> > ...but I'm still voting Libertarian.
> >
> > -- Dave
>
> So, I'm curious. What impassioned plea?
>
> ~Mina "also voted Libertarian" moon

I was talking about that editorial on the front page telling me to go vote (and hinting strongly I should vote Republican). It didn't work. I voted for Badnarik.

Thing is, I used to be a hardline Republican. I never actually voted for them for President (I have this grand tradition of throwing my vote away--I voted for the guy with the ears twice, Nader once [yeah, don't ask about that one] and this year I voted Libertarian) but I was a huge Reagan supporter (but then again, at the time, who WASN'T? It's only since he left office that it became fashionable to bash him) I liked Bush the First well enough (but liked Perot better).

But then, round about the 92-94 timeframe, the religious wing of the party kind of woke up and decided they needed more power. And they got it. And pretty much ever since then, I've been extremely dubious of the GOP. Suddenly things that seem to be to be non-issues or fringe issues are major, all-encompassing issues. Like, for instance, gay marriage. Personally, I'm baffled that this is even an issue. I don't see how you can honestly object to allowing gays the right to get married except on the grounds of "it's against my religion/what I was taught to believe in/common decency!", none of which are good reasons for restricting the rights of a group of people. But suddenly it's part of the GOP agenda to get marriage defined as the union between one man and one woman. WTF?

I certainly have no problems being good friends with people who set their personal moral compass by the teachings of a religion--but I have a big problem voting for someone who will be in a position to impose those same personal moral choices on me or other people, especially when they seem to be making it abundantly clear that they will seek to do just that if and when they are elected.

I have other problems with the GOP besides the increased influence of the religious right. The GOP used to be the party of small government, of fiscal responsibility, of personal responsibility. However, the Bush administration increased domestic spending more than Clinton ever did, and higher than any President since LBJ. That doesn't sound like small government. The Bush administration was on a course of deficit spending even before 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq made such a course more necessary. That doesn't sound like fiscal responsibility. And again, it seems like the GOP's idea of "personal responsibility" is more about not letting gays get married rather than being about people taking personal responsibility for things like their own future, their health, and their children's welfare .

Don't get me wrong. If forced at gunpoint to choose between George Bush and John Kerry, I'd choose Bush easily, if only because of all the things I've mentioned that I don't like about Bush (besides the religious aspect) Kerry would be that times a thousand. Also, I couldn't ever vote for a Massachusets liberal for anything other than maybe Douche of the Universe.

But the fact simply is, I wasn't really forced to choose between Bush and Kerry. Turns out there's a BUNCH of names on that ballot. I could have voted Socialist if I'd wanted to (hell, I voted for Nader once--why not?) In the end, I decided the Libertarians most closely match my ideals. I think they're pretty loopy in a lot of aspects (their "ax the income tax" idea would never fly the way they want to do it, which is all at once and seemingly without any plan as to how they're going to faze out that huge government that depends on it to run first) but on the points of small, less intrusive government, fiscal responsibility and personal responsibility, they match pretty well. Plus they don't give a crap about gay marriage.

I listened to all the arguments about how a vote for a third party was a vote for Kerry, since I'd be taking away a potential Bush vote in the swing state of Colorado. In the end, I just wasn't swayed by it. Personally I wasn't really sure Colorado was as in danger of going blue as the polls and pundits predicted it to be (and in the end, I was proven right, as Bush won rather handily 52%-46%, considering we were touted as a swing state and a possible Kerry coup). I decided to continue the grand tradition of throwing my vote away and vote third party. I voted Libertarian for every race where they fielded a candidate, except our Senate race, where I voted for Beer Guy (it was just too perfect not to! Alas, he lost...) In the two local races where a Democrat was running unopposed, I abstained from voting. I also voted down that ridiculous ammendment to split our EVs (which failed, thankfully) and, for the first time in my life, voted to increase my own taxes so that we might build some trains near my house (which passed). So in my book, it was a pretty successful election, all things considered.

That concludes my completely random ramblings for today.

-- Dave