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MY VOTE IS FOR SALE
Vanity | July 4, 2002 | B. A. Conservative

Posted on 07/04/2002 6:16:32 AM PDT by B. A. Conservative

It is beyond challenge that most, if not all, of the problems America faces today originate in Washington. It is fallacious reasoning to suggest that the problem lies with the people of the United States. Our government is a republic. Our republic is predicated on the theory that those elected to public office have intellectual competence, educational skills or experience that exceeds that of the electorate and that those elected public leaders will do what is right for the country even in opposition to commonly perceived public opinion. During most of the past century, the political class has demonstrably failed to lead, but have instead become political prostitutes selling laws and benefits in exchange for votes transforming our Constitutional republic into a tyrannical mob-rule democracy destined for bankruptcy. Non-producing parasites now use the Democratic Party to prey on their neighbors, the still producing members of our country.

Under our Constitution, the power of the United States resides in We the people. For too long, we have allowed that power to be delegated or sold by the prostitutes in both political parties, primarily those in Washington. Clearly, ours has become a top>down government. As one voice among We the people, I think it is time to withhold the delegation of that power by only delegating it to selected politicians and then only with strings attached. FreeRepublic is a much larger segment of We the people, with a much larger voice. We at FreeRepublic are the roots of the grassroots. Newcomers and some that have been frequenting this site for years may deny that Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives because of the discussions that took place on this web site. They are wrong. Our voice is loud and it is heard in the Halls of Congress and in the Whitehouse. The stain that will be remembered in history is not the stain on Monica's dress; it is the stain of Impeachment. And that stain came from the computer ink that spilled from the hearts of Freepers determined to see justice done. We at FreeRepublic are the roots of the grassroots. The buck starts here.

There has been a great deal of discussion on FreeRepublic lately about what role we should play in this fall's election and that we should cut Bush and the Republicans some slack. Variations of this theme have been discussed on other threads: "THAT which you believe"---"An open letter to Republicans" by redrock. I particularly like the comments by DoughtyOne and "Move the RINOs and we move the party. I really think it's that simple," by NickDanger.

Ronald Reagan won two landslide elections by telling Americans he was going to cut the government in Washington down to size. The Contract with America gave the Republicans control of both houses of Congress for the first time in roughly thirty years. Prior to the Contract with America Republicans only had control of even one house in Congress one other time in 70 years. The lesson that Republicans seem to have difficulty in learning is that the people are conservative and when presented a conservative agenda they will vote for it. And conversely, when pandering is all that is offered, the public prefers the real prostitutes every time. I have a solution to this problem. I call it the

Contract with Congress

I am not giving my vote to anybody in November. I have decided to auction my vote in this fall's Congressional elections. Politicians are going to have to bid for my vote. I have decided not to exclude any particular politicians or parties from the bidding. And I have decided to attach some rules to the bidding itself:

  1. There is a minimum bid.
  2. Anyone defaulting on any part of the minimum bid will be barred from consideration for future auctions.
  3. A public pledge to guarantee to bring the minimum bid to the floor for a vote is an acceptable alternative to a written and signed contract, although anyone offering a written and signed contract similar in format to the Contract with America will be given preference.
  4. Any part of the minimum bid or "contract" not enacted into law will be supported and returned to the floor in the next or subsequent sessions of Congress as required until enacted into law.
  5. If there are no acceptable bids for my vote in Congressional races per the rules above, my vote (normally Republican straight ticket) will not be cast at all.

    Minimum Bid:

    1. Complete scrapping of Title 26, Subtitle A-Income Taxes.
    2. Replacement of the Income Tax with the Fair Tax, the Flat Tax, or a combination of the two.
    3. The growth of government spending is unacceptable. I not only want it stopped; I demand that it be reversed by at least 2% per cent per year for at least the next two years. In 2004, I will re-evaluate to determine whether or not the rate of reduction should be adjusted for future years.
    4. No more socialism. That means no new payments to individuals except for services rendered or goods purchased. That means no new grants to organizations, public or private, and no new grants to state or local governments.
    5. Immediately begin the voluntary privatization of Social Security using the Cato plan.

    This is only the Minimum. There are a number of suggested options that politicians could add now or that we will add in future contracts for future elections.

    Suggested Options:

    Most of these problems would eventually be solved by Term Limits. I think the Term Limits Amendment should be saved as part of the ultimate threat packaged as a part of a package to be presented under Article V to a Constitutional Convention. It takes time to put together sufficient public arousal and support to apply the kind of pressure that we may need to bring to bear on people who are used to exerting power rather than being subjected to it.



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: constitution; freedom; tyranny
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Is there a single Freeper who would not like to change the course of our government?

Is there a single Freeper who believes that we can change the Democratic Party into a conservative party?

Clearly we must defeat the Democratic Party if there is to be any chance to change America for the better. And just as clearly, there is only one other political party that can defeat the Democratic Party within a meaningful time period. Many of us would not live long enough to see a third party, absent a charismatic leader with the political strength and conservative appeal of Ronald Reagan, that could supplant the Republican Party.

With the few notable exceptions mentioned above, the past Republican leaderships have not been up to the task of defeating Democrats. The current Republicans in office, the Republican leadership in Congress and the President seem more committed to staying in office than in making a difference. Staying in power by enacting the Democrats agenda is only better because Republicans are better Commanders-in-Chief.

What the Republicans and some Freepers have not realized is that we are in far graver danger of losing America and our freedoms to the Socialists than to any danger posed by the terrorists. The United States is not going to be brought down by foreign enemies. But we must defeat the socialists and the Democratic Party. This is only going to happen if conservatives take control of the Republican Party.

Re-electing leaders who refuse to adopt a conservative platform or have failed to enact the conservative agenda is not the solution to changing the course of America. We can and we must demand more from the Republican leadership at the national level.

The military knows how to deal with discipline problems and to instill unity of purpose in the troops. No attempt is made to identify an individual perpetrator or violator of performance standards. Instead the commander punishes the entire unit for the offense or failure, leaving members of the unit to deal with the offender.

If it becomes necessary to enforce our threat not to vote, that means not voting in local or state races as well. Ours is a bottom-up grass roots effort. Local and state candidates who face the loss of office without our support will multiply our power with the national leaders. I fully recognize the loss of power Republicans face if conservatives are forced to make good on their threat to stay home. An idle threat has no power.

What if I am wrong? Let's look at each scenario in which I am wrong.

What if the Republicans ignore us, and continue courting and counting on the middle to keep them in power? Then conservatives must make good on their pledge and stay home in the 2002 election. If Republicans lose power, they will be able to hear us the next time they run for office. And if Bush is half the man that he is portrayed to be, or that he would have us believe that he is, he can deal very effectively with a Democratic Congress for two years. Significant Republican losses resulting from our conservative boycott in 2002 will resonate loudly in every Republican race in 2004, including the Presidential primary/election. And if we engineer a Republican victory in either 2002 or 2004 as a result of the Contract with Congress, we will have accomplished a tremendous feat. We will have proven that the power of We the people is not an empty promise and we will be well on the path of restoring our Constitutional Republic.

I believe Congressional Republicans and maybe the President are listening to the media. The constant media propaganda barrage is designed to mislead the people into supporting the Democrats. The 24-hour a day non-stop barrage is affecting the Republican leadership as well. They are being misled into believing that Americans are not really conservative anymore. At the least, the Republicans are being brain washed into believing we want a touch of socialism to go along with our independence. It is up to FreeRepublic to show the Republicans and everyone else that the media does not speak for the people. We do! And the people are conservative.

What if it's too late and we learn that either a majority or a substantial plurality of the American people are really socialistic rather than conservative? Then the people are not "United" and don't share a belief in the principles of freedom that made the United States great. If that is true, the sooner we get on with secession and the reinstitution of a new Constitutional republic that guarantees freedom the better.

The status quo or a continuing descent into socialism is unacceptable. Are there any patriots left? "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

1 posted on 07/04/2002 6:16:32 AM PDT by B. A. Conservative
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To: B. A. Conservative
Freepers,

I am right about this. I have forgotten the origin of this parable and the precise details, but it has great wisdom in regard to the current political environment.

There are a significant number in any society who routinely have the power to put others to death. There is normally only one who can spare those already sentenced to death by others. The ability to withhold death from someone sentenced to die is real power.

By itself, or even in multitudes, our vote is of limited power. The source of the power that we need to change the course of history and the course of our government lies in the power to withhold our vote, not in casting it for Republicans advocating the status quo.

2 posted on 07/04/2002 6:17:13 AM PDT by B. A. Conservative
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To: steve50; JohnGalt; fporretto; George Frm Br00klyn Park; tacticalogic; VoodooEconomist; Wolf_E; ...
As you contemplate today's historic occassion and listen to the many ringing reports on freedom and its benefits, listen carefully to the doubt and how often you hear the word "still" or some other qualifying adjective that carries the implication that some measure of our freedoms no longer exists. Everyone knows we have lost some measure of our freedoms, but no one seems to know how much, where it went, whether it can be recovered, or whether the loss of freedom is ongoing and irreversible. The frustration evident in their voices while relishing the fact that we are "still" the freest people on earth, betrays the confidence in their statements and should flag for those with a questioning mind to do a searching review of the present state of our nation.

If this were the financial world dear reader, this would be followed by a comment regarding do your own due diligence determination. And this would be followed by a disclaimer, "Warning past history or prior performance is no guarantee of future returns." And this is the price of throwing away the United States Constitution. Preserving the sanctity of the Constitution was as close to a guarantee of freedom as you are ever going to encounter. Have americans (small "a" intended) thrown away the promise of We the People for the empty promises of politicians? What is the value of the politician's promises for Social Security and the Social Security Trust Fund, public education, eradication of poverty, and the eradication of drug use? Can anyone actually name and back up with facts, a single government program that actually works as intended and that we can all share in the pride of accomplishment as opposed to feeble attempts to justify?

Three quick questions:

  1. Do you personally (or we as a nation) enjoy more or less freedom than ten years ago? Thirty years ago? Fifty years ago?
  2. Is your loss of freedom reversible?
  3. Is it worth the effort to you personally to attempt the recovery of the freedom you have lost?
  4. Is there any other mechanism besides the one I have proposed that offers a "real" chance to recover your (our) lost freedom?
  5. Is the alternative equal to or better than the one I am proposing?

3 posted on 07/04/2002 6:22:07 AM PDT by B. A. Conservative
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To: B. A. Conservative
I am not so anxious to scrap the filibuster as there are times (like passing the Patriot Act) that more time for thought is a very good thing. Sometimes a runaway train can be stopped by spiking the driver wheels.
4 posted on 07/04/2002 6:28:31 AM PDT by hoosierham
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To: B. A. Conservative
"Ronald Reagan won two landslide elections by telling Americans he was going to cut the government in Washington down to size."

Was the government smaller when Reagan left? Kinda think not!

5 posted on 07/04/2002 6:29:08 AM PDT by mdwakeup
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To: B. A. Conservative
You've worked very hard at this post and I applaud your efforts. Real conservatives need to get off thier collective butts and start running for office: from dog catcher to state legislature and on up.

B U M P

6 posted on 07/04/2002 6:33:26 AM PDT by Tourist Guy
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To: B. A. Conservative
Good thoughts, but why hang your hopes on the GOP? They have proven that they aren't going to do more than pretend to be conservative, no matter what electoral gains they make by running on conservative issues.

It struck me as odd that you would ask if any of us believe that the democrats could be made a conservative party. You should be wondering whether the republican party can be made conservative. The years since Reagan have pretty well shown that the GOP can be dressed up in conservative clothes but can't be made to do more than play dress up.

I think we're going to have to scrap both parties. Together, both total fewer than a million in actual membership anyway. Most voters don't belong to either party. Looking at what the parties have delivered it's incredible that anyone belongs to either of them at all anymore.
7 posted on 07/04/2002 6:35:57 AM PDT by Twodees
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To: B. A. Conservative
..There is a minimum bid...

An interesting treatise BA..and all worthwhile objectives. But with the minimums you have set you're not going to be doing a whole lot of voting. At least you won't be voting for anyone who will make a difference, i.e. has a chance to win.

A more pragmatic approach might be to realize that your ideals are to strive for but not absolute. Sometimes it's good to take a page from the enemy's book.

The evils of socialism did not happen overnight..they were inflicted incrementally. Incrementalism is the only strategy that seems to work in the long run.

Good luck in your voting process...let us know who you actually wind up voting for and if in fact they were elected :)

8 posted on 07/04/2002 6:49:35 AM PDT by evad
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To: B. A. Conservative
How do you report suspicious activity?
9 posted on 07/04/2002 7:04:23 AM PDT by Illbay
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To: B. A. Conservative
Bump
10 posted on 07/04/2002 7:13:18 AM PDT by RadicalRik
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To: B. A. Conservative
Some great thoughts, good work.

I'd appreciate scraping federal gun control laws along with scrapping the income tax.

Did you mention a provision that would require citing specific Constitutional authority for any new legislative attack act on for the American people?

11 posted on 07/04/2002 7:20:18 AM PDT by Eagle Eye
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To: Luis Gonzalez; joanie-f; William Wallace; DeSoto; Washington_minuteman; AuntB; Jeff Head
Some constructive ideas........

redrock

12 posted on 07/04/2002 7:24:19 AM PDT by redrock
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To: tpaine; DoughtyOne; nunya bidness; Texican; deep_anarchist; Carry_Okie
Some constructive ideas....

redrock

13 posted on 07/04/2002 7:25:16 AM PDT by redrock
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To: B. A. Conservative
Bump for an excellent post.

I'm printing off that contract, and sending it to EVERY one of my Republican representatives from the village, county, state and federal level.

I wonder what their reply will be?

14 posted on 07/04/2002 7:25:37 AM PDT by usconservative
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To: Snow Bunny; 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub; JohnHuang2; christine11
Some constructive ideas...

redrock

15 posted on 07/04/2002 7:26:13 AM PDT by redrock
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To: B. A. Conservative
Excellent work!!!!!

redrock

16 posted on 07/04/2002 7:28:04 AM PDT by redrock
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To: B. A. Conservative
BUMP!
17 posted on 07/04/2002 7:39:57 AM PDT by carenot
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To: B. A. Conservative
I agree that the solution begins with term limits. The power of Washington seems to corrupt almost everyone. No matter what campaign promises were made, everything subsequently becomes secondary to getting re-elected.

If we could only return to the Founders' ideal of citizens giving up a couple of years in service to their country and then returning home. If you look at most of our problems, they result from "professional politicians." My congressperson has never, except for summers during college, worked an honest job. From college to state legislature to congress. One of the most "tax and spend" liberal democrats.

I used to live in a Republican district. We elected a woman who campaigned on term limits, saying she would serve at most six years. She wasn't in office one month, before she backed off her promise, because she could best serve her district by gaining seniority. I say "B.S." She could best serve her district by keeping her promise.

The system and the power are just too corrupting.
18 posted on 07/04/2002 7:46:41 AM PDT by bballbob
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To: evad
The evils of socialism did not happen overnight..they were inflicted incrementally. Incrementalism is the only strategy that seems to work in the long run.

OK, I'll ask.

When did it seem to work?

I seem to have forgotten.

19 posted on 07/04/2002 7:48:39 AM PDT by carenot
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To: B. A. Conservative
MY VOTE IS FOR SALE

When I read the title I thought this had been authored by a member of Congress.

20 posted on 07/04/2002 7:50:06 AM PDT by UnBlinkingEye
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