Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Friday, January 13, 2012

What If Elections Don't Matter?

What if Democrats and Republicans were two wings of the same bird of prey?


What if elections were actually useful tools of social control? What if they just provided the populace with meaningless participation in a process that validates an establishment that never meaningfully changes? What if that establishment doesn't want and doesn't have the consent of the governed? What if the two-party system was actually a mechanism used to limit so-called public opinion? What if there were more than two sides to every issue, but the two parties wanted to box you in to one of their corners?


What if there's no such thing as public opinion, because every thinking person has opinions that are uniquely his own? What if public opinion was just a manufactured narrative that makes it easier to convince people that if their views are different, there's something wrong with that -- or something wrong with them?


What if the whole purpose of the Democratic and Republican parties was not to expand voters' choices, but to limit them? What if the widely perceived differences between the two parties was just an illusion? What if the heart of government policy remains the same, no matter who's in the White House? What if the heart of government policy remains the same, no matter what the people want?

More

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Divide and Conquer!

Anonymous said...

so people are finally waking up to what's been actually going on in washington. Ever wonder why they have the bar set so high on third party canidates? to prevent anyone from taking power away from them. very simple! think about it does it really matter who's in there? the policies never seem to change!

Anonymous said...

Sounds about right to me. But I don't think Ron Paul fits into this and thats why dems & republicans don't like him but so many people do.

Anonymous said...

This has been going on for many years now, it's all just one party. The comment about third party candidates is correct. And there are better candidates than Ron Paul out there.

Anonymous said...

I thought the Electoral College had the final say.

Anonymous said...

652 said
"Ever wonder why they have the bar set so high on third party canidates?"

That bar has been set by the same clowns who spout on and on up here on the daily. The idealogues who cheerlead their respective side of the aisle and lap up any and all BS that they are fed are the #1 reason we find ourselves in the current political environment.

Bullard Construction said...

WTF, people? Wake up! Ron Paul had to join the Republican party because.. look at history here... Libertarians had never won an election in the last 200 years. Just guessing, if one wanted to be president, one would have to become either a republican or democrat, as in that's the only thing people vote into Presidential Office! I'm surprised that so many folks let this fact go by. 3 days before elections, the fear that one is "throwing their vote away" comes about for the third party voters that realize that among the R/D candidates they are voting for the lesser of 2 evils.
It's a real shame that this "throwing your vote away" idea exists, especially in today's horrible economic mess we're in! Good Lord, we're all starving out here, and going along with Mitt Romney like we still believe his lies! Good God.
If Ron Paul doesn't get in this time, we're all doomed. Our Fed reserve had 16 Trillion dollars available to pay off out national debt, but instead chose to bail out foreign banks. The train is running at full speed with 400 Congressmen partying their asses off at full speed with Obama at the wheel and Romney and Gingrich in the Co-
Pilot seat. The music is so loud they can't hear us along the tracks waving our arms saying that the train is going in the wrong direction! Gawd. They see out the window our waving hands and can't hear our shouts for the music of payola, but regret our "situation".
Isn't that Gary out there? and isn't that Ron Paul standing next to him? Why isn't Ron on the train?

Well, for good reason. It's a little known thing in congress but I find value in it. It's called MORALS.
It's a difficult concept for Democrats as well as Repubs, But Ron HAS THEM.

Think. people. Please do NOT listen to the ones who want to call him "isolationist" and such. Please go to his OWN website and listen to the words out of his own mouth. Difficult concept/ YES, IT IS! Surprisingly enough, most folks learn about candidates from what the OTHER candidates say about them! Really? YES!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Ron Paul doesn't have a snowball's chance in Salisbury to become president.