MY VOTE IS FOR SALE

Vanity | July 4, 2002 | B. A. Conservative

[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:

   • Amend the Constitution to provide for Term Limits for members of Congress and the Federal Judiciary.
   • Sunset law for all Federal Regulations not reauthorized within five years.
   • Sunset law for all Federal agencies not reauthorized within five years.
   • Balanced Budget Amendment that allows deficit spending only when there has been a Declaration of War by Congress or by a 60% majority vote of both houses of Congress when and if there is a previously accumulated saved surplus that is larger than the proposed deficit or by a two thirds majority vote in both houses if there is no saved surplus or the saved surplus is less than the proposed deficit.
   • All votes in both houses will be roll call votes electronically recorded and electronically verified by key encryption, password enabled.
   • Constitutional Amendment allowing Line Item Veto by the President.
   • Change the rules of the Senate eliminating the filibuster.
   • Constitutional Amendment repealing the XVII Amendment to the Constitution.
   • Abolish the Department of Education.

   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.

[headsonpikes]

I loved the bumper sticker..."Don't blame me, I voted for Kang."

[B. A. Conservative]

There is no time for incrementalism. The dollar has lost almost nine percent this year and is expected to lose another ten to twenty percent over the next few years. It is not possible to grow the economy sufficiently to keep tax rates constant and pay the unfunded liabilities of Medicare and Social Security. It not politically possible to raise tax rates or cut benefits sufficiently to meet those same unfunded liabilities. The only politically acceptable recourse will be to monetize those liabilities. By 2016 the dollar will be worthless. No country has ever survived the complete devaluation of its money.

Incrementalism is a vote to end the United States before 2016.

[Homer Simpson]

The next day, Kodos announces the result: "All hail, President Kang."

The field in front of the Capitol has now become a working ground where humans are whipped by aliens and used to carry materials.

The Simpsons family is working too, with Homer and the kids carrying wood, and Marge pushing a wheelbarrow of cinderblocks -- with Maggie on top.

Marge: I don't understand why we have to build a ray gun to aim at a planet I never even heard of.

Homer: Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!
-- "Treehouse of Horror VII"

[B. A. Conservative]

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

That is exactly what I would like to see every Freeper do as the first step. The second step is to give a copy to your family, friends, and anyone else that will listen. Pass them out as handouts at any meeting, church group, political assembly or public gathering of any kind.

The 1994 Republican Revolution did not result in the saving of our country. It got derailed. Now is the time to put the Reagan Renaissance and the Republican Revolution back on track.

[carenot]

. Drop paycheck withholding, put everyone on quarterly payments (like me) then sit back and enjoy the next 'peaceful' revolution at the voting booth.

I can't remember the the HR# but Ron has a bill before congress that will do just that.

[sixmil]

Another nice post, BAC. By term limits, do you mean to limit the number of terms served lifetime, or are you just concerned with back to back terms? If the later, I agree since these guys should really concentrate on the job instead of the next election, but a lifetime limit on terms would be undemocratic.

Someone should have the balls to turn Social Security into Welfare For the Elderly. Anyone who thinks that the gov't owes them all their SS taxes back plus interest at retirement age should realize that the Supreme Court ruled just the opposite in Flemming vs. Nestor in 1960.

People also need to put their money where their mouths are and stop sending their kids to public school, whether or not we have vouchers or an education tax credit.

There can be no moderate position on income, capital gains, property, and estate taxes; they must be completely abolished. Realize that this will be difficult as long as Republican Free-Trade-Uber-Alles types continue to demonize any increase in tariffs or other indirect taxes. Is there anything else we could tax instead? Pot? Raise VISA fees?

I would also suggest that we need to have mandatory military service for 3 years at age 18. Those who don't want to go into the military could serve their time as public servants (White House interns, congressional staff, etc.). There is a serious disconnect between the people and their gov't that causes a near total political ignorance in this country.

[exodus]

To: B. A. Conservative
I agree with you 100% and heck I have been doing this already.
There has been no one worth voting for in the past so I withold my vote from anyone.
The only two people i have voted for are our Beloved W and Perot.
(yes, Perot - protest vote as the best of 3)
If it were not for Perot, the balanaced budget would never have been discussed,
and eventually obtained.

Other Perot voters out there -
Don't let anyone tell you you threw away your vote-
the 20% of the popular vote scared people in Washington more than you can possibly imagine.
He also talked about whittling the govt down to size, and most of the above agenda...
# 28 by Mr. K

*************************

If those who voted for Ross Perot had simply stayed home,
the Republicans wouldn't have known that the votes they lost were conservative ones.

Statistics showing that voters were unhappy with liberal policies are meaningless;
no one trusts statistics anymore.
The votes for the conservative Ross Perot were solid, provable evidence
of the direction the people wanted to go.

The votes that the Republicans lost to Ross Perot
are directy responsible for the Contract with America,
and the Contract with America is the reason
that the Republicans won their majority in both houses of Congress.

If we don't vote at all, as has been suggested,
Republican's and other socialists will assume
that we won't work to change the direction of our policies.

The only way to send a message to the Republicans
is the way it was done in 1992.

Voting for a third party candidate works.

[B. A. Conservative]

"All sounded well and good until you got to the part about a Constitutional convention.."

The window of time in which there is a real meaningful solution to solving the problems of the unfunded liabilities of the entitlement programs is very short, a decade at the most. Incrementalism has been losing for fifty years, is destined to fail even if we had another century to give it another chance. Unfortunately, there are not many other alternatives. We have the ballot box, a Constitutional Convention, or the bullet box. For me, the choice is easy.

[headsonpikes]

Sure...make me look like I'm a Kang supporter! (see #41) ;^)

[exodus]

To: Homer Simpson
Yep, that is what we were all told.
I keep thinking of Rush saying if we didn't vote for Bush we would get Gore.
I decided to throw my vote away on Harry Browne.
So now we get President Bush.
I reckon I will just keep throwing my vote away.

If I refuse to vote THEY won't know I didn't vote.
I want them to know "they" didn't get my vote.
# 38 by carenot

*************************

It would have been better for our country if Gore had won.

Everyone would have known that the Republicans lost
because they had abandoned the values that won them control of Congress in 1994.

There would have been a groundswell of support
for a rededication to the Contract with America,
and the year 2004 would see a real conservative
in the White House.

[TXFireman]

"It would have been better for our country if Gore had won."

Ya better get yer bunker coat on. There are flames headed your way!

[LibKill]

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.

Yes. We could get away from the professional politicians and back to the citizen/legislator.

Term limits were part of the 'Contract with America'. And sadly it was not fulfilled.

[christine]

excellent post BUMP!

[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.

Well, as pertains to my comment, I was referring to the systematic strategy of the socialists, aka DemocRATS, to implement their distructive policies over the period of the last 40-50 years.

I would say for them that incrementalism worked very well. I didn't say that it was a good thing.

[christine]

It it the people of the United States who put these people in Washington. Surely they are to blame.

after the last election and the obvious vote fraud that occurs in our "free" elections, i am not so sure of that.

my biggest disappointment. from the get-go. with bush and the republicans is that they have chosen not to address this MOST important issue. if the people have no faith or suspect vote fraud, why should they vote? why haven't the republicans done something about this? why do they want to leave things status-quo? won't the crooks fine tune the deception and fraud next time?

i have little faith, at this point, of the power of my "vote."

[christine]

hello, fellow austinite! ;)

[evad]

Do we, that is Conservatives, have the patience?

No..we don't...and that's the problem and why incrementalism doesn't work for conservatives. We see right and wrong and pretty much no compromise in between.

[exodus]

To: exodus
"It would have been better for our country if Gore had won."

Ya better get yer bunker coat on.
There are flames headed your way!
# 51 by TXFireman

*************************

Thanks, TXFireman.
I've grown accustomized to flames since the election.

[carenot]

I would say for them that incrementalism worked very well. I didn't say that it was a good thing.

LOL

Point taken. You're right!

[evad]

Incrementalism is a vote to end the United States before 2016.

Unfortunately, I agree. The RATs have used it to great success over the past 40-50 years and I think it's steadily taking us downhill. Whether or not it's all over by 2016 is just a matter of conjecture.

The fact is that conservatives do not have the patience to use this strategy.