12 cent federal gas tax increase coming?

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by darcane

If you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still voting FOR evil.

I stopped voting for either party, and only vote for candidates that I can actually stand behind. Sometimes there are 3rd party candidates I vote for (typically libertarians) sometimes it's none-of-the-above. The lesser of two evils does NOT get my vote.

I do the same. Not that my vote "counts", but I know what I stand for and my conscience is clear.

Politicians are like soiled diapers - they need to be changed and discarded frequently. The other description is that incumbents are like weeds - don't let them grow roots.

But America will be reshaped and remolded soon with a newly invited wave of useful idiots who will be eager to exercise their voting power. Will you benefit from this?

"Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by XYZ

But America will be reshaped and remolded soon with a newly invited wave of useful idiots who will be eager to exercise their voting power. Will you benefit from this?

I don't know about that. In my experience, the newly invited useful idiots tend to average slightly less idiotic than the home-grown variety. I just wish we could arrange to export a bunch of those :-)

[Frank Lee]

If you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still voting FOR evil.

In the absence of a viable alternative, sometimes that is necessary. Or, declare apathy and forfeit your right to complain.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

In the absence of a viable alternative, sometimes that is necessary. Or, declare apathy and forfeit your right to complain.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

This line of thinking is exactly why we have no viable alternatives. We have had the two worst Presidents as far as making a mockery of the constitution, one right after the other. One Republican, one Democrat. Both parties are the problem. Continue to vote for them, and we will continue our downhill slide.

I am not apathetic at all, and I will continue to complain.

[Varn]

Darcane there have been incumbents from both parties taken out by tea party candidates. For being a non-party, they have appeal to a lot of people.

[user removed]

If you want change vote the incumbent out. Without any job security you might see a change, but I doubt it with the principle objective being buying votes with debt passed on to the next generation.

regards
Mech

[The Other Andy]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

In the absence of a viable alternative, sometimes that is necessary. Or, declare apathy and forfeit your right to complain.

At last count on my crappy little website (well aware that I haven't updated it in forever and the design is lousy and all those things, the site is darn near last on my list of things to do, if I don't get rid of it altogether), 34 third parties exist in the U.S. on a national level. Yes, many of them are frankly not people most would want in charge, but there are some with mass appeal. Don't be fooled by the fact that the two big parties have forced all competition out of the debates.

Vote Other | Third Parties

*Posting it because it's appropriate to the discussion. I don't advertise or link to any other site I own, it's simply an informational site. I'll take the link down if requested.

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

If you want change vote the incumbent out. Without any job security you might see a change, but I doubt it with the principle objective being buying votes with debt passed on to the next generation.

regards
Mech

If you are fond of corruption and cronyism, let the incumbent politicians grow roots and become entrenched and imbedded. Most of the supporters of incumbents don't want to have their "security" threatened any more than the incumbent does. If those who support the politician benefit, they continue supporting him. It's hard to dig out roots of weeds that have been there a very long time. The incumbent political leader has deep roots. We might say he is just the tip of the iceberg. He has a lot of unseen support at his base.

However, you are right about the chimera of voting for the alternate party when (in political reality) there are only two viable choices that have a large "war chest" of party financial backing. They win by playing the easily swayed populace with no real competition. When there are effectively only two major party choices, that's AKA "the lesser of two evils".

It's been said "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know". But that's no reason to vote for any devil - be they new or old. It's merely the other side of the same coin.

"In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant."

Does anyone recognize this quote?

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

If you want change vote the incumbent out. Without any job security you might see a change, but I doubt it with the principle objective being buying votes with debt passed on to the next generation.

regards
Mech

The debt will be be passed on, regardless.

Votes will always be bought, regardless.

Either way, you won't benefit. Someone else might...

[Hersbird]

I do think we need a dedicated LGBT party, a more active green party, and a traditional labor party, and a few specific race based parties to come along side the democrat party. That would be awesome to have all those choices to pick from.