Why I'm Abstaining Tomorrow

Not completely, as I plan to vote in local races. But I am refusing to vote for president, and I plan to follow up my actions with plenty of letters to the editor and emails to relevant people explaining what I am explaining here.

As many of my friends, family and co-workers know, I am a staunch defender of laissez-faire capitalism, not the sort of mixed economy that resulted in the recent economic mess. As an objectivist, I defend capitalism not for practical reasons, but because it is, as Ayn Rand stated, the only system consistent with individual rights. I say to the government: Get out. Out of my life.

But here's the rub. I want it to get out of all of my life, not just the economic side. For many years, I supported the Republican party because I thought they defended my economic rights and I never really took seriously their babbling about religion.

This has changed drastically over the last few years. They actually take it seriously. They think this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles (c'mon, the freakin' Dark Ages were the result of Judeo-Christian principles). They want to enact legislation that legislates their beliefs. Does a zygote have a soul? Well yeah, a fertilized egg has a soul. Therefore, a poor 16-year-old girl who had unprotected sex or whose boyfriend's condom broke will have her life either ended by being forced to keep the child or, at minimum, put on hold for nine months.

Did the Bible declare homosexuality immoral? Sure, so consenting individuals who want to make their romantic choices concrete in the act of marriage will not be allowed to do so.

Rights be damned, if they conflict with the word of God.

I'm done with them. Their worldview is psychotic, even aside from the concrete examples of it. People completely out of touch with reality should not run this country or even have any say in what goes on in it.

I am not, however, talking about becoming a hardcore Democrat (see laissez-faire capitalism above). I can only hope this country can survive the next four years and that the Republican party will either dissolve completely or they will get the same message I hope to send from hundreds or thousands of people who are just as dissaffected as I am.