Trump or Clinton? It's the question which seems to be on a lot of minds. Not which candidate would would be best as president, but which would be the least bad.
It's a false choice.
First of all, pretending those are your only choices is like saying you can only choose between hamburgers and tacos; nothing else. You are pretending the menu doesn't exist.
Yes, there are other choices. Insisting you choose between those two, because "Democrat or Republican is the only realistic option", is a self defeating belief. It will remain true as long as you believe it's true, not a moment longer.
For those who are upset with the Republican wing of the Boot-On-Your-Neck Party for nominating non-Republican Donald Trump, you could always vote for the actual Republicans who are running. This year, the Libertarian Party did something the Republicans failed to do: they nominated Republicans for the presidency and vice-presidency: Gary Johnson and William Weld, respectively. A disaster for the Libertarians, but a gift to the Republicans who are paying attention.
Or, you could finally realize voting for the lesser evil, whoever you believe that to be, is still voting for evil and stop playing a rigged game. At some point, rational people realize the only winning move is to not play at all.
I can hear you say "But someone is going to win whether I vote or not". So? Someone will become president of the Meshoppen, Pennsylvania quilting circle, too- if such a thing exists. It only matters if you believe it matters, and only if you believe their club has any authority over your life. Only if you feel obligated to act as if you are subject to government and its counterfeit laws can you really be affected by who is its president.
In fact, the person holding the office of president is about as inconsequential as it's possible for a person to be. The existence of the office is the problem, not the individual politician occupying it. The president is a figurehead. The real harm is done by advisers, congress, and the courts, and by those among us who go along with whatever they say we must, or must not, do.
So, no, I am not going to make a recommendation of who you "should" vote for. It would be as ridiculous as suggesting you ought to eat plutonium rather than cyanide, when the only intelligent choice is to eat neither.
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Added- Here is the perfectly predictable response I got on the CNJ page:
"If you don't vote then you have no room to bitch, whine, and complain when things aren't going your way. The system we have is far from perfect but it is what we inherited."
And my reply:
Actually, if you do v*te, you are consenting to the outcome. You are saying the result is legitimate, no matter what it may be, and you agree to abide by it. That's just not acceptable or rational.
If you go into a game of poker, knowing the rules, and also knowing your opponent hasn't actually played without cheating for decades (if ever), yet you play anyway, what does that say about your common sense?
No one can ever lose their right to complain, but if that were possible, it certainly wouldn't be the people who are aware of the scam and refuse to participate who "lose the right"- it would be those who keep propping up the scam and empowering the bad guys to keep pushing people around and stealing their property by keeping up the appearance of legitimacy by their participation and support.
If you v*te, you are part of the problem. The current situation is squarely on your shoulders. You really have no one else to blame.
"We" didn't inherit anything, but perhaps you did. If you inherit a rabid skunk, do you let it sleep in your child's bed, or do you resolve the problem? This is the same sort of situation, like it or not.
Actually, if you do v*te, you are consenting to the outcome. You are saying the result is legitimate, no matter what it may be, and you agree to abide by it. That's just not acceptable or rational.
If you go into a game of poker, knowing the rules, and also knowing your opponent hasn't actually played without cheating for decades (if ever), yet you play anyway, what does that say about your common sense?
No one can ever lose their right to complain, but if that were possible, it certainly wouldn't be the people who are aware of the scam and refuse to participate who "lose the right"- it would be those who keep propping up the scam and empowering the bad guys to keep pushing people around and stealing their property by keeping up the appearance of legitimacy by their participation and support.
If you v*te, you are part of the problem. The current situation is squarely on your shoulders. You really have no one else to blame.
"We" didn't inherit anything, but perhaps you did. If you inherit a rabid skunk, do you let it sleep in your child's bed, or do you resolve the problem? This is the same sort of situation, like it or not.
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I might take voting for a ruler seriously when the ballot offers a "None of the Above" option, with the stipulation that if NOTA wins, the office is abolished.
ReplyDeleteUntil then, I'll just laugh at the suggestion to vote.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d_FvgQ1csE
ReplyDeleteAt least there's one candidate giving the election the gravitas it deserves.
DeleteHis sarcasm has LIBERTARIAN written all over it. If he would actually fulfill the promises, he would be the perfect candidate to wreck the system.
DeleteAll votes are to legitimize government, thus I will not participate in any government elections. But I would love to see him actually get elected and make the USA a pony based economy and breed mutant flying monkeys to act as tooth fairies.