Why I Did Not Vote

Since last semester, I have been considering whether or not I would vote in this election. Though I had decided not to vote month ago, the decision was official yesterday when I let the election pass by without paying it the slightest bit of attention. My reasons for not voting in this election, and probably for future elections include the similarity of the two candidates, my unwillingness to consent to government violation of my natural rights, and the fact that democracy does not make sense.

Obviously, most individuals will argue that Barack Obama and John McCain are completely dissimilar. However, this is false, simply because each candidate wanted more government and more war. Obama wants a larger government for social programs. McCain wants a larger government for security. Though Obama does want to withdraw troops from Iraq, he does want them to participate in more peace keeping operations. McCain wants troops to remain in Iraq, and participate in operations throughout the Middle East. Expanding the government whether for social programs or security violates individuals natural rights. Social programs relies on government robbery of individuals' property. Security relies on government restrictions on individuals' life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Expanding war in both cases does not achieve government's purpose. Government is supposed to protect the natural rights of the individuals residing within its boundaries. Peace keeping missions does not accomplish this. Peace keeping missions attempts to protect other individuals' natural rights. That is not the American military's responsibility. The American military's responsibility is to sit on America's borders, aim its guns outwards, and shoot those trying to shoot at those residing in America. This should not be construed as meaning that immigrants should be shot. Immigrants are not shooting at those residing in America, they are trying to become other individuals residing within America, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Finally, American military operations in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq, is also not protecting the natural rights of individuals' residing within America. The American military should indeed kill terrorists trying to kill those residing in America, and if they are in the Middle East, then special operations soldiers should go there and resolve the problem. However, toppling foreign governments and attempting to build democracies is completely contrary to the American miltiary's purpose. Instead of protecting the natural rights of those residing within America, it is just violating the natural rights of those living within another country. Even if the American military removes a brutal dictator like Saddam Hussein and allegedly liberates Iraqi individuals the entire occupation results in breaking and entering, murder, robbery, imprisonment, and restrictions on Iraqi individuals who have initiated no force. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of Iraqi individuals to alter their government through force or more peaceful political change. That is not the purpose of the American government.

Secondly, a vote constitutes consent to a candidates entire platform. Therefore, by voting for either Obama or McCain I would be consenting to larger government and more war. I would be consenting to everything I listed above. I refuse to consent to that. I do not recognize any of their positions as legitimate. This is probably why I will continue to abstain from voting in the future. Even if there was a candidate I completely agreed with, his paycheck still comes from government robbery of individuals natural right to property via taxes. I will not consent to being robbed at gun point so someone else can earn a paycheck.

Finally, democracy does not make sense. There seems to be this assumption that democracy results in virtuous decisions. This is false. Democracy guarantees no virtue. Democracy is not constructed to guarantee any level of moral quality whether negative or positive. Democracy only guarantees agreement. Therefore, democracy is an incredibly poor decision making method. It is designed to make a decision, it is not designed to make the best decisions. I do not wish to participate in a faulty process, especially in one that is ultimately allowed to decide whether my natural rights will be protected or violated. Democracy only guarantees that one will be decided on, it does not guarantee that the best decision will be made, that it will be decided individuals' natural rights are to be protected.

I have tried to consider if there was ever an election I would participate in. Thus far, I think I may participate in an election if Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc. were revived, Hitler was running for president, and the others were in his cabinet, and a liberal was running against them. That liberal could be McCain, Obama, a reincarnated Reagan, even George W. Bush. I may consider voting for the liberal, to make sure I would not have an even more psychotic and vicious government. However, this, of course, will never happen. Furthermore, if it was happening, I may just decide to move. Additionally, this situation only changes the first premise. Now the candidates are dissimilar. However, I would still be consenting to the violation of my natural rights. I would just either consent to a whole bunch of them being violated, or just a few. Also, the decision is still being left up to majority rule. This decision is too damn important to leave it to majority rule, to democracy. The best decision must be made, not just any decision. Thus, if I am to participate in any future election, I must discover that I am mistaken. Obviously, that is a possibility, I acknowledge I could be completely and utterly wrong. Furthermore, I will admit I am wrong, if I discover how.