Current Political Reflections and Resulting Life Lesson

Having surveyed our nation's abysmal political prospects, I am seriously considering not voting at all in the general election in November.


It is true that the Obama presidency has been an unmitigated disaster for the country. Furthermore, a second term in all likelihood would be even worse. The former community organizer would be free to govern as he wishes, unconstrained by the prospect of again having to face the electorate.


It is equally true that any of the viable opposition candidates would, as president, be less harmful to the country . . . but that's hardly an argument for the election of any of them.


Although both of the leading Republican candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, claim to be conservatives, neither of them has shown any libertarian tendencies or any commitment to smaller, less intrusive, and frugal government. Both of them in the past consistently have sponsored or supported expansions in the size, scope, and expense of government. Wouldn't it be wonderful if instead of talk about what they would have the government do to "help" us, we heard them tell us what they would have the government stop doing? But no, they represent the authoritarian wing of the Republican Party.


Newt Gingrich is the field's intellectual shininng light. But he is impulsive, reckless, and uncontrollable.


Ron Paul is spot on insofar as domestic policy is concerned. However, on foreign policy he so rigidly committed to libertarianism's orthodoxy that he carries it to its ideologically logical -- but practically illogical and dangerous -- extreme.


In light of all this, one has to return to considering two pithy suggestions:

Don't Vote, It Just Encourages Them

and

If God Really Wanted Us To Vote, He Would 
Give Us Real Candidates

Accordingly, I cannot help but wonder whether our nation's decline is unstoppable. Perhaps all we can do is sit back, let it (and even Obama) happen, and hope and strive to be able to restore the founders' visiton and rebuild the country after the currently rotting structure collapses of its own weight.


Discussing, and/or attempting to discuss these thoughts with friends, neighbors, and acquantances has driven home to me a great life lesson:

I've learned that pleasing everyone is impossible,

but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake.