by Barbara Cox

Created on: October 17, 2008

I can't listen to either one of these presidential candidates any more.

I watched the vice-presidential debate and the first two presidential debates. I decided it was a waste of my time to watch the third presidential debate.

This year I dislike them both. They both represent to me what's wrong in Washington. I don't want either of these men to be the leader of the free world. The disastrous policies that have been handed down in the last few weeks regarding the economy scares me to death. I see the ugly face of socialism stamped all over it.

Ever since I was a teenager in high school I have paid attention to the Libertarian party and always felt drawn in that direction. I never registered as a Libertarian, and I always backed away from the Libertarian candidates on election day. I had this crazy idea that voting for a third party candidate was a wasted vote. That somehow I would be helping the guy I liked the least to get elected.

This year, I will be backing away again, only this time I am backing away from the major parties. These two parties have had this country long enough and they are killing it.

So what is the Libertarian agenda, you ask?

+ The Libertarians stand for less government in our day to day lives.

+ Libertarians believe we have WAY too many government-paid (tax-payer funded) social programs.

+ Libertarians believe in tightly controlled borders. No new immigrant policies should be made without tightening them up.

+ Libertarians want to cut out all social services for illegal aliens, like free health care, free education for their children (again, tax-payer funded)

+ Libertarians believe in a free market. Let people and businesses invent, invest, build, and sell without the government putting the brakes on creativity and innovation. If the government gets out of the way, the market will determine who succeeds and who fails. The cream will rise to the top and the sludge will sink to the bottom. So many of the current policies in place now help keep the sludge floating artificially near the top, polluting and choking out the potentially good and strong businesses.
Libertarians believe in the constitution, the way it was written over 200 years ago.

The current way Washington works is costing this country so many trillions of dollars that they there is no possible way that a tax cut promise from either of the major candidates could ever be kept. Unless and until there is a drastic turn back to the way it was when this country was founded, taxes will continue to trend upward, not downward.

I feel very strongly about this. More so than at any time in my life. Sure, there will be an historic moment when we find out who won the race this November 4th-we will have either elected our first black president, or our first female vice-president. But in the big scheme of things, this is inconsequential. Race or gender is not the most important issue of this election. I fear that years from now, historians will look back on this election and call this "...the pivotal moment when... (I'm afraid to finish this sentence, because all the options are too frightening to think about). Oh, and by the way, it was also the year we elected the first (black president/female vice-president)"

If you are as concerned as I am about our choices. Please take a few moments to learn about Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party. www.bobbarr2008.com

I will be voting my conscience this year. I will be voting Libertarian.

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