Election Insanity...

Your right ted. Absolutely right. We place so much in the hands of the federal government that shouldn't be, hand over our state's soverignty and then whine when it goes wrong and costs too much. Big government is expensive. The power to change what we find wrong often lies in our own front yards in our own states and towns and yet we vote the same 2 groups in nationaly and point fingers at them instead of adressing the real area's we can and should change. Some facts about our elections and process that people ignore or don't realize: Our political parties are PRIVATE entities, there is no national governing body that creates parties or dictates what parties can exist and run in an election. The candidate selection for a party is regulated by that party, not a government body, each state has it's own rules for setting up primary and general elections. The qualifications to get a candidate on the ballot in your state lay in the rules of your individual state There are at least 75 political parties in this country, from the rediculous to the serious. In the age of the internet, there is no excuse for your parties message to not get out or get funded, it's not the media's or governments fault. Bottom line,it is OUR system, OUR parties and OUR fault, the voters, that we have a "2 party system" and a federal government that creates difficulties in running this country properly. Support your party, get them on the ballot, elect state leaders that assert your states soviergnty and make your life better. And stop sending democrats and republicans to washington if you are tired of choosing "the lesser of 2 evils" *steps off, picks up soap box and walks off*

I geuss then I am insane but sometimes the status quo is not that bad and change is not that good. You say that there is plenty to do, so educate this insane voter what I should do? If I and other do not vote for McCain and go somewhere else, Obama would win. The stakes are too high to lose, and with all of McCain's short comings issue to issue McCain is better.

The thing I don't understand is why don't these third party candidates get out there and make themselves more well known. Sure we can research on the internet all we want about them. And there is a small hand full of people out there that will do their research and vote for the third party candidates. But the fact remains that the American people are lazy when it comes to doing their research. They want everything laid out on tv for them. If they don't see it on tv or hear about it on the radio they don't know about it. I bet you a majority of the public don't even know the third party candidates names much less what they stand for. If the third party candidates want to win an election they need to get themselves out there and let themselves be known. Otherwise people will think it's a wasted vote. Why are people going to vote for someone who doesn't even seem to be campaigning?

Don't just blame it on We the People, lets not forget the corrupt press and television networks. A third party candidate couldn't get media attention these days if he set himself on fire because the media is out of control and is no longer covering the news...it is selectively covering what it wants to. I do not believe that the American public at large is too lazy to research the third party candidates on the internet, I believe that the American public at large is too busy trying to support a family on two incomes and rising prices and has too little spare time to be doing this. I don't know why this should be put on the backs of the voting public. Put the blame where it belongs...on the *FREE* press, television and radio stations that only serve their own agenda and not that of The People. Perhaps if they were doing their jobs these third party candidates would get some public exposure.

Oh, I love this new take on things. Yes, I agree, history does repeat itself, and until we can recognize our past mistakes, how will we ever learn and grow?