I did not vote this year. Before you get up in arms over this, let me
explain. I have voted in the last two elections, and each election
year I find myself, as well as everyone around me, saying "It's the
lesser of two evils" or "heads or tails" or "does my vote even count".
Sure, I think our votes count, but they don't count as much as they
used to. You hear it on the news, news anchors claiming that if they
win the electoral votes, they have the presidency. We, as
individuals, have nothing to do with the electoral college. Those
votes aren't controlled by the population at large. If they were,
John Kerry would have been president last time around. Or Al Gore by
means of the public vote tallies. I didn't vote because our personal
rights under the constitution have been diminished. It's not that we
have had rights stripped from us, but that Corporations have been
allowed to act in the realm of personal rights in regards to our
constitution overshadowing our sphere of influence as vote holding
citizens. Corporations have more money. Corporations have more man
power. Individual Corporations enjoy the exact same rights as we do
yet wield a larger pocket book and are able to lean harder than we can
as individual citizens. In 1886, Santa Clara County vs Southern
Pacific Railroad, a precedent was made holding that a Corporation was
a "natural person". Prior to this, we had checks and blances in place
protecting an individuals interests, rights and power over
Corporations. They were held in check, not allowed to contribute to
politics in any way, dissolved if they brought harm to their
community, environment or simlply grew too large or powerful. Owners
and officers were held accountable for their actions and were liable
for any harm that they may cause (No $400,000 spa treatments after
being bailed out, twice-AIG). Corporations were required to hold a
chartered purpose and any deviation of that purpose of serving the
public interest was grounds for dissolution. Through my research and
learning of these historical events and the current mess that we are
in today, rife with greed, special interests, Corporate growth and
control, that we are no longer living in a democratic society. We
have strayed so far from the ideals that founded this country. Boston
Tea Party. We dumped tons of Tea in protest of British Corporations
and their control over the colonies. And now, we sit idly by as
Corporations, our own creations, control life as we know it, pulling
the strings of our governmental puppets to achieve their own agendas.
I refuse to take part in a system so corrupt and perverted. I refuse
to take part in a government that hides behind the facade of democracy
when in actuality lives in the realm of a corporate-dictatory-monopoly
style government. Check out this linkfor more information and what we can do as individuals. Voting is your
choice, your oppinion, just make sure you understand what type of
system youare choosing to participate.