A Wasted Vote

Many of you have already seen this, I am sure. However, I just ran into this sentiment again in an email discussion with a former mentor of mine. She felt compelled to remind me that we have a two-party system and I will be wasting my vote if I don’t vote for Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama. So, anyone who votes for the candidate(s) that lose wasted their vote? Anyway, I saw this and thought it was timely!

by Chuck Baldwin

When asked why they will not vote for a third party candidate, many people will respond by saying something like, “He cannot win.” Or, “I don’t want to waste my vote.” It is true: America has not elected a third party candidate since 1860. Does that automatically mean, however, that every vote cast for one of the two major party candidates is not a wasted vote? I don’t think so.

In the first place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone you know will not lead the country in the way it should go. A wasted vote is a vote for the “lesser of two evils.” Or, in the case of John McCain and Barack Obama, what we have is a choice between the “evil of two lessers.”

Albert Einstein is credited with saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. For years now, Republicans and Democrats have been leading the country in the same basic direction: toward bigger and bigger government; more and more socialism, globalism, corporatism, and foreign interventionism; and the dismantling of constitutional liberties. Yet, voters continue to think that they are voting for “change” when they vote for a Republican or Democrat. This is truly insane!

Take a look at the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout: both John McCain and Barack Obama endorsed and lobbied for it. Both McCain and Obama will continue to bail out these international banksters on the backs of the American taxpayers. Both McCain and Obama support giving illegal aliens amnesty and a path to citizenship. In the debate this past Tuesday night, both McCain and Obama expressed support for sending U.S. forces around the world for “peacekeeping” purposes. They also expressed support for sending combat forces against foreign countries even if those countries do not pose a threat to the United States. Neither Obama nor McCain will do anything to stem the tide of a burgeoning police state or a mushrooming New World Order. Both Obama and McCain support NAFTA and similar “free trade” deals. Neither candidate will do anything to rid America of the Federal Reserve, or work to eliminate the personal income tax, or disband the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Both Obama and McCain support the United Nations. So, pray tell, how is a vote for either McCain or Obama not a wasted vote?

But, back to the “he cannot win” argument: to vote for John McCain is to vote for a man who cannot win. Yes, I am saying it here and now: John McCain cannot win this election. The handwriting is on the wall. The Fat Lady is singing. It is all over. Finished. John McCain cannot win.

With only three weeks before the election, Barack Obama is pulling away. McCain has already pulled his campaign out of Michigan. In other key battleground states, McCain is slipping fast. He was ahead in Missouri; now it is a toss-up or leaning to Obama. A couple of weeks ago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida were all leaning towards McCain, or at least toss-up states. Now, they are all leaning to Obama. Even the longtime GOP bellwether state of Indiana is moving toward Obama. In addition, new voter registrations are at an all-time high, and few of them are registering as Republicans. In fact, the Republican Party now claims only around 25% of the electorate, and Independents are increasingly leaning toward Obama.

Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama is headed for an electoral landslide victory over John McCain. John McCain can no more beat Barack Obama than Bob Dole could beat Bill Clinton.

I ask, therefore, Are not conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain guilty of the same thing that they accuse people who vote for third party candidates of doing? Are they not voting for someone who cannot win? Indeed, they are. In fact, conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain are not only voting for a man who cannot win, they are voting for a man who does not share their own beliefs and principles. If this is not insanity, nothing is!

So, why not (for once in your life, perhaps) cast a vote purely for principle! Vote for someone who is truly pro-life. Someone who would quickly secure our nation’s borders, and end the invasion of our country by illegal aliens. Someone who would, on his first day in office, release Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean and fire U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. Someone who would immediately, upon assuming office, begin leading the charge to dismantle the Federal Reserve, overturn the 16th Amendment, expunge the IRS, and return America to sound money principles. Someone who would get the US out of the UN. Someone who would stop spending billions and trillions of dollars for foreign aid. Someone who would prosecute the Wall Street bankers who defrauded the American people out of billions of dollars. Someone who would work to repeal NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and stop the NAFTA superhighway. Someone who would say a resounding “No” to the New World Order. Someone who would stop using our brave men and women in uniform as global cops for the United Nations. Someone who would stop America’s global adventurism and interventionism. Someone who would steadfastly support and defend the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

“Who is this person?” you ask. Go here to find out:

http://www.baldwin08.com/.

Chuck Norris only trusts Ron Paul

Chuck Norris was a huge supporter of Mike Huckabee in the Republican Presidential primary. He seems to have learned a bit since then and commented in a recent interview on the Alex Jones Show that he doesn’t know who to trust [in Congress]. Then, he says he wishes Ron Paul would go down the line of Congress-people with him and tell him who is corrupt so he could “choke them unconscious. And stick them into a pile.”

I wasn’t a Mike Huckabee supporter, but Chuck Norris did some incredibly funny YouTube ads for him. I wish Norris would have wised up sooner. For more of the interview, click here.

Perhaps the Constitution Party could talk to him about doing some YouTube ads for Chuck Baldwin, for whom Ron Paul is voting.

Wish More Would Have Listened

Early this morning, I called my representative’s office in Washington. My request that my congressman continue to vote “No” on the bailout bill and my comments about it were noted by the person on the other end of the line. I had to give my name, address, and telephone number – perhaps for a follow-up letter, perhaps just to make sure I really lived in the correct legislative district to be calling and expressing an opinion.

I was disappointed that the bailout bill passed, but I was not surprised. I was very glad to hear that my representative here in the mid-Central region of the country kept his “no” vote. I called his office back this afternoon to express my thanks.

Read a really great reaction of what this bill means from someone who has been warning (for years) about the economic collapse caused by (among others) the government.

So, now what? Well, Congress has not helped anything with this bill in the long-term. The hole we dug ourselves is still there. In my opinion, there is no way we can avoid reaching the bottom of the hole. The “relief” package passed today will slow our descent some, but may ultimately make the hole deeper and also may make it a longer climb out.

I was able to listen to the second half of the VP debate last night. I thought both parties did a good job of giving their stock lines and pat answers. (I liked Sarah Palin’s “Drill, baby drill.” and “Say it ain’t so, Joe.” I was glad to hear she is still trying to convince John McCain that drilling in Anwar is the right thing to do.) Overall, I was disappointed in the lack of answers and the constant pointing out of how great their running mates are.

I really hope more people look into the third party candidates. Read more about them. Consider voting for them. Libertarian Bob Barr. Independent Ralph Nader. Green Party Nominee Cynthia McKinney. Or, my favorite, Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin.

If you want to know more about what Chuck Baldwin would do as President of the United States of America, view this column to read about it.

Politics . . . Again

In general, I’m not a person to stereotype, but this situation screamed for me to point out how people made them fit! Here are some pictures from our vantage point on the sidelines of the local County Fair parade. Guess the political party to which each candidate belongs.

A local (write-in) candidate for the state legislature – on his feet and walking.

Incumbent running for state legislature – this is literally all we saw of him.

Candidate for U.S. Senate – This is how close he was to us – shaking hands & kissing babes & everything. Okay, maybe not kissing babes or babies. But definitely shaking hands.

The first & third pictures are of one political party & the middle one is of the other major one.

Speaking of political parties. Don’t forget to check out Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party!

Politics . . . Again

So I wrote the other day that I am not happy with the direction our country is going. I have to admit that neither major political party enthuses me in the slightest. I have a father-in-law that votes one way and a father who votes another. I get into debates with both for their inability to see that your candidate should believe in the same types of things you do, not that you should vote for a candidate because of the political party they belong to.

I do a significant amount of research before I vote. Well, as much as I can with all the other things I am up to. In this case, I know I cannot vote for either Barak Obama or John McCain. Neither one matches the things I believe in or will lead this country in the direction I think it should go.

So, what are my beliefs? And who can I vote for? I am NOT going to sit this one out. My voice will be heard, even if it is a small squeek. (Remember that the littlest guy in Who-ville put the rest of the voices over the top in Horton Hears a Who!)

I believe . . .
- The (federal) government should be small at all levels. There are far too many bureaus, agencies, and offices – most of which are truly “unconstitutional.”

- There shouldn’t be an income tax. The (federal) government has a right to levy taxes, but not on my income. Stick to the constitutional tariffs.

- There should be a clear and quick process for determining if someone should be able to enter the country for purposes of living & working. Those who get turned down should not be allowed to enter.

- We should have secure borders to enforce the above process. Those who have broken the law by entering the country illegally should not be here.

- Subsidies (farm & otherwise), welfare, medicaid, medicare, social security, grants, and all other “government programs” need to be phased out.

- States (legislature, not the court system) should be able to decide their own laws – including whether abortion, same-sex marriage, or euthenasia is allowed.

- The federal government must stop sending money to the UN & other countries. They should immediately be required to be run “like a business.” With ONE SET of books and with not only a “balanced budget” but one that shows how they will get out of debt within a small and finite number of years.

- We need to get back to where religion is not the business of government. This “separation of church & state” stuff is a made-up piece of hooey. As long as the government is not setting up a “State Religion” that everyone needs to follow, let the churches (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc) do their own thing. The ACLU can pack sand.

- Get our troops back here as soon as safely possible. From EVERYWHERE. For example, we have no business still being in Germany. We need to protect ourselves, not all these other places. I’m the wife of a former military man. I’m the daughter, grand-daughter, and niece of veterans. I respect the things our troops do. I just don’t think our government should be sending them into harms way (or to a US base in a foreign country) when it is not in our best interests. We are NOT the world’s policeman.

- Get back on the gold standard for our money. It will be VERY difficult, but it can be done. Our money should MEAN something. It should be backed by something REAL.

- Government should stop standing in the way of private businesses. Remove all these tax incentives and laws about drilling in different places. If the LOCAL state or city government wants to pass a law against an oil refinery or drilling off the coast, go for it. Let the people decide. We would have a lot more “energy” and possible fuel sources if it wasn’t for the hoops that businesses have been jumping through for things as stupid as corn-based ethanol.

Gosh, I could go on and on. In the end, I have found that the Constitution Party is the closest to my beliefs. I’m going to vote third party – Chuck Baldwin for President 2008.