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The BIG Reason

Music, opinions, and portfolio of Mark Eagleton, musician and web developer in Northern CA.

Declined To Declare

Who are you voting for for the President of the United States? Many of the people I know seem to be pretty much decided, depending, of course, on the outcome of their party's primary. Most are affiliated with the Democratic or Republican parties. A handful are Greens. I'm one of those decline to declares (that's Californian for no party affiliation). There are two parties that I'm drawn to, but they are largely on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Neither one trumps the other with a significant enough share of the issues that are important to me to pull me in one direction or the other. 

Nader Who are you voting for for the President of the United States? Many of the people I know seem to be pretty much decided, depending, of course, on the outcome of their party's primary. Most are affiliated with the Democratic or Republican parties. A handful are Greens. I'm one of those decline to declares (that's Californian for no party affiliation). There are two parties that I'm drawn to, but they are largely on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Neither one trumps the other with a significant enough share of the issues that are important to me to pull me in one direction or the other.

I don't know who I'm voting for yet. Since I have no party affiliation, the game doesn't really begin for me until the parties declare their candidates, anyway. From the media coverage, you'd think that the poles were open today. I suppose that's a testament to the job our current president is doing. For us staunch/militant decline to declares, all this primary race coverage is a bit annoying.

I just got an email from my buddy Ralph Nader, for whom I've voted and donated to money to in the past. He's deciding whether or not to declare his candidacy this time around. You see, he doesn't take money from corporations, so he's waiting for a more realistic date (maybe March or April) to see where he's at.

This is an impossible ideal in our duopolistic society, but one that I hold in extremely high regard. I'm sure most Americans feel the same, yet most of us vote the lesser of two evils. The irony is that we get just what we vote for—a country that is less evil than most. Even with our current president, we are still doing less evil than many countries, or at least doing much more good to help make up for it. I just think we can do better and should try harder.

Offset the "bipartisan" media coverage and have a look at the list of the "third party candidates" that are in the running this time around. Even if you don't vote for them, look at their take on the issues, and where their campaign financing comes from.

Not everyone running for president this year who has big plans for healthcare is taking campaign contributions from the people who are responsible for making it expensive in the first place.

If you are uncomfortabe voting your concience, don't be afraid to call bullshit to the face of the candidate you do vote for. In every communication I send to the Nader campaign I make it clear that their retarded stance on illegal immigration is where they really stand to loose my support.