Roughly in the same boat - it’s not which way I vote that will affect this election, it’s that I have voted that may affect the next one.
I can totally see your frustration, and share it, but once a population gets to the point they see no reason to vote, all is lost. It does not get better, it gets worse, and opens the door to things one thinks could never happen here…
I knew in MA that Obama was a lock and there really was no reason to vote, not to mentioned I had zero interest in his opponent. I voted 3d party if for no other reason, to be included in the growing number of people who have lost all faith in the two major parties, and want to send a message.
I do believe the message is being sent as they (media, Dems, Repubs and Co.) did their best to ignore/down play the third party votes, it’s not lost on them the traction it’s getting with people.
I do think a third party candidate will be viable in the near future, or at least, enough a PITA to the two parties, they have to react.
Third party votes may not get someone elected, but they can indeed decide the outcome of who does. Just ask Gore. 
Well said! There were no voting booths in the Hanoi Hilton but I’ll wager the survivors never missed the chance to hit a lever again.
We should keep in mind the sacrifices endured and suffered for that right.
Ever wonder what goes down when the party elders sit down to hash out a deal like the one yesterday to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling? Here’s just a taste.
It requires a little digging around, but a person can lay hands on a copy of the bill passed by the Senate and the House last night: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr2775enr/pdf/BILLS-113hr2775enr.pdf
Pretty boring stuff, lot of legalese and govspeak, hard to make heads of tails of really. Take Section 123:
SEC. 123. Section 3(a)(6) of Public Law 100–676 is amended by striking both occurrences of ‘‘$775,000,000’’ and inserting in lieu thereof, ‘‘$2,918,000,000’’.
What’s up with that? Looks like somebody just handed out another two billion dollars and change of the taxpayer’s money. Where’d that go? What’s Public Law 100-676? I thought they were just going to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling.
Google to the rescue. Here it is: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-102/pdf/STATUTE-102-Pg4012.pdf
The Water Resources Act of 1988. Seems like somebody’s kicking a dead horse but maybe not. Wonder what Section 3(a)(6) is all about, seeing as how Congress just tossed another $2,000,000,000.00 at it.
Hmmm. Here it is:
i LOWER OHIO RIVER, ILLINOIS AND KENTUCKY.—The project for navigation, Lower Ohio River, Locks and Dams 52 and 53, Illinois and Kentucky: Report of the Chief of Engineers, dated August 20, 1986, at a total cost of $775,000,000, with a first Federal cost of $775,000,000, and with the costs of construction of the project to be paid one-half from amounts appropriated from the general fund of the Treasury and one-half from amounts appropriated from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.[/i]
Another two billion bucks for some locks on the Ohio River in Kentucky. Say, isn’t Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) from Kentucky? And isn’t he up for reelection next year in what some think might be a tough race, particularly if he gets into a nasty primary battle with some Tea Party-type fellow Republican? I don’t suppose bringing home a little bacon (like two billion worth of bacon) is gonna hurt, eh?
I know a lot of folks grew up thinking this is how a bill becomes law: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0
Seems like the process is a tad more complex.
Good night and good luck, kids.
I’m pretty sure the blatancy of corruption in Washington does not get more obvious than that… :rolleyes:
It wasn’t all bad. They did make sure to get the widow of Senator Frank Lautenburg (D-NJ) her death benefits:
SEC. 145. Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000. (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr2775enr/pdf/BILLS-113hr2775enr.pdf)
Time was certainly of the essence in this case, as the late senator’s personal wealth was only estimated to be between $50-100 million dollars.
They did the same thing earlier this year. The ‘emergency’ bill was pork laden to get it to pass. Not all pork is bad…just that it’s often used to get money to donors, special interest groups, pet projects their spouse’s company just happens to have a contract for, ect.
Two parties, one goal.
Self advancement and re-election. At any cost.
There is the problem. People who are about “freedom” and “liberty” generally aren’t comfortable going around and trying to tell their neighbors how to vote and what to think.
Don’t stop believin’…
Dave that full post was extremely enlightening and also humbling. It goes to show what we, despite our diligence keeping up with reliable news, writing our congressmen and exchanging ideas here are still not doing right. In fact in this critical arena we are content to fail miserably.
Yes everyone including me is busy, but it is precisely that convenient albeit legitimate excuse that allows for such corrupt trash to be the norm. Gives me an idea though, have to ponder it and get back.
Lastly the bill cartoon was a staple of my childhood as well. Always a pleasure to watch.
They keep us pretty busy with trying to make sure we have the basic necessities of life. Sadly only the occupy crowd types truly have the time and lack of real responsibility to devote themselves to political change.
That is the point of a limited gov. So each agenda item can be properly debated and scrutinized. With what we have now? 50 people working full time couldn’t even cover but a fraction of what is funded, rules, laws, ect. Businesses hire armies of lawyers just to stay compliant and can still easily fall short.
Then most people get news which is heavily filtered a biased.
While I get your point about their free time I’d highly suspect that few if any occupy members actually read bills in full. They’re more motivated by emotional ideology, a desire to be relevant and an urge to find similar dysfunctional ilk than anything.
If we, as the often smarter and more responsible sect of society could somehow organize ourselves in such a way that when new and overtly relevant bills are on the table, we then delegate a couple of us at a time to be responsible for dissecting whatever final versions are available as a team. To be honest I don’t know if this is even possible, to obtain details about a bill and it’s pork while in the works, but if memory serves me correctly it may be.
This team would formulate an initial opinion amongst themselves and then relay their findings to the group, who would then proceed as a whole to contact their representatives and let them know that a reputable and proactive section of society has made it a point to read and understand what they are doing and is also prepared to hold them fully accountable as that same whole.
If we can’t act until an amended bill is passed then we still dissect them after the fact and hammer those responsible for their dysfunctional actions, perhaps instilling a degree of fear.
This would of course require more than just us in this forum. Even if we were the designated reviewers we would still need a small army of organized people to be ready and willing to act (as in write or call) as needed.
Sounds very daunting but it is by no means impossible.
Sadly I was one of them
Something to remember: A lot of people who were very liberal, who graduated about the time that I did, with change, hope, and “yes we can” on their minds, thinking that they were going to live in a socialist utopia where everyone had 100% free everything and still made millions a year for fun stuff, are working minimum wage and watching their taxes go up. There are a lot of oblivious idiots who are still blaming Bush for everything, but there’s also a lot of people who had reality slap them in the face and have been struggling for the past 5 years to simply pay enough to keep the power on. A lot of these people are going to the grocery store and buying Ramen and Kraft while watching Miss Hood Rat and Miss Trailer Trash buying Filet Mignon and Lobster for them and their 10 kids with food stamps (I’ve seen it firsthand; it’s no urban legend). I’ve met a LOT of converts to the anti-statist side. Give it time. It may seem hopeless, but especially in swing states, things can change very quickly.
Heres more on what Dave was talking about
from the Blaze
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/16/mitch-mcconnell-accused-of-sneaking-in-2-billion-kentucky-kickback-in-budget-debt-limit-deal/
Over the past 200+ years men paid for our right to vote with their lives.
Get off your ass and get out and vote!
I didn’t mean to suggest they are more informed. Typically they are grossly misinformed, especially about the real world end result of getting their way.
I was mostly stressing that they don’t have the same responsibilities and obligations most informed individuals have. When was the last time you had an entire weekend to devote to a lollapalooza or woodstock type event.
There will always be a new generation of socialist utopia idiots, especially since they tend to have kids by the dozen. Every generation thinks they are special and unique and can do things so much better than their idiot parents.