CC: The Lesser of Two Evils

Great Quotes From Great Leaders

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

Our Declaration

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it... -Declaration of Independence

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Lesser of Two Evils

Every election people complain about the choices they are given. This year was especially exciting as there were polarizing figures on both sides of the isle.

In one corner we had Hillary and Obama. These two candidates managed to split the Democratic Party in two. Hillary supporters are still disgruntled over her loss and some vow to vote for McCain instead of Obama. It's funny that the policies of the two Democratic candidates were not that different.

In the other corner we had a slew of candidates with McCain being one of the least popular in the early going. Most Republicans, at least those I talked to, had VERY good reason not to vote for McCain and supported another candidate.

The Primaries came and went, and we were left with the two candidates that many in each party were not happy with.

And the old debates began:

Which of these is the lesser of two evils??

Which of these will harm the country least??

The average American will hold their nose and vote for the candidate that bears their political affiliation under the assumption that it's their only option and convinced a vote for a third party would allow "the other guy" to win. Many will jump on board the party bandwagon and do everything to discredit their opponent forgetting why they disliked theirs to begin with. In so doing, they will stop thinking, ignore the obvious similarities between the two "main" parties, and focus on the small things the media champions as differences.

It's a beautiful game really...and it's rigged.

Some Americans do not even vote. Some vote third party. The biggest ruse ever pulled on Americans was the convincing that voting anyone other than the main two parties is a "wasted vote." Imagine if everyone who didn't vote, everyone who was dissatisfied with the choices, and everyone who voted third party actually went to the polls and voted for someone they liked! Would this not send a message? Imagine if the candidate from one of the parties won the national election with only 35% of the national vote or less. Or better yet, someone could ascend to knock off the two favorites.

Until we realize we don't have to settle, we will continue to get someone less than we deserve. A vote for "the lesser of two evils" is still a vote for evil.

I heard it said that the difference between a republican and a conservative is that a Republican will vote their party. A conservative on the other hand will vote their conscience. Don't fall for the party lines. Stop listening to the media. Vote your conscience America, you deserve better!