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What's a Wasted Vote?
by James Glaser September 19, 2012 
I tell people I am thinking of voting third party, and they tell me not to waste my vote. They usually are trying to get me to vote for the Democrat or the Republican because that is who they want to win. Interestingly, these people actually believe that there is a fundamental difference between our two major political parties. Thoughts like that make me laugh, but then scare me, too. It is hard when you realize that most voters are voting on what they think their political party stands for, not what their political party actually stands for. Most Democrats think their political party is the workingman's party, while Republicans think their party is all about smaller government and fiscal discipline. Did Barack Obama really bring change when he and the Democratic Party took over our government? Did Barack Obama stop our wars? Did he close the prisons we torture people in? Did he slow or stop deficit spending? Did he stop wiretapping of American citizens without a warrant? Did Barack Obama do anything that allows us to think things are changing in Washington or anywhere else in America? No. In fact, George Bush could still be President and things would look about the same. Democrats have to realize that over the years there are less and less of the working men and women who the Democrats used to help, because the Democrats under Bill Clinton championed Free Trade, and sent most manufacturing jobs overseas. Just look at the number of Union Workers. Their numbers have been dropping under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Republicans only have to look at the two Bush administrations to see that fiscal responsibility is a thing of the past for Republican administrations. Oh, and thinking that Republicans are still for a smaller government is a joke. Also, one only has to look at the Patriot Act, and they will see that the Republican Party stopped caring about our Constitution years ago. If you really want to think about wasted votes, then I say any vote for a Republican or Democrat is a wasted vote. Our country has been heading down hill in so many ways for the last several decades under both Republican and Democratic leadership, and it has gotten to the point that neither party is willing to work with the other in hopes that a stalemate will bring their party greater power. It doesn't matter how far in debt we go, how many people are out of work, how many people lose their homes, or how many American children go to bed hungry, neither major political party is going to give an inch, and that is just too bad for the American people. So, I am no longer going to waste my vote on a Republican or a Democrat. This year I am voting Third Party. I don't know who will get my vote yet, but I can honestly say a vote for a third party is a vote for change, and a vote for the Democrats or Republicans is a vote to keep us headed in the same direction we have been in for decades. You know what? I will feel good about this year's vote. No more of that lesser of two evils voting. |
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