Core Dump

Found this over on a Slashdot story about how attacks on voting machines are practical (despite arguments to the contrary):

The problem is our elections are supposed to be transparent by law.
The problem is our elections are supposed to have public oversight.
The problem is a private company can not provide public oversight.
The problem is electronic vote tabulation devices use invisible signals which no human (especially a poll watcher) can see.
The problem is China or North Korea could decide our elections and we wouldn’t know.
The problem is there is no electronic vote tabulation device (or electronic vote registration poll book device) which can be validated with public oversight.
The problem is without public oversight, no election can be validated.
The problem is if our elections can not be validated, we can not hold our representatives responsible.
The problem is if our representatives can not be held responsible, they tend to ignore the rule of law.
The problem is if our representatives ignore the rule of law, they tend to ignore protecting the US Constitution against all enemies.
The problem is when the US Constitution is ignored, we no longer live in a Constitutional Republic.
The problem is when we no longer live in a Constitutional Republic, we slip into fascism.
The problem is we have slipped into fascism.
The problem is ignorance is no longer an excuse for corruption.

It was, of course, posted Anonymously… but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.

It’s an all-to common complaint, no doubt heard by everyone sooner or later. The complaint of a disinterested voter, saying that they don’t really like either of the candidates from the two major parties, but that they’re voting for one or the other because “they are the lesser of two evils.”

Maybe you’ve even had this thought yourself. I know it crossed my mind when I was younger. But before you commit yourself on Election day, consider this: the lesser of two evils is still evil. So why not take a principled stand and vote for a 3rd party candidate?

There’s really no reason not to – after all, if your reasoning has let you pick one candidate because they’re “not as bad” as the other one, then certainly one of the 3rd party candiates would be even less “bad” by that same reasoning. And wouldn’t it be nice to have some change for once?

I can hear your retorts already: “but voting for a 3rd party candidate is a waste of my vote!” Hogswash. A principled vote is never a wasted vote, for one thing, and need I remind you that the President is not chosen by popular vote? Go read up on how the Electoral College works and then see how you feel.

Of course, some people will argue that they don’t want “the other guy” to win – which tells me that they’re in a state that is pretty much assumed to give their Electoral College votes to one particular candidate. And sure, if your state instead gives its votes to a 3rd party candidate, that might mean one less Electoral College vote for one of the main candidates – which might be enough to give the lead to “the other guy.” It’s a possibility, for sure.

But consider this – this race is pretty close by all accounts. So the candidates need every vote they can get. But – and this is the important part – they need a majority to win. Not just the most votes out of all candidates, but more than 50% of all Electoral College votes. Just a few states giving their votes to 3rd party candidates – or even just one big state – could potentially rob both candidates of the necessary votes to win a majority.

Can you imagine the signal that would send to politicians everywhere in this country? Sure, the 3rd party candidate wouldn’t probably “win” (without a majority, the decision gets passed to the House of Representatives), but it would certainly shake things up a bit! It would break the strangle hold the two main parties of this country have on our government – bring a little “fresh air” into the process, so to speak. No longer could politicians just assume that all they have to do is beat “the other guy” – they’d have to work harder to keep their jobs, and that means they’d listen more to their constituents.

Just the idea of a little bit of a shake-up on that level gives me goose-bumps. And the best part is that it all starts with your vote. If you weren’t planning on voting (shame on you!), think about getting out there and voting – not for who you think has the best chance of winning, but for who you really want to win. In many places, a few extra votes could make all the difference.

That would be real change. So think about that before you make up your mind who you’re going to vote for in this election – and if you know someone who’s made the “lesser of two evils” argument before – maybe pass this on to them, and maybe they’ll join you in a principled vote. When a lot of people make principled votes, it’s no longer just principled – it’s real change. And isn’t that what we need right now?

I’m sure I’m not the only one you’ll hear saying this, but in a few days when the election comes: GET OUT THERE AND VOTE.

Don’t forget that in many places you’re not just voting for the President – you’re also probably voting for one or more senators or representatives. And those votes are just as important – if not more so, actually.

Let’s not forget that the ultimate legislative power of this government lies with Congress – not the President.

Concerned about the war? Although the President is technically the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, it was Congress that approved the President’s plans and gave him the funding. (And it always is – only Congress can actually “declare” war.)

Concerned about the economy? Although the President gets to appoint and nominate a lot of people to positions such as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, his nominations must be approved by the Senate.

Concerned about education? Although the President can suggest solutions and try to “push” his suggestions, the ultimate decision is made and voted upon by Congress.

Concerned about health care? Whatever you think should be done about the health care system in this country, it’s Congress that will do it.

So get out there and vote. And if you really want to see some “change,” might I suggest a vote for the Libertarian candidate Bob Barr instead? I’m sure there are Libertarian candidates running in your area for the Senate or House of Representatives as well – give them your vote if you really want to see change. But, whomever you decide to vote for… just please, please do vote.

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed I lean rather heavily towards the libertarian end of the political spectrum (not really a spectrum, per se, more of a 2-D grid, but I digress…). So it should come as no surprise to you that I was quite happy this morning when I stumbled upon the blog (yes, blog) of recent presidential hopeful Bob Bar, who is trying out for the Libertarian party. (As an aside, his blog runs WordPress and has comments enabled – a rare thing for a candidate!)

I guess I just can’t help myself – I get really happy when I read things like this:

“I want to end the artificial control of the economy and end burdensome taxation; take a hard look at cutting cabinet positions; reduce the cost of the occupation of Iraq by beginning the process of removing the security blanket from the Iraqi regime . . . return respect for habeas corpus; reinstate the rule of law; stop the warrantless surveillance of American citizens; and remedy the abuses of the Patriot Act. . . .”

If you’ve felt at all disillusioned with the existing two parties recently, try spreading the word about the Libertarian party. Encourage people to stop “voting for the lesser of two evils” and actually cast a vote that means something and that might actually change things, instead of just keeping the status quo around here. And even if (like me) you vote Libertarian just on principle, remember – a principled vote is never a wasted vote.

Political candidates from the two main parties often go on about how “it’s time for a change” and then they like to tell you how they’re going to do it – but really, the candidates don’t have the power to change anything. We the people are the ones with the power to change things. We the people are the ones who can take a stand against corruption and abuse and all the things that are wrong with our government today. So c’mon people – let’s make a change. Vote Libertarian!