Guest Post by Eric Peters
Voting is painful for me – almost like going to see the dentist.
One the one hand, I wish our rights were not up for a vote; that I didn’t have to worry about someone else being in a position to simply pull a lever (or tap a screen) to take my money – or my liberty – away.
On the other hand, if by voting I can prevent my money or my liberty being taken away – and yours, also – then it seems okay to vote in favor of that.
Of course, you’re usually not voting just for that. Hence the uneasiness of libertarians regarding voting. 
Which has become a lot like buying a new car – and specifically, buying new car options. Which are plural, usually. The thing you want is bundled with things you may not want. The sunroof is part of a package. If you want that, you’ve got to buy this and that too.
It’s worse with voting, of course, because the package you’re stuck with costs more than just money for features you didn’t want. It is probably also going to end up costing someone else their rights – as well as yours.
Even as you’re voting to protect yours – and theirs.
This is so because casting a ballot is – among other things – the endowing of an official with essentially unrestricted proxy power to “represent” you . . . without any formal requirement that he is, in fact, representing you.
Even if he wanted to – exactly in accordance with your specific wishes – the thing is mechanically impossible. How does one person “represent” the will of even half a dozen different men and women? Let alone the thousands (if not tens of thousands) who vote in most congressional races and the millions who vote for senators, governors and presidents?
Even with the very best of intentions, the best that can be expected/hoped-for is that the person who is voted in will try to avoid acting in such a way as to violate the rights of any of the people who voted for him. And even those who didn’t vote for him.
But he is not obliged to act in that way.
This is arguably the fundamental problem with voting for “representatives.”
These people we vote for cannot “represent” everyone – so they end up representing some ones. These usually being the ones who were most helpful to the candidate seeking election; i.e., those who furnished him money – and such people tend to get what they paid for.
A very good example of this being the people representing the pharmaceutical companies who contributed very large sums to the presidential campaign effort of the Orange Man, the first time around.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. details how these people were represented by the Orange Man.
In brief, the people who represented the interests of the pharmaceutical cartels were appointed to key positions in the federal apparat that “regulates” – would you believe it? – vaccines, among other things. They got what they paid for. And the Orange Man – who had met with RFK, Jr., prior to meeting with the representatives of the pharmaceutical cartels – stopped meeting with RFK, Jr. Whom the Orange Man had previously promised he would look into making available to researchers data pertaining to negative side effects of the pharmaceutical cartel’s meds, so that the public would be better-informed about the pros and cons of these meds.
I voted for the Orange Man. But I didn’t vote for that.
Sigh.
But what was the alternative?
There is an argument in libertarian circles that a vote for any office-seeker is inherently a vote for the system that puts people’s rights on the ballot. That, by voting – however well-intended – the evil of the system is not merely perpetuated but anointed.
You voted, after all.
There is truth in this. If enough people stopped voting to take away other people’s rights – even if they didn’t actually vote for that – it would become much harder for “representatives” to violate people’s rights.
But there is also truth in lying to a cop, if it will help you avoid your rights being trampled.
It is a kind of gaslighting to blame the person who votes to protect his – and your – rights when the person he voted for – to not violate anyone’s rights – ends up acting in a way that violates the rights of others. No one is responsible for the actions of someone else – even if they voted for them. Particularly, if they voted for them to not violate anyone’s rights. If rights are subsequently violated, that was an unavoidable part of the bundle – the package – they were stuck “buying.”
It does not mean they wanted to buy it.
I have no desire to ever travel on an ocean liner. But if I found myself on one and the thing hit an iceberg, I wouldn’t bitch about the poor ship-handling skills of the captain or the crappy design of the hull. I’d do all I could in that moment to salvage what could be salvaged – in the hope of surviving. I’d “vote” for the lifeboats to be lowered and for as many people to board as possible – even if a few Bruce Ismays sneaked on board.
Voting will be a problem for as long as it is possible to vote to take away other people’s rights. That will only change when people’s minds change. But until they do, it’s no sin to vote to try to protect people’s rights – even if the person you voted for decides not to.
Thus, this coming Tuesday, I will hold my nose (and show my face) and vote in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. Not so much for Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate – but against the Leftist candidate, Clinton fixer Terry McAuliffe. The latter promising to do to people’s rights what the iceberg did to the Titanic. Youngkin isn’t a libertarian. But he might – like one of those lifeboats – keep things afloat.
I’ll vote for that.
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He has already said that he wants to steal even more money from you to further prop up the atrocious monopoly day prison system that calls itself ‘da skoolz. So at least when he does that it won’t be a shock.
When in high school, my friends and I KNEW that it resembled a prison. Too bad that that knowledge wasn’t taken forward to set all of our children free. We homeschooled ours, but even with the covid nonsense going on, people embrace ridiculous, harmful restrictions over freedom for themselves and their posterity. If you are not allowed the basic human right of unrestricted access to life-sustaining oxygen, then it is time to show some self-respect instead of going along to get along. Things can change, and they would, if people didn’t love their slavery so much.
Nearly half of the population want cradle to grave government assistance. I don’t want to work because it will cut into my TV time. I deserve a T-bone with my Oprah show. Where’s my Obammy phone? Gimme gimme gimme. Isa be yo slave for an eternal supply of cheboogies! BARF!! I’m tired of paying your way bum! GOYBAW.
Liberty,
It was on the ballot…voters are asked if they want to allow the state to incur $360,000,000 of debt by selling bonds. Fo da skrools.
You misspelled indoctrination centers.
I heard him in a speech, trying to one-up Terry.
How many times must that funny guy tell you that if voting made a difference they would not let us do it?
Be pragmatic: in most places if you don’t vote you lessen your chances of being called for jury duty. Plus, many now feel it is well past time for voting to do much good.
One more time in 2022. No results, end of it. Last 2 times Republicans held it all it accomplished absolutely Zero, nada, zip. Republicans=pseudo Demonrats. Bullwinkle for president.
Bullwinkle succeeds Bozo.
Imagine being lucky enough to sit on the Rittenhouse trial. Not all jury duty is a waste.
You would never be chosen-at least if you told the truth during jury selection. They weed guys like you out early on in the charade. Been there/done that-too many times. Deal me out.
I wonder if this is why white people can no longer get justice. They are all too clever to do jury duty.
Too honest to get picked.
If elections were always stolen it’d be one thing, but they’re only stolen when they’re within the margin of theft. That varies depending upon many things like the importance of the race. They’re probably not going to steal an election for Park Board – unless there’s a scion of a political dynasty starting their political career. The plandemic provided an exceptional excuse for more electoral subterfuge (like Zuckerberg’s ballot drop-off boxes in swing states). You can’t put a lot of hope in voting, but it generally doesn’t take too much effort. It gives you a momentary illusion of power which has a modicum of value strictly as entertainment. Like buying a Powerball ticket or accidentally watching 5 minutes of the Stupor Bowl. One of the reasons I voted today was to vote in a park board race against this one lady who’s married to another lady.
Stupor Bowl. You stole my line. Please send me 50 cents in a plain brown wrapper everytime you use it. Thanks in advance.
You assume that they are only stolen when close. You seriously have no way of knowing the truth.
They are mostly stolen by party manipulation of the primary and/or by selecting ALL of the (viable) candidates. They rarely even have to directly rig a general election. Further still, the party organizers will sometimes have the candidates take turns throwing the elections. Everyone gets their turn and they can spend more time being groomed by the party bosses (the ones at the fund raisers, not the politicians).
This is common sense stuff, if you think about it. A lot of people get paid a lot of money to think about it full time.
At this stage the Luciferian alliance (sometimes erroneously called the deep state or correctly called ‘mostly Jews’). Are moving in on even small rural districts that were neglected in the past as being too difficult to wrestle from the locals. Of course the candidates are corrupted AFTER attaining office. There are very well defined procedures for accomplishing that, that your professional staffers will be in charge of. Also, you might want to check on how many Goldsilverbergensteinoehnshlomo’s you see on your local school board. It may surprise you.
Indeed, you never have to worry about the answers if you make sure to control what questions get asked. TPTB pick EVERY major party candidate.
Sounds like a design flaw to me.
But…I don’t want to say that too loud; don’t need some heads getting too big around here.
I will never vote again. At least not on this side of the shitshow.
Here’s the altering gas that blocks the light: “If enough people stopped voting to take away other people’s rights – even if they didn’t actually vote for that – it would become much harder for “representatives” to violate people’s rights.”
If nobody voted, it wouldn’t change a thing. Ditto for if everybody voted. That’s a fact that trying to have & eat cake that doesn’t exist will never change. There’s no noblesse oblige & that goes double for audience participators who clap & hoot on cue, when the sign telling them to do so lights up.
What you hoped to do, with “voting,” is irrelevant. You had no right to vote in the first place. The noble gas chamber has given you permission to vote, is all. Same as that lot denies permission to felons (or has that been reversed?).
V, & the berg, came not for what you hoped to do, but for what you did. And, people being what they are, the bergs, but not the movie hero V’s (whose creators, remember, remember had their V’s surgically altered), will never stop coming.
(How many times can the “voting for the Clinton alternative” be invoked? Serially-Infinitely, apparently. Peters said the same damn thing about voting for trump. Keep pretending to work for them that pretend to pay you…)
…or, get some fresh air.
I’m glad you’re dumbing down your comments. I can finally understand them now. You gotta think of the little people.
I am trying to learn to use enough singposts and identifiable features, myself.
Barnhardt axiom:
“The fact that a given person is holding or even seeking high-level public office is, in and of itself, proof that said person is morally and/or psychologically UNFIT to hold public office.”
Go figure. I’ve been saying that for decades; only using different words like assholes & fucksticks.
I just voted. Interesting thing is, outside the voting place, there was a democrat table and a Republican table giving out “sample” ballots. The Blue Team had masks on and the Red Team was without masks. Amazing. As I went it, 5 people (with masks on of course) behind the plexiglass welcome table all started talking to me at the same time. I made a big scene be telling all 5 of them that I could not understand a damn word they said. I made the guy ask 3 times for my license by saying “I cannot understand what you are saying”.
Dumbshit fo sho.
Wait, they asked for your license to vote?
Mi no comprende.
Yes. ID required in VA. Not a mask was seen either side of the table when I went about 2pm. I almost felt robbed because I didn’t have to wait in line.
I would vote to give libertarians loaded rifles for their “circles”.
Vote with your feet, your actions to serve your family and local community, and with your dollars – what’s left of them. The rest is huffing the vapors of liberal democracy to soften the blow of that boot on your face. Yeah yeah we are a “Constitutional Republic”, taxes are theft, the Government is violence, and the true free market has yet to be tried – but when it is, it will cure what ails us!
I would also vote to allow us proles to sell our ballots in a secondary market. At least then we get something by participating in the charade and don’t have to pretend we are back in the dorm room high on our own academic supply debating the principled high road to Civilization while the dolt in the filthy Che Guevara t-shirt closes the deal with the blonde girl from Minnesota in the room next door. Turn up the Bach fellow patriot, the screams of hindbrain ecstasy are interrupting our debate.
There’s your case for libertarian voting: a massive coping fantasy while the future of our people is literally fucked into foreclosure by some dimwit aping a mass murder. For the people!
It brings me joy that so many see through the charade.
I don’t think any election system where the candidates get to chose themselves is ever going to work.
If you want good government leaders, you have to drag them kicking and screaming to the office. And then swiftly kick them back out before they change their minds.
Just get rid of government.
I now live in Virginia. I did not vote. After they stole the election from Orange Man, I vowed to only vote in County elections here. (Sheriffs are important locally). I can’t take it when I hear over and over that if I don’t vote, I can’t complain. What, you want to take my first amendment rights away if I don’t vote now. Then they say if you complain, you’re a hypocrite. Call me what you want, I will no longer participate in this sham system.
When voting doesn’t work the Founding Fathers gave the people the tools needed to change things. USE THEM.
Ah the illusion of voting. You only get to vote for the candidates that the sponsors promote. And the sponsors send in the MSN to get you to believe there is a difference between the candidates, when there isn’t. As proof simply ask yourself what have Republicans done for you when they had the Presidency, Senate, and Congress? The answer is nothing. It is a uni-party.
Truth be told, the ‘pubs skim off a little less than the donkeys.
Have been voting since 1982, but stopped after the 2020 blatant election fraud. I won’t vote and give the state any validation anymore. Done with it. We are far past the ballot box, along with the soap box and jury box. All three boxes failed the Republic in 2020. The military was the final nail in the coffin and they protected a illegitimate demented man as he was sworn in as president.
A pox on them all.