Does Anyone Read This Anymore?

I hope not. If no one has perceived by now how inferior my page is in the blogosphere (which may not be a "sphere" at all), then at least there is the realization that I do not update anymore: a cause to abandon reading this page altogether. I post anyway: to waste time, to avoid responsibilities.

Today, as most of us know, was election day. Who are what we were voting for, I have not a clue, probably like most Americans. I have a vague idea of what the elections are for: the House and the Senate and various other positions, but I do not know who was running, or what the candidates' political agendas were. I did not even read the news on who won. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

I usually feel guilty on election day for not voting. I do not vote for a multitude of reasons, ignorance being the primary one. If I am not at least aware of what the issues are, who is running, his or her stance, or even what the House and Senate really do (I have forgotten a lot of what I learned in AP Government), what gives me the right to put my opinion on a ballot and attempt to say who is supposed to run our country? An uninformed voter is dangerous. But the effort of keeping up with politics is taxing, especially when one could not care less what Kerry said about the soldiers in Iraq (or the Republican-run government), or could not care less about any other mudslinging that usually occurs--not only during elections, but throughout the year(s).

Everyone, however, is political to some degree, as Orwell points out (quite rightly). Even the statement: "I am not political," has political connotations: not being a member of a party or involving oneself in politics makes a statement about the party system and politics itself. So I confess that I, if reduced to confining myself to a party, lean heavily toward libertarianism (if the link to Lew Rockwell's website did not give you [O reader, should you exist] that indication). Naturally, the guilt that I felt today for not voting led me to see what on Lew Rockwell's website could justify my own ignorance, laziness, et cetera. I found Jeff Snyder's article, which, if you have the time, is good to read.

Snyder brings up an interesting--and valid--point: voting does not change things. We have all been taught that it does; that our opinion matters. But does it? Snyder clearly thinks it does not:

"If the Republicans retain control of the Congress after the history of the last six years, they will conclude, rightly, that they can essentially get away with anything, confident that their base will never abandon them as long as the party leadership and its associated spokesmen in talk radio, newspapers and evangelical Christians can continue to successfully portray the Democrats as closer to Pure Evil in the lesser of two evils sweepstakes known as elections. If the Democrats gain control of Congress, or at least the House, there seems precious little cause for celebration. This is the party that, given a President who lied us into an unjust and illegal war, who admits violating statutes and the Constitution and arrogates to himself the right to exempt himself from laws, cannot even bring itself to promise that, if it obtains majority control, it will end the war as expeditiously as possible, repeal the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act, defund the President’s illegal activities or commence impeachment proceedings."

We, as a nation, are stuck in the mess we are in, with little (if any) hope of change despite the election today. This is some sort of game, Snyder posits, that we believe we can win. But even if the parties do change on election day, "it is a delusion to believe there are two parties which stand for different principles, when one party never repeals or revokes the acts made while the other party was in control, but leaves them standing while pursuing its own, new agenda." This statement rings true: I cannot remember a time when a change in the Executive, Legislative, or Judicial branches of government really changed anything for me. I hear things: once we had a surplus, now we are in (huge) debt; the economy was doing well, now it's doing poorly, et cetera, but daily life goes on. I went to work, or school, I did my daily activities, and though prices went up (like for gas) they never did go back down, making it hard to distinguish the cause between inflation, greedy business owners, or those running the country. Whether a Democrat or Republican is in office, the status quo appears to be in tact. Change really comes through action and not an affirmation of your opinion, as Snyder tells us. I agree with him.

Snyder does not want to dissuade anyone from voting, as he states in his second paragraph. If you (O reader, if you are still with me) did, all the more power to you. I remind you that I looked up the article to avoid feeling guilty, and found the argument interesting. You should really read the article, as Jeff Snyder is far more eloquent and brings up more points. I think I have spent enough time already.