So, I see a lot of things on this site I like and seem to agree with. In fact, a lot of what I've learned has come from this site, in some form or another, be it in a book published here or an article someone has read and told me about.
Recently I've become very passionate, borderline obsessed with politics. I've always been one to love debate, but recently even more so. Being that I'm in "debates," and being that I'm as passionate as I am, it wouldn't be out of character for me to produce a rant or two every now and then. A couple of these rants ended up being critiqued and turned into "an article," if you want to call it that. I'd like to see what your opinions on these "rants turned articles" are. Keep in mind that these did start off as heated, angry rants, so they may lack some structure and support. Anyway, I'll post them. Feel free to disagree. I'll go ahead and say that I know I'm not perfect and I know I don't know everything.
The Lesser of Two Evils
Seems like today, that's what the majority of the people who vote for our new president are picking between, the lesser of two evils. Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil, and there is no reason for it, there ARE other options. Many people consider the "other options" to be "throwing away" their vote. Would you rather vote for evil than vote for something that's right, despite what's right having a smaller chance of winning? I know I wouldn’t. The presidential election in this country has turned into a show, some stupid contest. Two groups of judges, the Republican and Democratic parties, pick two contestants. Then the viewers, America, picks from those two contestants. Why? Ignorance. Because America believes that those two people, the two people chosen by those two mainstream parties, are the only two people capable of winning the election. The reason that 3rd parties often don’t (or don't seem to) "stand a chance" is ONLY because people believe it to be true. Even if the majority of America honestly believed that a 3rd party candidate was the most qualified, more than likely, the majority of those people would still not vote for them. Why? The belief that they cannot win. They can win, they can win if people open their eyes and see that the only thing keeping them from winning is their belief that they can't. Tell a friend. Now there are two people with their eyes opened. Tell that friend to tell a friend. Before you know it, we have a less ignorant America, and who knows, we may even have a president that is qualified for his position.A final note... "Chance of winning"(which is kind of stupid to say anyway, since it's not really a "chance" in the first place, there is no random drawing, it's a vote) should not be the(or a) deciding factor when picking our next president. You should vote based on who is qualified, and break the trance that America is in that believes that you should only vote for the two people that the media says are "real" candidates (aka the contestants).
A Sad Realization
Yesterday, I was told that I sound like I've been brainwashed by mainstream media. I was absolutely shocked. What? First, I don't even have TV. I avoid mainstream media, be it on TV, in the paper, magazines, online, whatever, almost completely. So, really, I'm not even sure what mainstream media generally has to say. Second, every time I do get a glimpse of it, I almost always think it's absurd, and I certainly don't think, "That’s right." Then I saw the truth come out. Apparently, the entire basis for this accusation was my statement that if someone said Obama was a terrorist, I would not argue with it. Now, let me explain a couple things. First, I can almost assure you that if the mainstream media said Obama was a terrorist, and I said Obama was a terrorist, we would mean two completely different things, and furthermore, we'd say it for completely different reasons. But that is beside the point. Here is the sad, sad realization that I came to when thinking about this.It. Does. Not. Matter.No matter who the media decides to trash talk that day, most people are still going to pick between the two mainstream candidates. Most view politics as, you look at Republican vs. Democrats. When you view it like me, you view it as the right candidate vs. everyone else. Viewed this way, their situation becomes a win-win, and mine a loose-loose. Theirs is a win-win, because, no matter which of the two mainstream candidates the media decides to trash, people will still be picking one of the two. It's not a matter of whether the right or wrong candidate gets trashed, it's a matter of which wrong candidate is getting trashed. What does it matter? Most people are going to pick one of the two no matter how much either or each of them gets trashed. So, the sad realization... is that in cases like this... we're in a loose-loose, because people have been suckered into the idea that the two mainstream parties are the two real parties. It's like a modified betting track. On the main track, you have two horses, the "Republican" and the "Democrat". Most people bet (not even vote) on the election. It's a matter of "chance", remember? They bet with their vote for one of these two horses. A lot of their decision is determined by the "chance" factor. Really though, the "chance" factor mainly just keeps the other horses, the ones that have to run over there on the side-track, out of their consideration. Then, a little bit of personal preference is thrown in, just for fun. That's basically what our elections look like. Chance of winning is such a huge factor for so many people, even though there's really no chance about it. There is no drawing out of a hat. You decide who wins the election. The people. When you allow your decisions to be so heavily impacted and influenced by outside sources like the two mainstream parties and the media, you're allowing them to make your decision for you. You're giving them your vote to decide where it’s cast, and in my opinion, that's much more of a waste than voting for someone who is perceived as having "no chance."Oh, and let’s not forget the winnings. Let’s say you decided to vote Republican. YOU WON! Congratulations! Would you like to know what you're winnings are? Less freedom, worthless money, war, less freedom, a market crash, a government controlled market, more government controlled education, more taxes, less freedom. When would you like to redeem your winnings? Well, you don't have a choice, you must take it now. Hope you had fun winning, because winning itself is probably the only enjoyable thing that'll come of it. "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams
Yesterday, I was told that I sound like I've been brainwashed by mainstream media. I was absolutely shocked. What? First, I don't even have TV. I avoid mainstream media, be it on TV, in the paper, magazines, online, whatever, almost completely. So, really, I'm not even sure what mainstream media generally has to say. Second, every time I do get a glimpse of it, I almost always think it's absurd, and I certainly don't think, "That’s right." Then I saw the truth come out. Apparently, the entire basis for this accusation was my statement that if someone said Obama was a terrorist, I would not argue with it. Now, let me explain a couple things. First, I can almost assure you that if the mainstream media said Obama was a terrorist, and I said Obama was a terrorist, we would mean two completely different things, and furthermore, we'd say it for completely different reasons. But that is beside the point. Here is the sad, sad realization that I came to when thinking about this.It. Does. Not. Matter.No matter who the media decides to trash talk that day, most people are still going to pick between the two mainstream candidates. Most view politics as, you look at Republican vs. Democrats. When you view it like me, you view it as the right candidate vs. everyone else. Viewed this way, their situation becomes a win-win, and mine a loose-loose. Theirs is a win-win, because, no matter which of the two mainstream candidates the media decides to trash, people will still be picking one of the two. It's not a matter of whether the right or wrong candidate gets trashed, it's a matter of which wrong candidate is getting trashed. What does it matter? Most people are going to pick one of the two no matter how much either or each of them gets trashed. So, the sad realization... is that in cases like this... we're in a loose-loose, because people have been suckered into the idea that the two mainstream parties are the two real parties. It's like a modified betting track. On the main track, you have two horses, the "Republican" and the "Democrat". Most people bet (not even vote) on the election. It's a matter of "chance", remember? They bet with their vote for one of these two horses. A lot of their decision is determined by the "chance" factor. Really though, the "chance" factor mainly just keeps the other horses, the ones that have to run over there on the side-track, out of their consideration. Then, a little bit of personal preference is thrown in, just for fun. That's basically what our elections look like. Chance of winning is such a huge factor for so many people, even though there's really no chance about it. There is no drawing out of a hat. You decide who wins the election. The people. When you allow your decisions to be so heavily impacted and influenced by outside sources like the two mainstream parties and the media, you're allowing them to make your decision for you. You're giving them your vote to decide where it’s cast, and in my opinion, that's much more of a waste than voting for someone who is perceived as having "no chance."Oh, and let’s not forget the winnings. Let’s say you decided to vote Republican. YOU WON! Congratulations! Would you like to know what you're winnings are? Less freedom, worthless money, war, less freedom, a market crash, a government controlled market, more government controlled education, more taxes, less freedom. When would you like to redeem your winnings? Well, you don't have a choice, you must take it now. Hope you had fun winning, because winning itself is probably the only enjoyable thing that'll come of it.
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams
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I also realize that calling our current president a terrorist, in any sense of the word, may not be "acceptable" to many... But, like I said, this originated as a rant in the context of a specific argument so some things may seem out of place or random. It was also written before Obama's presidency. Thanks for reading.
Righteous government, or the righteous lack thereof, is not the producer of a righteous society, it is the product of one.
You can't have my guns, but I'd be glad to give you my bullets...
Not bad. Who did you cast a vote for?
Welcome to Mises.
They wouldn't let me vote, apparently I'm too young, or something.
I will be able to vote next election, though... Assuming nothing extremely radical happens...
I haven't really been able to come to a conclusion on whether or not it's really "wrong", but it just seems funny to me how I get to pay taxes(no small amount, either, at least for a high school student) yet I'm not allowed to vote or anything like that.
If I could have voted, I would have voted Chuck Baldwin. And even if you're a firm believer that voting 3rd party is a waste, it wouldn't really have made a difference, because my state went to McCain.
Really though... Stupid(for lack of a better word) people running for president isn't the problem, the problem is people being deceived enough to vote for them. IMHO, for this problem to be fixed, the education system in America will need an overhaul, and our dependence on government run education will need to be broken.
A lot of people are fighting the wrong fights. For example, I'm a Christian, but I will not fight to keep God in schools. How could I support God being in public, government run schools when I don't think they should exist? If we don't have government education, keeping God in schools will not be an issue. We will have fixed a problem and all it's related symptoms rather that just one symptom.
Many people think that would be impossible. I mean, not everyone can home school, right? Well, it would seem that way, but with a little culture change, it's entirely possible. Think about it, if America relied on private schools and homeschooling, maybe even a little self schooling, then the frequency of private schools would skyrocket and the cost would go down. Not only that, but without the need for all that tax money to be dumped into government schools, people would have more money to spend on private schools. I know that isn't all of the factors or issues that would need to be addressed, but I think it would be entirely possible, and a whole lot better, if America did not rely on government education.
Edit again: I just would like to say, I really like this forum. I discuss political theory and economics a lot with my mom, but run into dead ends, cause, well, nobody knows everything, and that includes my mom. I find A LOT of my answers here on these forums. Answers to privatizing roads, how monopolies on that are prevented, how things are handled like someone building a roadway or buying property around mine so that I'm "locked in" and all that good stuff. There are so many topics and questions that I've had that I find a thread on there for that basically asks and then answers exactly what I wanted to know. It's really encouraging to see real answers for questions that discourage you when unanswered.
Welcome, paintball. I'm happy to have another Christian lover of liberty on this forum.
Pro Christo et Libertate integre!
Yes, same here! It's great to have someone with similar political and religious beliefs here. Welcome, really.
Love that John Quincy Admas Qoute and welcome to the forum.
BTW: I am another forum user with a christian foundation :-)
In the begining there was nothing, and it exploded.
Terry Pratchett (on the big bang theory)
thepaintballer45:the education system in America will need an overhaul, and our dependence on government run education will need to be broken.
I agree that this is the biggest issue facing freedom lovers, the government education system, with its statist propaganda.
At most, I think only 5% of the adult population would need to stop cooperating to have real change.