Otter Limits

Sorry couldn’t come up with a better title than this.

So I have been thinking a little bit about my own political affiliation. I began to even somewhat consider changing my political affiliation to the Republican party. I even borrowed a book from the library about the party (see most recent Currently Reading).

I remember that the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln! The party of Theodore Roosevelt! Both Presidents that I admire.

But is the Republican Party of today the same as it was then? I’m not sure. I don’t think so. I have not read much of the book yet so I might post some information about that once I get further in my reading.

But after thinking about it some I kind of came to my senses about affiliating myself with them.

Even though I do agree with the party’s stance on several issues, I can’t bring myself to agree with their stance on other issues.

And quite frankly, I am pretty sure that they would not have me anyway. LOL!

I certainly can’t bring myself to align with the Democrats either. Even thought this was technically the party of Jefferson, another President I admire, it has turned into something totally different. In my opinion, the Democratic Party seems to be okay with big government. That is, that the government is the solution to all of our problems. This is a generalization based on my own experiences within the party of course.

I’m not a Libertarian. Although I do agree with quite a bit of their positions, I think their position on the pro-life issue is not in line with mine and I will not align myself with them base don that principle alone.

So that is why I affiliate myself as an Independent.

I voted for Nader in the last election. Not because I agree with everything he has to say. But because it is my way of ‘flipping the bird’ at the two-party system. I think we could all be better off in most election if we had other choices. Granted, we do have other choices but not to the extend that these other choices would ever hope to get a significant amount of the electoral vote.

Take the last general election for example.

In the Presidential race, we had the ultra-liberal, somewhat shady past, Democrat on one side and the only kinda sorta Republican on the other. No real safe bet there.

And in the Washington gubernatorial race, we had the crook going up against the straight party line lying liberal on the other side. Again, no safe bet.

So as you can see, if we had more “real” choices, we could probably, just maybe, come up with some elected officials that aren’t corrupt businessmen or blind partisans that will do anything to please their party.

We might just get some elected officials that actually do work for the people.

It could happen. Although I am not holding my breath.

Or vice versa.

Like the title? I thought it was clever.

So this is sort of continuation of the posts “Lefty or Righty“ and “Lefty or Righty Part II” in addition to some of the conversations I have had with the self admitted “lefties” and “righties” on other posts recently.

I really just honestly can not claim allegiance to either side. Really.

There are some ideas the conservatives hold that I agree with. Take the pro-life stance for instance. I am pro-life. If you base my political ideology on that issue and that issue alone, you would consider me a conservative.

However, most conservatives favor the death penalty. I do not favor it. Again, I am pro-”life.” I think that killing anyone is wrong. So on that basis I can not be considered a true conservative.

There are some ideas that liberals hold that I agree with. Take the gun control issue for instance. I favor gun control as they do. I think there are people in the world that have no business owning a gun and we should do everything in our power to keep guns out of their hands. So if you base my political ideology on that issue and that issue alone, you might consider me a liberal.

However, most liberals favor government control in areas such as health care. I do not think that a government controlled and run health insurance company is going to fix any of the problems in our health care system in this country. So on that basis, I can not be considered a true liberal.

As I have stated before, both camps have some really good ideas. But both sides also have some I ideas I could do without.

Most “righties” are adamant about making it illegal to burn the American flag. I think making it illegal takes away a person’s right of free speech and free expression.

Most “lefties” lean toward an almost militant stance on protecting the environment. I think they sometimes take it too far and even sometimes use scare tactics to prove their side is right.

I consider myself a Christian. One would think this alone makes me a conservative. I disagree. Most evangelical Christian conservatives are vehemently anti-gay. They want nothing to do with them and preach hatred against them. I believe it is not my place to judge a homosexual based on what may or may not be a sin in the eyes of God. So while I agree with some of the theology and ideology of the Christian conservatives, I do not agree with them 100%.

I am a card carrying member of the ACLU. One would think that this alone makes me a liberal. I disagree. The ACLU stands for civil liberty and personal freedom. So do I. But I do not agree with 100% of their philosophy. I support them because I agree with that they stand for overall.

I did not vote for Obama. I did not and do not trust the man to run our country. That puts me out of the good graces of the Democratic party and with most liberals.

I did not vote for McCain. I’m not sure where this puts me with the Republicans, I’m sure out of their good graces.

I voted for Ralph Nader. I did so because I wanted to throw my support behind a person that is as opposed to the rule of the two-party system as I am.

So putting it all together…

Am I a lefty….sure, sometimes….but no.
Am I a righty…sure, sometimes….but no.

This is why I claim neither party (Democrat/Republican) nor political ideology (liberal/conservative) for my own. I have my own stance on the issues that fit neither sides mold completely.

So does this make me a moderate? Maybe. I’m not sure. Perhaps.

What are your thoughts?

Here is the plain truth about President Obama and how I have or have not supported him. I am writing this for the benefit of those that might be confused about my attitude toward and about him *wink*

When he first decided he wanted to run for President, I did not support him. In fact, quite simply I did not trust him.

During the primaries, I actually favored several candidates because I just really could not make up my mind who I liked based on what I had read about them. At one point, I supported Fred Thompson. I liked him and I trusted him. But once he left the race, I scrambled and started reading more about the other candidates for both parties. Still didn’t trust Obama. After searching, I briefly supported Mike Huckabee and even more briefly supported Mitt Romney.

However, my feelings of distrust for any of them led me back to how I have usually felt about the two parties and I began looking at the several independent candidates instead. This eventually led me to side with Ralph Nader.

Then, during the Presidential campaign, there was a brief time in which I did in fact support Obama. Honestly, the only thing that compelled me toward him was (1) that I did not trust McCain either, I thought his policies would just be an extension of George W. Bush and I really did not want that; and (2) I had a feeling of not wanting to “waste my vote” by voting for an independent. Bad move on my part.

However, as I said, this was a brief moment and I quickly came back to my senses and went back to support Mr. Nader.

So the election was over. Obama got elected. What is done is done. I did not trust the guy but he is our President now, like it or not. I will support him as the leader of our country until I am given a good reason not to. That does not mean that I will support all of his policies. I will just support him as leader and hope that he does not fail us.

Time will tell what becomes of that hope.

Any questions?

Same magazine that compiled the previous list. This list was also compiled in December 2006.

This is a list of the most Influential Americans that are still living.

1. Bill Gates (#54 on the Top 100 – see previous list)
2. James D. Watson (#68)
3. Ralph Nader (#96)
4. Bob Dylan
5. Steve Jobs
6. Steven Spielberg
7. William F. Buckley Jr. (Who is actually dead but as I said, it was compiled in 2006)
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Sandra Day O’Connor
10. Opray Winfrey

This list courtesy of The Atlantic, which is a magazine that discusses literature, political science, foreign affairs, and economics.

This is a partial list of something they compiled in December 2006.

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. Franklin D Roosevelt
5. Alexander Hamilton honestly I am not sure how he ended up so high on this list
6. Benjamin Franklin
7. John Marshall
8. Martin Luther King Jr
9. Thomas Edison
10. Woodrow Wilson Kind of surprised he showed up so high in this list as well

And Ralph Nader made the list as well at # 96!

These are the percentages of the vote that Nader gathered in this last election.

1. Washington – 0.9% That’s it?!? We couldn’t even get 1%. Very sad.
   
2. Oregon – 1%
   
3. California – 0.8%
   
4. Alaska – 1.2%
   
5. Hawaii – 0.8%
   
6. Arizona – 0.5%
   
7. Nevada – 0.6%
   
8. Utah – 0.9%
   
9. Idaho – 1.1%
   
10. Montana – 0.7%
    
11. Wyoming – 1%
    
12. Colorado – 0.6%
    
13. New Mexico – 0.6%
    
14. Texas – None
    
15. Oklahoma – None The politicans in Oklahoma did not allow him on the ballot. You are forgiven.
    
16. Kansas – 0.8%
    
17. Nebraska – 0.7%
    
18. South Dakota – 1.1%
    
19. North Dakota – 1.3%
    
20. Minnesota – 1%
    
21. Iowa – 0.5%
    
22. Missouri – 0.6%
    
23. Arkansas – 1.2%
    
24. Louisiana – 0.4%
    
25. Mississippi – 0.3%
    
26. Alabama – 0.3%
    
27. Florida – 0.3%
    
28. Georgia – None
    
29. South Carolina – 0.3%
    
30. North Carolina – None
    
31. Tennessee – 0.4%
    
32. Kentucky – 0.8%
    
33. Illinois – 0.6%
    
34. Michigan – 0.7%
    
35. Wisconsin – 0.6%
    
36. Indiana – None
    
37. Ohio – 0.7%
    
38. West Virginia – 1%
    
39. Virginia – 0.3%
    
40. Maryland – 0.6%
    
41. Pennsylvania – 0.7%
    
42. New York – 0.5%
    
43. New Jersey – 0.6%
    
44. Deleware – 0.6%
    
45. Connecticut – 1.1%
    
46. Rhode Island – 1%
    
47. Massachusetts – 0.9%
    
48. Vermont – 1%
    
49. New Hampshire – 0.5%
    
50. Maine – 1.5%

And overall, he received (as of today’s count) 677,061 votes, which accounts for 0.5% of the popular vote.

Source: Associated Press.

Mr. Nader recently gave his policy for tax reform in this quick little poem:

“tax first what we burn not what we earn.
tax first what we bet not what we net.”

Quick easy way to sum it all up for the sound bite folks.

Earlier today I was talking with a co-worker about Ralph Nader and why I was supporting him over the 2 major party candidates. During the discussion I mentioned the term consumer advocate at which I was asked, “What is a consumer advocate?” It had not dawned on me that there are people that don’t actually know what this means so I thought I would explain it a little here so those that read it might have a better understanding of where Mr. Nader is coming from.

In its simplest terms, a consumer advocate is a person (or group) that fights to protect consumer interests in areas such as safety or health. They lobby the government to regulate industries about their goods and services.

For instance, laws such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or the Truth in Lending Act were federal laws in this country brought about by consumer advocacy.

In Mr. Nader’s case, his efforts have led to things like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Drinking Water Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Other notable consumer advocates include Florence Kelley, who works primarily in the area of children’s rights.

In the United States, groups such as the Better Business Bureau, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and Consumer Federation of America, are considered consumer advocacy groups.

So who are consumer advocates? Quite simply, they are lobbyists that lobby not for big business, but for the only special interest group that should matter, the people of the United States.

When you go vote tomorrow (or later today depending on where you are in the country when this was posted) remember who is really on your side? The Democrats? The Republicans? Or is it someone who has been fighting for you for almost 5 decades.

Vote Nader for President!

Chris Hedges writes on truthdig.com:

I know the tired arguments against a Nader vote. He can’t win. A vote for Nader is a vote for McCain. He threw the election to George W. Bush in 2000……

…Nader would win among us in a landslide if this [election] was based on issues. Sen. Barack Obama’s vote to renew the Patriot Act, his votes to continue to fund the Iraq war, his backing of the FISA Reform Act……his refusal to champion universal, single-payer not-for-profit health care for all Americans, his call to increase troop levels and expand the war in Afghanistan, his failure to call for a reduction in the bloated and wasteful defense spending and his lobbying for the huge taxpayer swindle known as the bailout are repugnant…………Nader stands on the other side of all those issues.

So if the argument is not about issues what is it about?

What do you think? What is this election about if not the issues?