The Real Wasted Vote

The Republican and Democratic Charlie Browns are at it again. Election cycle after election cycle, the Republican and Democratic Lucy politicians of America promise to hold the football for Charlie Brown-- for sure, this time, instead of pulling the ball away at the last second so to make Charlie Brown fall on his butt as he tries to kick his field goal.

“Cut spending, lower taxes,” the Republican politicians say. And the Charlie Brown voters fall on their butts once again.

Restore our rights, get out of foreign wars,” the Democratic politicians say. And the Charlie Brown voters fall on their butts once again.

What makes anyone think that this year will be any different? If you keep on doing what you have always done, you'll keep on getting what you always got. And if you keep on voting for Republicrats who try to sound like Libertarians at election time, you'll keep on getting higher spending, higher taxes, more big brother, and more costly foreign wars affecting the lives of our nation's young and the nation's pocket book. Lots of sore butts out there.

Many people fall for the Lucy trap because of what is known as the “wasted vote” syndrome. It is thought that voting for the lessor of two evils is better than allowing the opposition party to take power.

But voting for the lessor of two evils is still evil and if evil takes power does it really matter if the evil manifests itself on the margin for more taxes, spending and regulation with a loss of our rights and the continuation of a destructive foreign policy, rather than on the margin for a loss of our rights, the continuation of a destructive foreign policy, and slightly less of “more taxes, more spending and regulation?”

Not a dollars worth of difference (in these inflationary times).

What many people don't realize is that politics is not a horse race. It is a protracted conflict in the battle of ideas and trends matter. One does not have to win to effect change.

If a person believes that the libertarian philosophy is the wave of the future then one should register that belief now by voting for Libertarian candidates in the coming election. The more votes Libertarians get, the sooner will a libertarian future be achieved.

And here in Illinois it is even more critical to do so, for to achieve “major party” status, the Libertarian Party needs to get 5% of the vote or more. If Lex Green, Libertarian candidate for Governor, gets over 5%, then the onerous ballot access requirements that have prevented the Libertarian Party in the past from becoming viable will no longer be operative, and Libertarians in subsequent elections can concentrate their efforts on the election rather than managing the multiple hurdles the major parties have placed to make it so difficult to get on the ballot.

So in this election, make the smart choice. Vote for who or what you truly believe in. And if the belief is freedom, don't waste your vote, vote Libertarian.