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Well, kind sir,...please explain how your "voting with your heart" has affected the present political scenario. Although you keep yammering, and criticizing others for voting "for what they pretend to oppose",...please explain why your vote was any different. You didn't accomplish squat.
Obviously my single vote was not enough, but if people who believe in small government actually used their vote to install one, then things would change. Unfortunately, there are too many like you who "work with the system", and routinely vote for the 'lesser evil', or the letter behind the name. That being the case, nothing will change.
I know many people who love to love to talk about small government and I know they voted for Bush and McCain who are both big government people. The outcome of McCain's victory would have been identical to what we have with Obama: more big government and debt. He proved it during the campaign, so, "working with the system" is not getting it done, is it?
Of course your vote is your business, so good luck in the future.
Obviously my single vote was not enough, but if people who believe in small government actually used their vote to install one, then things would change. Unfortunately, there are too many like you who "work with the system", and routinely vote for the 'lesser evil', or the letter behind the name. That being the case, nothing will change.
I know many people who love to love to talk about small government and I know they voted for Bush and McCain who are both big government people. The outcome of McCain's victory would have been identical to what we have with Obama: more big government and debt. He proved it during the campaign, so, "working with the system" is not getting it done, is it?
Of course your vote is your business, so good luck in the future.
You are trying to defy history. Lots of luck with that. It's been decades since there was a viable third party movement on the national level,...and most viable parties' platforms essentially became a part of one of the two political parties.
I don't fault your idealist views of the political process,...but quite honestly there has not been a person recently emerge from ANY of the third parties that had either name recognition, financial backing, or a real chance in affecting ANY change in the political process.
That being said,...I see no reason to throw away my vote supporting a KNOWN loser simply based upon principle. I'm realistic, and have supported third party candidates in the past only to be burned for my efforts, time, and vote.
Cynical? You bet your ass I'm cynical,...but I'm also realistic. I have as much chance of affecting the political process by voting within the two major parties as you have voting for a third party candidate who is a sure loser. I get no sense of achievement by claiming that "I didn't vote for XYZ so don't blame me". That's a cop out."
You are trying to defy history. Lots of luck with that. It's been decades since there was a viable third party movement on the national level,...and most viable parties' platforms essentially became a part of one of the two political parties.
I don't fault your idealist views of the political process,...but quite honestly there has not been a person recently emerge from ANY of the third parties that had either name recognition, financial backing, or a real chance in affecting ANY change in the political process.
That being said,...I see no reason to throw away my vote supporting a KNOWN loser simply based upon principle. I'm realistic, and have supported third party candidates in the past only to be burned for my efforts, time, and vote.
Cynical? You bet your ass I'm cynical,...but I'm also realistic. I have as much chance of affecting the political process by voting within the two major parties as you have voting for a third party candidate who is a sure loser. I get no sense of achievement by claiming that "I didn't vote for XYZ so don't blame me". That's a cop out."
It's your vote, so use it any way you want.
But to vote for big government candidate, only to complain about big government later is not for me.
Pretty damn sad that in the good ol' USA things have gotten to the point that the elderly & disabled suffer for the mistakes & greed of others.What does this say about us as a nation? I don't know how some people sleep at night.
You are trying to defy history. Lots of luck with that. It's been decades since there was a viable third party movement on the national level,...and most viable parties' platforms essentially became a part of one of the two political parties.
I don't fault your idealist views of the political process,...but quite honestly there has not been a person recently emerge from ANY of the third parties that had either name recognition, financial backing, or a real chance in affecting ANY change in the political process.
That being said,...I see no reason to throw away my vote supporting a KNOWN loser simply based upon principle. I'm realistic, and have supported third party candidates in the past only to be burned for my efforts, time, and vote.
Cynical? You bet your ass I'm cynical,...but I'm also realistic. I have as much chance of affecting the political process by voting within the two major parties as you have voting for a third party candidate who is a sure loser. I get no sense of achievement by claiming that "I didn't vote for XYZ so don't blame me". That's a cop out."
I have voted libertarian for years. It makes no different to the whole political spectrum, but isn't the point of voting? Vote on principles? Why on earth would somebody vote for someone that they didn't agree with simply to feel like their vote made a difference? They made a difference and regardless of the outcome... lost. No thanks.
I will continue to vote libertarian, and I hope that others do the same. The ONLY people who can raise a third party into a viable position are all of the people on this forum and the rest of the citizens in this country. The R's and D's certainly aren't going to do it.
Optimistic. Absolutely. But after I leave the polls, I know I did my part... not in determining the winner, but my part in helping make a third party viable.
I'm actually quite happy with this. Maybe those apathetic morons will wake up and realize how they were sold down the river 30 years ago by a system that doesn't give a f*ck about them.
People seem to be jumping around all over the ideological map on this one... if you oppose government-run healthcare, wouldn't you support deep cuts to Medicare, so that the program becomes ineffective, and its users are pushed toward the private insurance market?
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's see how effective the private insurance companies are for all the older people with pre-existing conditions (which covers just about....EVERYONE). The older we get, the more worn-out are parts become just like any machine that's been running for say, 60, 70, 80 years. Let's see how much is costs for cover those aging parts via private insurance companies.
While I don't wish anyone any ill will, especially as I'm heading there myself, maybe it's time for people to experience the real pain and finally figure out that we need a universal, comprehensive, policy for ALL, not just the aged and the financially destitute. Give us all a break. We are sick and tired of this double-talk (cover the old and the broke on the back of the current taxpayers while these same taxpayers get to go and battle with the private insurance companies, pay through the nose and get practically no benefits. Yeah, that's really fair).
And for those who are crying about doctors leaving their practices because of "government run healthcare", give us all a break. I know doctors who have left their practices and career because of exorbitantly high malpractice insurance (along with smaller payments from insurance companies). Why don't we admit that the whole system is broken and start from scratch.
The unfortunate aspect of it all is that the government no longer has the money it's extracted from the taxpayers year after year.
It sure extracted a lot of money to pay for the war in Iraq. Maybe we should extract back all the money that we paid to the war profiteers. We could possibly have enough to fund Universal Healthcare coverage for all. We have been milked to death by this war in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. We have to police every country in the world and put our troops there, we have to save Wallstreet from it's own greed, but when it's time to do something FOR the people of this country, then it's all-out political war.
I have voted libertarian for years. It makes no different to the whole political spectrum, but isn't the point of voting? Vote on principles? Why on earth would somebody vote for someone that they didn't agree with simply to feel like their vote made a difference? They made a difference and regardless of the outcome... lost. No thanks.
I will continue to vote libertarian, and I hope that others do the same. The ONLY people who can raise a third party into a viable position are all of the people on this forum and the rest of the citizens in this country. The R's and D's certainly aren't going to do it.
Optimistic. Absolutely. But after I leave the polls, I know I did my part... not in determining the winner, but my part in helping make a third party viable.
Vote how you wish,...that's what elections are all about.
Just don't criticize me because I choose to not waste my vote on a sure loser. Principles on go so far. At the moment that I know for certain that my vote will not have any impact on the political process,...I'll just save my time and stay home on election day.
We have reached an impass on this subject and have gotten off subject considerably. Back to subject matter.
People seem to be jumping around all over the ideological map on this one... if you oppose government-run healthcare, wouldn't you support deep cuts to Medicare, so that the program becomes ineffective, and its users are pushed toward the private insurance market?
No. Just because I think every able-bodied american should get off their duff and go buy their own health insurance does not mean I am in favor of tossing the elderly and disabled (many of whom have paid into the medicare system their entire lives) out on the street.
The philosophies of personal responsibility and compassion are not mutually exclusive.
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