[extropy-chat] Re: late response to Dan/Technotranscendence

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Technotranscendence <neptune at superlink.net> wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 06, 2004 8:16 PM rick aperick at centurytel.net
> wrote:
> > Hey Dan; what is your personal policy on voting?
> 
> I don't really have one, but I don't have anything against.  I don't
> agree that it's some form of sanctioning of the results.  I can see
> an
> argument being made for wanting to influence the results.  After all,
> we're stuck with government for now.  (I don't know if you know, but
> I'm a free market anarchist.)

The 'sanctioning the results' argument is one more "don't waste your
vote" argument against voting for a third party candidate. I should
note that the leaders of both major parties here in the US are now
telling people that if they don't like any of the major candidates,
that they can protest by not voting, ignoring that there are plenty of
third party candidates.

What they are essentially trying to avoid is the case with the Greens
in 2000, where the Green candidate got more votes in certain Florida
districts than Bush won by, leading to the claim by some poor sports
that Nader is to blame for Bush. This conclusion obviously depends upon
the assumption that all Nader voters would have voted for Gore
otherwise, rather than not voting. The dems would rather not have to
deal with that issue, and the repubs don't want more claims of 'stolen'
elections.

I always say, if you don't like any of the major candidates, two
strategies are acceptable: either vote for the lesser evil, or vote for
a third party candidate. The powers that be don't care if you don't
vote. They would rather you didn't, actually.

If you can't find a candidate you can support, you aren't looking hard
enough.

"While I rarely see anything worth voting for, I can always find
something worth voting against." - Heinlein

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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