Get the vote out!… but let’s make it an educated vote!
What Does Your Vote Mean?  Should Everyone Vote?

If a person doesn’t really know what they are voting for; what it means, what policies will be furthered by that vote…  Should they even vote??  I would never advocate taking away the right of anyone to vote, but might they and the country be better off if those who are so uninformed that they can’t even name the vice president, just stayed home?   Think about it… If one votes for “X”, because of a clever smoke and mirrors propaganda campaign that fooled them and they and the rest of the country, actually get “Y“, didn’t they just put their support behind something they don’t even believe?    What does that do to the country when it happens 50,000,000 times?

Don’t get me wrong… I WANT EVERYONE TO VOTE!  But I want them to know why they are voting, what they are really voting for and what their vote actually leads to…  Is an uninformed vote really a free exercise  of choice and participation in the democratic process?…  Or is it is simply a vote that was subtly manipulated by propoganda, persuasion and yes, even coerced by a fear mongering bureaucrat or political party seeking election?  I believe that an “uninformed” vote is just that.  I believe those votes should NEVER occur…  but their prevention should be accomplished, not by Prohibition, but rather Education.

How do you vote… and why?  What are you trying to accomplish?  What kind of country do we want our children to inherit?  A country in which no matter how much or how little we do, we are each economically equal?

But if no matter how much we work we all receive the same benefit, doesn’t history show we all do less and become a less productive or inovative society?  (This is exactly what happened with the USSR- it has been relegated to the dust bin of history)   Do you prefer a country in which the opportunity to succeed exists; a world in which, if you, your son or daughter builds that “better mouse” trap they will be rewarded?

There really is no wrong answer.  Each world view has many brilliant people that support it.  I happen to believe that equal opportunity with a social safety net is preferable to attempting to create a society that forces equality of result.  First off, in the history of humanity equality of result has never worked.  We’ve seen the failed results of the USSR and Cuba.  We are seeing it now in the bloated government of Greece, wherein, they are on the verge of collapse due to the incredible overspending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  (the fact is that the US is fast approaching a similar proportion of debt to GNP… this does not bode well).

Government vs Private Solutions
North Korea, all is controlled by the government.  People are basically the property of and “taken care of” by the state.  North Korea can no longer even feed itself!
South Korea, same geography, same resources, same opportunity… the only relevant striking difference between the two?  In one, the engine of progress is government NK, in the other SK, it’s the individual.

In North Korea, the state runs everything… and fails.  Whereas, in South Korea, the government is limited, capitalism thrives and so does it’s people and economy.  Is it perfect?  Of course not!  But the differences between the two identically positioned countries is beyond staggering.  Night time satellite pictures of the 2 countries show the north as virtually blacked out, the south looks like a Christmas tree!  See the following satellite picture.  Can you guess which is which?

That is the difference between the stagnation of a society controlled by a centralized government that thinks it knows best, how to do everything, has all the solutions and makes all the decisions vs a system fueled via free enterprise where progress within the society is the result of the decisions, choices, ingenuity and innovations of MILLIONS of free individuals.  The genius of the US is derived not from bureaucrats but rather from individual citizens.   History shows again and again that more government takes control, the less free and productive citizens become.

What About China?
Abject failure had even been the state of affairs with our “banker”, China.   Economic stagnation was the norm even in China until some farmers illegally “experimented” with the right to “reap what you sow“ i.e. capitalizm...

One day in 1978, the farmers got together and came up with a plan to illegally divide the farms up into plots; they all had to give food to the collective, but the farmers that met a certain quota could keep some food for themselves. They then signed a secret contract formalizing the agreement, and included a clause saying that in the event a farmer got arrested for the practice, the other villagers would raise their children. The result of this risky enterprise that season’s harvest was more than the previous five years COMBINED.  Capitalism in action!  

Where free people can reap the rewards of their labor and ingenuity, productivity and innovation becomes the norm.

When the government eventually got wind of what they were doing, the farmers were hauled in front of officials; but since you normally can’t argue with results, the government decided that instead of punishment, they deserved praise.  That was the beginning of the economic powerhouse that we now see today.  It wasn’t what government did, it was what they stopped doing… THEY GOT OUT OF THE WAY!    Here is the difference, the incredible growth when it was controlled by people, not government…

The graph shows decades of stagnation that continued until the experiment.  What do you think this graph would look like if the bureaucrats still micro manged the economy?  Shouldn’t US leaders take hint?

Fairness 
But equality of result vs equality of opportunity, doesn’t that lead to unfairness?  Wouldn’t that mean some would have less and some would have more?  Some would be rich, would be poor?  Yes, but success and accomplishment is a choice, like the Chinese farmers that worked more and produced more.  Shouldn’t I or anyone else be able to work 20 hours a day, to give their family a better life?  If I do so,  is it really “unfair” that I actually have more than my neighbor whose idea of a rough day is watching an “Oprah” marathon?

Remember, with few exceptions, the “unequal” rich, weren’t born that way.  Most worked insane ours, put everything they had at risk, even failed repeatedly before they achieved the status of wealthy.  Most of had similar opportunity… Usually, what separates the haves and the have nots… is simply the choices they made.  please also see our success principles.

Throughout the ages it has been known and taught that “we reap what we sow”.
History shows that when we reap less of what we sow, we just sow less.  That doesn’t make us bad or lazy… just human.

As was stated by one of the original Chinese “capitalist” farmers Yen Jingchang…
            “Work hard, don’t work hard — everyone gets the same,” he says. “So people don’t want to work.”

If the system changes so that we reap, whether or not we even get out of bed, won’t most stop “sowing”?  If we receive the same reward regardless of our effort, won’t most do less?  This may seem like a great deal for that individual, but it is CANCER to the society.  That is what happened in the USSR, Cuba, N. Korea, was happening in China and is happening now in Greece and other European countries.  Quite frankly, the US is heading down that road.

Simply put, history has shown that wealthier, more productive societies are created when individuals have the “right” to succeed, to progress and to become “unequal”.   I believe that as a society, we always need a safety net… but we also need opportunity.

Which Do You Prefer? Equality or Result or Equal Opportunity
Every time we vote or support a politician or philosophy, to one degree or another we are promoting one of these world views.  It’s up to each of us to understand which of the political philosophies actually lead to the society we prefer… And THEN throw our support and vote in that direction.

I believe that most would want our children to have the opportunity to succeed.  Actually, most of want just about the same things…

A simple truth:
Virtually all people, conservative and liberal alike have similar goals.

• No one wants dirty air.
• No one wants dirty water.
•  No one wants the polar ice caps to melt.
• No one wants children to starve.
• No one wants people to live in the streets.

Generally we want the same things, we just disagree on how to achieve them.

One political philosophy has proven time and again, to lead to one outcome… another philosophy to a totally different place.

When it’s time to vote, it’s important to know which is which and where you want to go.  Otherwise, our votes are not the result of logical analysis, but rather the result of being persuaded by the most effective propaganda.  For more see,  See Politics 101.