must be brought back into balance. There is no panacea.
I wouldn't characterise the last few decades as right-wing driven. Reagan might have been the only right-winged president since Nixon. The Bush family does not count :)
Third parties meet in the middle, that's why I'm advocating independence from the bipartisan candidacy.
Well written hub, but I'm confused about your anti-Obama stance. You say "I genuinely dislike them both, Obama since his wife opened her mouth and opted to be anti-American" and "Obama is a big-government radical, wanting to take money away from those whom he deems "rich." I just hope this doesn't include struggling 'whities' who oppressed the slaves, None of those exist, so forcing those of us in today's world to pay for something so ridiculous is truly wrong and is a breach of our individual freedom."
When did Michelle Obama opt to be anti-American? And what is this about taking money away from "the struggling 'whities' who oppressed the slaves?" I'm very confused about these statements. I don't see how raising taxes on the richest Americans and corporations would be a bad thing, and I really don't understand why you brought up slavery as if Obama somehow wants to make people pay for it all these years later? That seems absurd. From what I can tell, Obama and Biden are sincerely interested in reforming this country to help ensure that the middle class once again drives the engine of economic growth, through improved education and policies that support the development of jobs in the alternative energy sector and reward companies that don't send their work overseas. How is that a bad thing?
You seem like a very intelligent and articulate person, so I don't mean any disrespect here, but since we realistically have a choice between candidate A or candidate B, it seems Obama would be a much better choice than McCain, and I don't see any evidence here to the contrary.
Melissa, I ran across some troubling excerpts from one of Barack's books. It was very much a racist endevour, and whether or not he's reformed his connections with Wright are something to worry about. I don't want to call his wife anti-American, but she has said some things she probably shouldn't have. I wouldn't be sceptical if she wasn't in his campaign, but she is. Obama in short feels like a manufactured candidate, similar in a sense to Palin on the right wing.
Raising taxes on the most wealthy makes sense and yes I think it's ok, but there must be 1) a limit and 2) unrefutable evidence that there is an excess of income. Excess +/= an increase of at least 1000% on the median income in America. This would mean if the median is at 50k that there would have to be an earning potential of one million per year. Celebrity and Sport icons should be taxed more regardless of their earnings. It's nonsense to think that they should earn as much as they do.
Corporations on the other hand need regulation, an area I side with Biden on wholeheartedly. It is one issue I have with Ron Paul, the issue that we cannot truly trust the free market.
While many political claims are being tossed out, it stands to reason that Obama will most likely not reform anything. We may get it in our heads that he will, but progressing in a socialistic direction is not something America is ready for nor capable of handling in the near future. Building the economy from the top down or bottom up is not the answer. We need to do it from the inside out, and the only one who can do that is not running as a major candidate this year.
Obama has zero track record for voting for anything that would benefit our economy. Why would anyone think that would change when he moves into the white house?
If history repeats itself, as we can safely assume it will, Obama will have zero positive affect on our economy.
Dig deep into his very sketchy plan for stabalizing the economy. Basically, it is this: If you make less than $30,000 household, you pay ZERO taxes. If you make more than $30,000, watch out! Because you can be taxed by up to 50% of your earnings.
Tell me this... the family that makes $32,000...What do you think they're going to do?
A. Work harder to make $64,000 a year so they maintain their $32,000 income. B. Say "eff it!" & cut back their hours to make less only $29,000 so they can keep their own money.
The liberals have been crying for YEARS that the republicans are trying to "cut out" the middle class, well folks, Obama is doing exactly that.
Look into it. It's your money.
I believe the news media did not report correctly the number of Americans against the bailout. I have not read one personal opinion that was for it. We are still being sold a line of "bleep." You are right - life doesn't look good no matter which candidate becomes our next president. I wish there was a delet button we could push.
Thanks for your response, t.keeley. Did you read the "racist" comments within Barack's books, or did you read excerpts taken out of context? If you wouldn't mind sharing those, I'd be very interested to see examples of him being racist. Also, could you share some examples of Michelle Obama being anti-American?
And a tax hike for those who make 1000% above the median income seems like setting the bar VERY high in a time when the government needs to offset 8 years of economically draining policies.
I agree with your stance on corporations, but not reform. I think reform is an absolutely necessary endeavor that would be carried out by either candidate. I simply trust Obama-Biden to make better decisions about our future than McCain-Palin would, since Obama and Biden have demonstrated greater judgment and intelligence thus far.
And Wednesday Morning, I'd be very interesting to see where in the Obama-Biden economic stabilizing plan they are planning on incorporating a 50% tax on those who make 30K or more each year. I've read quite a bit about their plans and never came across anything like that.
This is a very simple election. If you want to believe all the lies about Obama, go ahead and vote for McCain. But if you just want to elect the ticket that will put the United States back on the right track just ask yourself whether George W. Bush, the Republican Congress and John McCain have done a good or bad job over the past eight years. Did you like sending our troops into an unnecessary war in Iraq? Giving huge tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans? Keeping minimum wage laws are low as possible? Failed efforts to disband Social Security? Handing huge no-bid contracts to huge corporations? Signing statements designed to overturn U.S. Constitution provisions without required amendment procedures? The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? If you like what you see, by all means vote for McCain -- and you'll get more what you're looking for.
Melissa: I listened to a few recordings he made charting his history. Whether or not his sentiments remain, he did choose to attend a church with a sketchy minister. The subtones I'm getting about the man scare a non-racist white guy like me. I don't think we need to see tables turned in the next few decades, that's all. Some, like Wright, seem to want that type of America, if they want America at all.
Don't get me wrong, Melissa, I was voting for Obama before I decided to go third party a few months ago. I would not then nor will I now support John McCain. I think the pendulum needs to swing to the left for a few years, America has had enough of the right. I just don't feel it's in my best interest to vote for Barack this time.
Torpey: no one is saying to vote McCain, at least not the guy who wrote the hub. :) If anyone chooses to elect Johnny, they either grew up republican, feel it's morally right to do so, or are plain stupid. If it's the final selection, then there's ample reason to usher in a period of enlightenment for America!
The choice is clear for me - vote for McCain-Obama! :D
Great hub! I hope you're not serious about fearing the Irish:-)
Hi t.keeley, I respect your views, I just don't see how someone who was raised by his white mother and white grandparents could be considered a racist, or why he would have any type of vendetta against white people.
I understand your fears, but sometimes fear is used as a tactic to keep the masses in check.
In any case, I'm glad you're voting based on your principles.
May the best candidate win!
MrMarmalade says:
18 months ago
Do not know either of them. Mr. McCain worries me, he looks like he could die at the first set back. Can you imagine that the young lady taking over the reign of President?