Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Dracula for President; or, Why I Hate Politics

In view of the fact that pre-pre-election rumbling has now begun to be heard on the internet and in the news, I have decided to put this post out earlier than I had planned.  This is probably the only politically-themed post you will EVER read by me, so I suggest you either print it for posterity, or run away as quickly as possible...  And please note that these are MY PERSONAL OPINIONS.  I am not suggesting that I am "right" or that anyone else should agree with me, so please do not tell me I am wrong and should not feel this way.  If you do, I will probably send some very large bats to poop guano on your front doorstep.

I am not a politically-minded person.  I tend to avoid reading posts or watching news about politics as
much as I possibly can; I leave those for the people who care.  However, when countries with psychotic leaders, a relatively decent military, a developing nuclear program, and a history of attacking other countries start banging drums and dancing around bonfires while spewing hate at the USA, it does make me nervous.  Especially when our leaders don't seem to be too worried about it.  As I recall, a lot of political leaders, including those in the U.S., were pretty unconcerned when Hitler started doing that kind of thing in Germany back in the 1930s.

This brings me to voting.  I used to be an extremely conscientious voter.  I would read all the material they sent out, studying each proposition carefully before making my decisions.  We discussed the various pros and cons over dinner.  When Stuart turned 18, one of the wrapped gifts I gave him was a voter registration form (he was thrilled).  But I didn't vote in the last two elections.  Why?  Because the way I see it now, my vote doesn't really matter.

Now, before you (legitimately) explode over that statement, let me explain my point of view.  I live in California, and we have a serious economic problem here: it's called "bonds".  For those who may not know what bonds are in this context, basically they are loans that the voters agree to get now (for schools, road improvements, or whatever) that have to be paid back in ten, twenty or thirty years, using state tax money.  This means that the people who vote for the bonds frequently do not have to pay them back; instead, their children and/or grandchildren do, by paying higher taxes.  I have voted "No" on almost every bond measure that has been put on the ballot since I've been old enough to vote (that means almost 35 years), yet almost every one has passed.  In the last election, there was at least one bond on the ballot that was designed to pay off an old bond that has come due!  It's like when you max out a credit card, then get another credit card with a special introductory fee to "pay" the first one off with; you're not really paying it back, just changing lenders, because you don't have the money to pay it back.  This is what California is doing now.  I am fed up with robbing Peter to pay Paul, as the saying goes.  

Another pet peeve of mine is that if you don't vote for a Democrat or a Republican, especially for a major office (like the President), your candidate is almost guaranteed not to get elected.  Why have a multiparty system if only the same two parties EVER win?  For years I clung to the idea that if enough people started voting for candidates from other parties, eventually one would win, and the "curse" would be broken, but that has never happened, and it doesn't seem likely that it ever will, probably  because not enough people are willing to vote outside the two "socially approved" parties.  And don't even get me started on pork barreling!  I'm fed up with all this hypocrisy.  In fact, I'm fed up with the whole political mess in general.  And the only way I feel I can voice this is by not voting.

So, unless I find out that Dracula is running for President, don't expect to see me in a polling place any time soon.  And no, I would NOT vote for Dracula... unless, of course, his only real opposition was a Republican.  ;-)

11 comments:

  1. I hear you.

    I know very little about US politics, but I did read Dude, Where's my Country by Michael Moore a while ago. Seems he felt pretty much like you do. He'd thrown his weight behind the indie candidate, then realised last moment that votes for him would get Dubya elected. I get the feeling he never forgave himself!

    We have an election coming up in May. We may not have bonds but we do have a conservative (aka Republican) gov that is selling off large chunks of the country overseas. Including our health service (which contrary to right ring press is actually usually very good). I've always voted for the 'third' party, Lib Dem, who are currently in coalition with the Conservatives and have sold out every principle I believe in. Meh. I can't vote labour because the bloke leading them is a complete clueless arse. The right are surging up the polls on an anti-immigration / anti-woman manifesto (UKIP), and the Greens just blew their own feet off when they can't answer their own policy questions....

    Politics....it sucks whatever country you are in, but I do hear you over the national security issue (especially as it looks like the dear European Union is rolling over and caving into the flood of jihadists with agendas against the west here, protecting them under the 'human rights' umbrella. What about my brother's human rights, when a known Muslim extremist threatened to kill him and his family? Looks like that cretin is going to get off with it because the police investigation 'breaches his human rights'....).

    Think I need wine now....

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    1. apologies, I also read Moore's Stupid White Men and think the 2 have melded into my head as an outsider to US politics...

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    2. Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed your comments, as your politics sounds an awful lot like ours! Same problems, same stupid types trying to do the same stupid things; only the names have changed. Are you sure we live in different countries?????

      And I'm SO sorry that your brother isn't being better served by the authorities. I hope the creeps have at least backed off and are leaving him and his family alone.

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    3. Well the creep that threatened to kill him is currently behind bars on remand for grevious body harm to another person. The woman who caused the trouble has given evidence against him and had all charges dropped, which sucks because she instigated the whole act against him when she was going to be sacked for her own terrible performance. My brother has actually resigned from his job as a result of the stress and is having ongoing therapy. Meanwhile she gets to skip about with an unblemished record.

      Still, big bro is enjoying his 'gardening leave' and hopefully has another job lined up in a couple of months. And got a very nice settlement from his workplace for their failure to take care of him in the process.

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    4. I'm glad your brother is moving on and putting things back together, I hope he finds a WONDERFUL new job when he's ready for it! And I'm glad he got the settlement, he deserves that much at least.

      And hopefully karma will run over the bitch's dogma before too long. People who play in the gutter usually end up covered in muck themselves.

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  2. If Dracula ever runs for president he'll fit in with all the other blood-sucking politicians.

    Dracula aside though, I have to admit to having a fascination with politics. I studied political science in college and have always believed that the political scene always affects our lives, whether or not a person is involved.

    That said, I have never felt so politically impotent in my life. I strongly feel that, as a person who signed up to vote as soon as he came of age, I have no voice. Not only that, but my voice is no longer wanted or welcome; at least, on the federal and state levels.

    In spite of my fascination with the subject, I generally find it best not to bring up political topics on my blog. But yeah, Dracula for president. At least we'd know what we were getting.

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    1. Heh, I hadn't thought about Dracula actually fitting in with the politicians, but you are absolutely right!

      Seriously, though, if average peoples' voices are no longer welcome on either the state or federal levels (and I agree with that more and more as time goes by), then we no longer have a democracy. I shudder to think what will replace it...

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  3. We have a lot of countries banging drums and spewing hate around right now :-/. About IS I'm also concerned like breakingtheangel. They have recruiters all over Europe that dupe young people to join them. And it's absolutely a big no to make jokes about religion today.

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    1. We sure do, and it's scary. What's really weird is that I've known quite a few Muslims over the years, and NONE of them were crazy fundamentalist haters. I've read part of the Quran in English, and nowhere did I read anything about it being okay to hate or kill people because they weren't Muslims. You have to wonder where these angry, hating people (in ANY religion) come from, because it sure doesn't seem to be something their original leader advocated.

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  4. Politics in Australia is completely messed up these days too! :( These are very worrying times. And as has been mentioned above, IS-related incidents are starting to crop up here with alarming regularity.

    Voting is compulsory in Australia. Not that it makes any real difference as, in my opinion, we'd be better off with a bunch of Howler Monkeys than the current crop of politicians being offered up to us over here. *sigh*

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    1. What, you mean they're NOT howler monkeys????? ;-P

      Seriously, we've just got baboons and common chimpanzees over here. Plus a few cockroaches...

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