For some reason, in the good old USA, there are two things you are not allowed to talk about at friendly get togethers and/or family reunions: politics and religion.
The problem is alcohol. Once you drink enough, the filters are removed and eventually heated discussions take place, fists fly, people get hurt or killed, the authorities are called in and stubborn fanatics end up in jail. This is because there are generally two sides. We've been warned.
When it comes to political parties, I most closely resemble a Libertarian. I'm one of the very few Democrat leaning Libertarians. Most Libertarians claim to be reformed Republicans. Ron Paul is a good example. Libertarians flock to him even though he's Republican. The current Libertarian Presidential candidate, Gary Johnson is a recovering Republican.
I used to regularly attend Libertarian get togethers. One time, I was at an election watching party and I saw a "Libertarian" yelling at the bartender because she wasn't believing the way he wanted her to believe. The act of trying to force someone to believe your way is very un-libertarian. I've not attended another Libertarian get together since.They have a tendency to violate the rule in the 2nd paragraph which leads to the result in the 3rd paragraph.
I have a keep it simple philosophy to most everything I do. One of my favorite phrases at work when colleagues come ask me about a computer problem or a software problem is to say, "If it's too hard, you are doing it wrong." Voting is too hard and we aren't given enough choices. Voting should be as easy as or easier than paying credit card bills.
It should be as easy to get on a ballot as it is for a credit card company to send you a "you've been selected" letter in the mail. We've let political parties make things too hard. Therefore I'm renouncing any affiliations to political parties. But, I'm still going to vote Libertarian in the next election though. It's still the easiest way to go.
It gives me chills when someone, in one sentence, can announce their choice for president and family values. How can anyone think the government should be involved in enforcing family values? Do you think about what you are saying? You don't want the government controlling health care, but it's okay if they tell you who you can marry, when you can get divorced and when you can have kids? It gives me more chills than the title of this blog. Really.
Occasionally, on the Internet, you'll run across an ad that says something along the lines of, "Have dinner with Obama and his wife. We'll even cover the airfare". I clicked on one of these ads and discovered for each donation to his re-election campaign, you'll be entered for a chance to win! I read the small print and entered multiple times without donating anything. Always read the small print.
But, now I'm in his email list so I get all the emails trying to get me to donate "just $3" to help him continue his work for four more years. Obama talks a big game, but he never follows through. Being an, "I love my freedom more than my money" kind of Libertarian, I like Obama more than Romney, but I'm still voting for Gary. There's a catch phrase in there somewhere.
It's interesting getting the Gary emails along with the Obama emails. The Gary emails beg for money to try and accomplish some goal (like getting ballot access). Recently, they've started kicking Romney because the Republicans are trying to get the Libertarians removed from the ballots. I don't know if it's true or not. I've done no amount of investigations. All I've received are the Gary emails stating it as fact.
Obama emails almost always bash Romney; either directly or indirectly. Obama is getting outspent and apparently you must spend more than your opponent to get elected so please donate at least $3. "And remember, every time you donate, you'll be entering a chance to win dinner with me and my wife. We'll even cover the airfare." I have no idea if that's true either.
And remember the Wizard's First Rule: "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."
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