Your Vote Counts
by Mark Beyer
What I think really doesn’t matter. Only, lets look at some facts on the largest issues of the 2008 presidential election.
If you vote for Sen. John McCain, you vote for $1 billion per week spent to fund George W. Bush’s Iraq occupation. Whatever else the Iraq occupation is and is not, the American taxpayer cannot fund this debacle for much longer without dire consequences to its solvency. McCain wants the country to fund the Iraq occupation “until we win” at seemingly any cost for XXX number of years. Essential, a vote for McCain is a vote for unending Bush-Cheney economic and military policies. This can’t be good for America.
If you vote for Hillary Clinton, you vote for a long battle, a likely losing battle, to create nationalized health care. Democrats don’t even agree on a health care plan, so do you think Republicans will vote to give underprivileged children health care? While Hands-Across-America health care is a good idea, one only needs understand that members of Congress get the best health care tax dollars can can buy (despite the fact that in 10-year’s time you will pay at least 20% of your income on health care) to see that they will not lose their benefits for the cost of your benefits. This is not good for America.
If you vote for Barack Obama, you vote for a relatively unknown, perhaps even “The Great Compromiser,” someone who will help push through watered down legislation in order to get anything at all passed given the near 50-50 split both houses of congress maintain. The Democrats want to compromise with Republicans; it’s evident from the last seven years of Republican control of Congress, the Executive and Legislative branches what Republicans want. And the Democrats? They can’t even stop the Iraq occupation, something they promised to do in the ’06 mid-terms. Consensus doesn’t appear to be their goal, or in their self interest, and Obama would be their leader. This hurts Americans.
The alternative to these three candidates? None. There exist no exceptions to the rule of Washington Politics this year. An unfortunate problem, since the USA needs sound leadership and decisive action for and against so many problems the country faces—the least of which is terrorism.
Of course, the future alternative is to reform the United States electoral and party system into a pluralist system. Under a plurality of parties, such as the country saw for nearly 100 years, the benefit to citizens was more input into the national political discussion. Grass-roots organizations, regional idea holders, environmental and social groups: these are built from people seeking progress, an evolution of policies that bring enduring prosperity and social justices to the country. America had such plurality in the mid-1800s and onward, up until about the Great Depression. Then, post WW II, the two-party system took hold. Laws were passed to ensure that small parties were elbowed aside from the national stage—and thus broader political debate.
Gerrymandering exists unchecked today. It divvies the political discussion (and money) between Dems and Repubs. We are now left with a two-party stranglehold given us by the very representatives who are supposed to represent all Americans. Has either done a good job for you? Congressional approval ratings hover in the mid-30% range. I think the people see politicians as greedy parasites who have formed a private club using tax dollars and contribution slush funds. The people are not wrong.
Reported in the March 2008 issue of Harper’s Magazine, is Congress’s unending, essentially unrestricted flow of contribution money that pays for congressional seat perks such as golf outings, meals, drinks, parties, world travel, and vacation junkets—all quid-pro-quo perks to ensure favorable legislation, despite denials from pols re biased voting records. Worse, contribution money pays the salaries of politicians’ family members for seats on this organization or that political action committee, or running a campaign. We’re not talking about salaries commensurate with ability, experience, or the job itself, but hundreds of thousands of dollars to do virtually nothing—answer some phones, talk with moneyed donors, smile.
This is the stuff of fiction to this American’s sensibilities. This is government rule and favoritism and graft we complain about when we read of Saudi Arabia’s 4,000 princes, each with his own palace. This is destructive government that ancient Athens crumbled under, what made Rome burn.
Should I be more upbeat? Should I sound less cynical? How about I just go with the flow, take the attitude “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” or “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” I don’t think American’s have come to this. American’s aren’t supposed to have let Caesars rule them.
Soma. on 12 Jun 2008 at 10:44 pm
Soma….
Aura soma bottles. Soma without rx. Soma online next day….