To vote or not to vote

Once again, as Election Day approached the political bullsit intensifies: never mind for whom, but vote! It's your birthright, etc etc. For those troubled by a vague feeling that they are being hornswaggled, I write this post to offer comfort. At first I thought of not voting because it carries no weight.

Here are the round numbers of non-voters, out of our 280 million population:

30% aren't allowed
20% don't register
20% don't bother
----
70% stay home

The remaining 30% take part in the circus and about half of those (16% of the whole, or about 1 in 6) vote for the victor, who then governs all 100% for the next 4 years; only in the fairyland of democratic theory can this be called "majority rule." By the way the facts above come from foxnews. So Shhhh do not tell anyone I listen to radical right news service, I am suppose to be a crazy liberal therefore I am suppose to listen only to CNN only.

One of my main reasons for considering not voting come November 2008 is that it's a waste of time because the outcome of the election is rigged anyway. By "rigged" I don't mean that the actual victor is chosen in advance or that the figures are fabricated or that the ballots are mishandled (though that did happen in 1960 and more recently in 2004) but just that the Republicrat (I created a new word) machinery is so powerful that all rivals are effectively excluded; for certain in practice, the winner WILL be either Tweedle Dum or Tweedle Dee. Example: in St Louis, rivals Badnarik and Cobb attempted to enter the debate building to serve legal papers on the Debate Commission to protest their exclusion from the debates; but they were promptly arrested.

You never heard of Badnarik or Cobb? - that's precisely my point. Google Badnarik and Cobb VS. Missouri

If I have the right to vote, then I also have the right to tell politicians how they can earn my vote. I’m politically independent, and will remain that way until the day I die. What do I ask for? Nothing unreasonable.

1. No negative campaigning, ever. I don’t mind a healthy debate, but when it comes to mudslinging - there’s no easier way for you to earn my non-vote. You’re trying to prove that you’re more trustworthy than your competitor by illustrating how your competitor is less trustworthy. Are you REALLY THAT STUPID (or is the population of my country RELALY THAT STUPID to reinforce this kind of behavior)?!

2. Avoid hardline affiliation. So, you’re running on the Democratic ticket? You don’t have to remind me of that every time you open your mouth. Ultimately, it’s what you do in office and with your peers that matters. For whatever it’s worth, today’s conservatives make Barry Goldwater look like a liberal - and even Goldwater (himself) predicted that would eventually happen.

3. Share your true passions. The “issues” are going to change over time, so don’t try to win me over by guessing what I want to hear. Tell me what you think, and I’ll decide whether or not I like the way you tell me. I don’t want to see what you’re doing on the campaign trail - what were you doing before you hit the campaign trail? Stand by your own convictions, not the convictions someone tells you to stand by.

4. Stay out of my personal life. Do you pay my bills? Do you decide how I should spend my hard-earned money? Do you tell me which non-profit organizations I should support? Do you live with me? Do you drive across town to get me to work every morning? Then please, don’t try to make other personal decisions for me.

5. Consider a new public relations team. I can’t think of anybody more out of touch with reality than someone in “PR” (seriously). If you need good advice, listen to your parents and/or your closest friends. If you want help getting the word out or lining up engagements, just ask the blogosphere. “We” really believe in you - even though we’re not on your payroll.

I’m not throwing my vote away - the system is. These are just personal pet peeves, not necessarily political ones. Hey, this IS a personal blog titled MY THOUGHTS!