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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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To: Jim Robinson
To: exodus
"Hah! Join a party with a few thousand members? What the heck for? Have you no sense of reality at all? Give me 60 Senators and then I'll agree that we are controlling the government. Forty nine leaves Daschle & Co firmly in charge..."
# 276 by Jim Robinson

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

You have less faith in the power of a "few thousand" politically active, evangelistic Freepers than I do, Jim.

I believe that we made a difference, right up until the time we became a rubber stamp for anything the Republicans told us to accept.

281 posted on 09/03/2002 3:43:46 AM PDT by exodus
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To: Jim Robinson
Bush has done nothing for conservatism. The legislation he has signed on his watch would have outraged this forum had the signee had been Al Gore. In fact the 'Patriot Act', a huge and complicated volume of new laws and civil liberty restrictions had to have been prepared long before G.W. came to the White House. How else could it have come before Congress within a week of 911? Yet Congress claimed ignorance of its contents even as thy voted it into law. Who wrote the Act? For all we know it could've been written by minions of Bill Clinton.
But nobody asks.

Diehard Republicans such as myself worked hard to convince third party conservatives to vote for Bush in the last election. And we were sucessfull for the most part. There was no Perot factor in that election. Yet nationwide, the GOP only managed to draw a plurality of the vote. A much closer election than anyone thought it would be.

I think the GOP has lost the crossover third party vote. It may be possible to make those votes up with war time democrats and hispanics but we are talking about having to replace as much as 12 to 19 percent of the conservative vote. The majority of people support the President in his war efforts. Whether that translates into votes for the GOP remains to be seen. Democrats vote in lockstep. They do not allow themselves to be swayed from their course by any mere principals. A lot of Republicans will have to adopt that mindset to be able to vote for this Presidents re-election.




282 posted on 09/03/2002 3:51:34 AM PDT by KDD
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To: exodus; Jim Robinson; AAABEST
I just woke up and I realize Im catching the tail end of this conversation, but here's my two cents for you to read later.

I feel like all this posting and ranting is just a waste of time if we don't DO something. I mean really do something. My wife thinks so, from her observation of what I'm doing, and she tells me so.

Every so often, someone will say "It's time for a tea party". Now, more than 50% of America pays NO TAXES. That's a potentially defeat proof electorate for the Dems, and the GOP is just limp before the onslaught of socialism. But that's just the peaceful side of our destruction.

I have said myself that if the government refuses to protect us, we will have to organize and close our borders and profile the illegals ourselves. I have also said that if we don't get over this PC crap as a nation, we are done.

I have considered writing a vanity post, soliciting ideas about forming some sort of leadership structure where, if the 'big attack' does happen, how we can respond in a unified way to protect and prevail. I don't think the National Guard is enough, or if the politicians are willing to go far enough with the power they have.

Now, do these thoughts put me over as a militia kook, or as being realistic? We have many knowledgeable freepers that are ex-military, even some that seem to be involved with intelligence in some capacity. What a valuable resource and infrastructure you have dreamed up, Jim. We may need it. Any ideas?

By the way, I have no doubt that if things were to get really bad, the average neighborhood would find folks banding together on a very small scale. Im talking about an overall network that can organize on a regional or state level. If it never happens, good. But it would be nice to know who to talk to.

And during elections, it could have added benefits. Nobody on FR trusts the GOP to see to our best interests. The GOP sees to the GOPs interests. I guess this would translate to a voting coalition, organized from the top down, covering even local elections with distributed voting guides, etc. Too ambitious?



283 posted on 09/03/2002 3:59:40 AM PDT by ovrtaxt
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To: Texasforever
However, when the Republican leadership promotes the candidacy of a liberal because that liberal just happens to call himself a Republican, they betray the principles Republicans claim to represent.

To: exodus
" Baloney, it is the job of the Republican leadership to get Republicans elected. It is the voter’s job to elect them. It does no good for the leadership to promote a conservative fire-breather if they know from history that person cannot be elected in the district in question..."
# 191 by Texasforever

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

So it's not the Republican leadership's fault that the voters only have liberals to vote for, and it's not the voters fault that liberals get elected.

Thanks for clearing that up.

284 posted on 09/03/2002 4:15:45 AM PDT by exodus
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To: ovrtaxt
To: exodus; Jim Robinson; AAABEST
"...By the way, I have no doubt that if things were to get really bad, the average neighborhood would find folks banding together on a very small scale. I'm talking about an overall network that can organize on a regional or state level. If it never happens, good. But it would be nice to know who to talk to..."
# 283 by ovrtaxt

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

Of course neighborhoods will band together. That's all the militia is, the right of self-defense on a little bigger scale.

The Militia have been so demonised that even here on FreeRepublic most can't say "militia" without shaking a little at the evilness of it all.

If an attack comes, leadership won't be hard to recognize. If there's time, the State will appoint your leaders for you. If not, those who are aggressive will take charge, and natural leaders will emerge during the course of operations.

If you're willing to be labeled a "militia nutcase," you could talk with your neighbors and have a basic infrastructure drawn up, so that everyone has an idea of where to start in an emergency.

It would be nice if our government hasn't taken all of our weapons before we need them. We do have some "legal" weapons left to us.

If an attack comes, we'll just have to do the best we can.

285 posted on 09/03/2002 4:40:25 AM PDT by exodus
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To: exodus
Good analysis of how they judge the vote you cast. I agree that a vote for just any republican sends the message that we are a given, and therefore no concern needs paid to our principles other than lip service. A C3PO vote is the only answer I can come up with.

I've punched the R hole exclusively for 35 years, and watched them move more socialist/authoritarian/globalist every cycle. I refuse to assist again.
286 posted on 09/03/2002 4:49:39 AM PDT by steve50
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To: ovrtaxt
"...Nobody on FR trusts the GOP to see to our best interests. The GOP sees to the GOPs interests..."
# 283 by ovrtaxt

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

Therein lies the problem of ANY political party. They want one thing only - to get and keep power.

The Republicans are more than willing to draw in liberal voters, as long as they can do so without losing conservative followers.

That's where third parties come in. If your party leaves your principles lying in the dust, you only encourage them to do more of the same if you blindly give them your vote, hoping that they will remember that you exist.

Show them that you exist. Give your conservative vote to a conservative third party candidate. Your old party will notice that, and your principles will be honored in the NEXT election.

287 posted on 09/03/2002 4:56:15 AM PDT by exodus
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To: steve50
To: exodus
Good analysis of how they judge the vote you cast. I agree that a vote for just any republican sends the message that we are a given, and therefore no concern needs paid to our principles other than lip service. A C3PO vote is the only answer I can come up with. I've punched the R hole exclusively for 35 years, and watched them move more socialist/authoritarian/globalist every cycle. I refuse to assist again.
# 286 by steve50

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

That's great, steve50.

If enough of us show that we will accept nothing less than a conservative candidate, the Republican leadership will be forced to return to conservative policies.

288 posted on 09/03/2002 5:01:27 AM PDT by exodus
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To: exodus
Well, yes. And some would argue that primaries serve that purpose. But the media is complicit in 'deciding' primaries. (Alan Keyes being physically removed from the debates and NOTHING about it in the papers...)

But remember the voter guides that the Christian Coalition distributed? Those things were dangerous. You could tell because everyone squealed so loudly about them! What if a national network of volunteer freepers distributed voter guides for every election? Local chapters could come up with the research, all printing costs could be covered with our own money. Over time, candidates would see the freeper vote as something to be dealt with.

It's more effective than just posting rants. It become intellectually incestuous. We aren't turning any libs into real Americans here. By and large, we all agree that government is too big, welfare has to go, etc. Im talking about organizing something for real. What we have now is still pretty ineffective.

Im saying that if we don't take this to the next level, what's the point of Free Republic? Writing funny captions for pictures of Hollywood idiots?
289 posted on 09/03/2002 5:16:57 AM PDT by ovrtaxt
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To: exodus
If the Republican leadership were truly conservative, Bill Clinton would never have gotten his budget passed un-read in 1995.

Newt Gingrich was on Rush Limbaugh's show a lot before that vote. Rush called him "Mr. Newt".

I forget what he lied about the first time, he said he would vote against something or other. Rush raised heck about it but allowed Gingrich back on the show and explained why he changed his mind.

But the second time, when Mr Newt swore there was no way the Republicans would vote for that bubget because no one knew what was in it...Then the very next day was on the floor argueing for it and got it passed, Rush didn't have him on his show again. And he quit talking about him.

290 posted on 09/03/2002 5:22:28 AM PDT by carenot
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To: B. A. Conservative
btt
291 posted on 09/03/2002 5:24:36 AM PDT by Cacique
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To: Texasforever
You tell me how to elect a conservative in Olympia Snowe's district and we can go from there.

That seems a classic example of when to vote for anyone other than the above.

292 posted on 09/03/2002 5:25:44 AM PDT by carenot
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To: B. A. Conservative
Amend the Constitution to provide for Term Limits for members of Congress and the Federal Judiciary.

Accomplish this and all of the other points of your minimum bid will eventually follow......

293 posted on 09/03/2002 5:26:14 AM PDT by eeriegeno
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To: ovrtaxt; Jim Robinson
I kind of like the way things are here now, aside from having to be so careful not to say anything against Bush.

I love the casual atmosphere, and I think that to get too heavily into "What have you done for the cause today" would actually destroy the forum. That's why I'm so upset about the "Bushbot" revolution.

However, using the forum as a gathering place and recruitment center for activist conservatives couldn't do anything but help advance our beliefs.

We have the moderators (dangit) to keep things under control, so maybe JimRob would allow it.
294 posted on 09/03/2002 5:42:15 AM PDT by exodus
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To: carenot
"...But the second time, when Mr Newt swore there was no way the Republicans would vote for that budget because no one knew what was in it...Then the very next day was on the floor argueing for it and got it passed, Rush didn't have him on his show again. And he quit talking about him."
# 290 by carenot

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

I remember that.

Rush took several calls that friday, all of whom seemed to want to know "Why did Newt lie TO YOU??"

Monday, Rush said that it was the worse day of his broadcasing life, and that he came close to walking out on the show.

Rush took Newt's lies hard, and he took them personally.

I did too.

295 posted on 09/03/2002 5:50:35 AM PDT by exodus
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To: Texasforever
It takes more than a label, Texasforever. If the Republican leadership were truly conservative, Bill Clinton would never have gotten his budget passed un-read in 1995.

To: exodus
It takes NUMBERS to control the agenda. You tell me how to elect a conservative in Olympia Snowe's district and we can go from there.
# 175 by Texasforever

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

In 1995, the Republicans HAD the numbers.

They had the majority in the House, and in the Senate.

296 posted on 09/03/2002 5:52:56 AM PDT by exodus
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To: Jim Robinson
"(Or whatever it takes to win)"

Oh, I thought you were ready to pick up a pitchfork. (Which is the only way we're ever gonna gid rid of enough Democrats.)

297 posted on 09/03/2002 6:41:21 AM PDT by wcbtinman
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To: exodus
Stop trying to be reasonable. You will be banned.
298 posted on 09/03/2002 8:07:19 AM PDT by sam_paine
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To: B. A. Conservative

Explain why I am wrong in contending that when conservatives blindly vote Republican, it only encourages Republicans to move further to the left to gain addtional Democratic votes.

BANG!

Dead on target!

As a life-long Republican activist, including stints as a state GOP delegate and a stint as county chairman for a GOP gubernatorial candidate, I am terribly distressed at the growing Socialist tendencies of the current crop of GOP elected officials, at every level.  As little as 20 years ago, I could not imagine ever voting for anyone but a Republican.  Then Daddy Bush became President.  Since then, I find myself voting increasingly Libertarian or Independent.  I am deeply saddened that last election, I found it necessary to cast just under 50% of my votes to other than Republicans and that included my vote for President.  It's the only way that "we the people" have of making our elected representatives understand that we are watching them and that we will vote them out, if they continue to ignore the Constitution.

Unfortunately, as you so deftly pointed out, most Republicans do not appear to be smart enough to realize that as long as those Republicans in power are convinced that their core voters will support them regardless of what they do, they will naturally move to the left to gain more votes from the left.

They either don't understand or they are too scared to face the reality of the fact that, if we can't keep the GOP in power with a slate of truly conservative candidates, then it's already too late and the liberals have won.  I personally don't believe that we have yet reached that point.  But, as you point out, "we have almost run out of time."  It is time to either "change course or abandon ship."  In fact, over 100,000 of this countries wealthiest citizens chose to abandon ship last year and even more will probably leave this year.  Compare that to only about 5000 who left in the last year of Reagan's presidency.  Those are the folks who pay the bills and the lion's share of the taxes.

It's time for a shift back to the Constitution and if Republicans are unwilling to do that, then we need to elect others who will, regardless of party.

 

299 posted on 09/03/2002 8:26:40 PM PDT by Action-America
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To: Jim Robinson

Vote out the Democrats is my answer.

...and the RINO Republicans.

 

300 posted on 09/03/2002 8:29:45 PM PDT by Action-America
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