Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Throwing Away My Vote?
Election Day 2006. Imagine that previous statement in my best movie-preview voice. It was an interesting night around the country as the House made a huge swing to become controlled by the Democrats. Of course, here in Texas, the races had all the excitement of watching paint dry. While the rest of the country moves towards the center, Texas stays redder than ever.
This brings me to the subject of my post. There were four main candidates in the Texas governor's race. Rick Perry - the predetermined winner who felt no need to campaign and wound up winning with less than 40%; Chris Bell - this election's sacrificial lamb from the Democrats; Carole Keeton Strayhorn - the tough grandma determined to "shake up Austin," whatever that was supposed to mean; and Kinky Friedman - the true independent who was always in over his head and never had a chance.
So who did I vote for? The only candidate I could in good conscience vote for - James Werner. It's unfortunate that the Libertarian Party won't ever get more credibility and/or support. Oh well.
I had thought about voting for Kinky (I figured he at least had more of a chance than Werner). But when I checked the Star-Telegram's voting guide to read about the propositions on the ballot, I checked out the gubernatorial candidates' points of emphasis for their campaign. Kinky had two that I could never get behind - he wanted to send 10,000 National Guard Troops to the border to punish those that hire illegal immigrants and he wanted to legalize casino gambling in Texas. No thank you.
Anyway, am I really throwing my vote away if I vote for the candidate I agree with the most despite the fact that I know that person won't win? Some people would say yes, but I obviously disagree.
One final note...the best speech of the night goes to Harold Ford, Jr., for his stirring concession speech. I'm not sure what his main platform is, but it seems like for the first time in a long time, the Democrats actually have some potential future stars. He would be one to keep an eye on, although I would be surprised if he could seriously challenge Lamar Alexander for the other Tennessee Senate seat.
This brings me to the subject of my post. There were four main candidates in the Texas governor's race. Rick Perry - the predetermined winner who felt no need to campaign and wound up winning with less than 40%; Chris Bell - this election's sacrificial lamb from the Democrats; Carole Keeton Strayhorn - the tough grandma determined to "shake up Austin," whatever that was supposed to mean; and Kinky Friedman - the true independent who was always in over his head and never had a chance.
So who did I vote for? The only candidate I could in good conscience vote for - James Werner. It's unfortunate that the Libertarian Party won't ever get more credibility and/or support. Oh well.
I had thought about voting for Kinky (I figured he at least had more of a chance than Werner). But when I checked the Star-Telegram's voting guide to read about the propositions on the ballot, I checked out the gubernatorial candidates' points of emphasis for their campaign. Kinky had two that I could never get behind - he wanted to send 10,000 National Guard Troops to the border to punish those that hire illegal immigrants and he wanted to legalize casino gambling in Texas. No thank you.
Anyway, am I really throwing my vote away if I vote for the candidate I agree with the most despite the fact that I know that person won't win? Some people would say yes, but I obviously disagree.
One final note...the best speech of the night goes to Harold Ford, Jr., for his stirring concession speech. I'm not sure what his main platform is, but it seems like for the first time in a long time, the Democrats actually have some potential future stars. He would be one to keep an eye on, although I would be surprised if he could seriously challenge Lamar Alexander for the other Tennessee Senate seat.
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I always went and "threw my vote away" in Kansas, which actually had some hope in this election, unseeding a lot of the crazies on their Board of Education. No matter what you know is going to happen, voting is a fabulous priviledge that we have in the United States and we should all be out taking advantage of it. It's not wasting a vote. You are letting your voice be heard, even if it's in the minority. I think that's important.
It's a shame libertarians never get any respect, but part of the reason for that is the whole libertarian ideal runs counter to the American concept of government.
In other words, our government is so bloated and self-dependent that it doesn't have room for people who think government should be transparent and unobtrusive.
I think we'd all be a lot better off without a massive bureaucracy whose chief goal is to support its own existence, but the average American isn't interested in such intricacies.
In other words, our government is so bloated and self-dependent that it doesn't have room for people who think government should be transparent and unobtrusive.
I think we'd all be a lot better off without a massive bureaucracy whose chief goal is to support its own existence, but the average American isn't interested in such intricacies.
I personally just wouldn't want to see casinos start popping up around the state. Plus, who does it benefit really? It just serves as another method for people that don't have the money to lose to waste it all away for that chance to "strike it rich." Much like the lottery.
Other than Nevada, which was built this way, name another state with casinos that benefits from them or seems better off. There's nothing for Texas to gain from casinos.
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Other than Nevada, which was built this way, name another state with casinos that benefits from them or seems better off. There's nothing for Texas to gain from casinos.
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