Ten Reasons to Register as "Independent"

- Frank Zappa. Hotplate Heaven at the Green Hotel

When I turned 18, I pretty much figured out that most politicians in both parties are liars. However, I was excited to finally be able to vote, to help choose those who would protect our constitutional republic and not threaten personal freedom. Being the lone wolf I am, I didn't want to pledge "allegiance" to either party, so I wanted to register as an independent. Upon being told that would prevent me from voting in primaries, I chose to register as a Democrat.

Ten years later, I was pretty disgusted with the way they've done the working class that supported them so fervently. I defected to the other side and registered as a Republican, naively believing they've finally learned the lessons of the Reagan era. Evidently, it wouldn't be long before I learned otherwise. I had decided I've had it with both of them. Furthermore, I decided to stop being a lazy voter, and actually check out the man or woman running for office instead of looking for the R or the D.

My voting record is steady concerning the issues important to me, but is all over the map as far as party affiliation goes. I care a lot less about the stinkin' letter after their name than how they voted, their character, and how they handle our money. I still have both sides wooing me to give them money so they can fight for the privilege of taking more of it from me. When their party fundraisers constantly call, the caller ID box really earns its keep around here. Even the Libertarians won't stop pestering me. It is an endless stream of pleas for more money!

I don't want anything to do with them anymore. Instead, I choose candidates as if I were interviewing them to come work for me. They no longer get a free pass just because their party has assured us that they could fix everything bad in our lives. I consider myself truly independent, and therefore am rather unpopular to both liberals and conservatives. Yep, only someone like me can be called a "pinko" and a "neo-con" on the same blog. But I take it, and I take it because I will be long cold and dead before I let any group of people bully me into marching in lock-step with them. I take it because it comes with the right to think for myself.

I guess reading and writing on AC has forced me to analyze almost everything about myself. Having pondered my politics a little deeper, I came up with 10 reasons why I decided to walk alone:

1) The Hardliners Have Taken Over - Isn't it obvious that neither side is willing to compromise on anything? Seriously, unless its another pay raise they vote for themselves or another tax increase for them to waste, they just won't work together on anything. For example, I think an intelligent approach to the abortion debate would be to allow them only if they are the result of a rape or are potentially fatal to the mother. That is out of the question for both sides; one wants abortion on demand and their adversaries will never condone it regardless of the circumstances. As with many other issues of various magnitudes, each side possesses an "all-or-nothing" mentality that prevents them from reaching any compromise whatsoever; a clear character trait of the extremist.

2) They're Pests - Especially around election time, I get endless calls about how this election is "the most important in our history". Aw, they ALL are! They're all about how they'll take away our guns, spy on you at home, destroy the palnet, involve us in war, cause a recession, bring back the Jim Crow era, throw God out of America, murder babies and old people, and hell know's what else THIS year! They need my vote. They need my money, and if they don't get it, they cannot be elected and America is doomed. And it will be ALL MY FAULT, because I'm selfish and greedy (maybe I'm poor and I just don't care)!

3) They Treat Us Like Children - Some want us to believe they're Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, here to give us all a bunch of "free" goodies for being good little boys and girls. Others try to tell us they're some caped, flying superhero who'll fight the evil oppressors of the meek, timid masses. And still others will say God will only listen to them, because only they can hear Him. The rest just want to sustain and take care of you like the loving guardians they are. To an adult, this condescending mindset is especially insulting. If you believe these empty party promises, then you truly deserve to be treated like a baby.

4) I Think For Myself - Therefore, I get real tired of being told what I think. No, I don't need an NRA bulletin or Rolling Stone magazine to tell me how to vote. Furthermore, I resent being blackmailed with ostracization from an organization for having a different opinion. I guess that's why I don't join them anymore. I joined some in the past, only to learn that their primary reason for being is to keep on being and being and being. They don't care about solving our problems, because these very problems are exactly the leverage they use to manipulate voters into granting them their every wish. Why would they kill a golden goose like that?

5) They're bullies - More accurately, they're the bullies' henchmen. When someone or something impedes their "progress", they start trying to push people around. Bullying is bullying, whether verbal, financial, social, or legal. The ones who control the parties seem more concerned with destroying their enemies than anything. And it don't take all that much to piss them off!

6) THIS is your candidate!? - I am not by any means a political expert, but I'd soundly reason that a political party would choose its BEST person to represent them in major elections. I find it hard to believe that these three are the best they have to offer us. And any criticism is usually met with some kind of defensive non-sequitur, such as "You don't like Hillary / Obama just because she / he's a woman / black", or "How dare you disparage John McCain; He's a WAR HERO!", as if these reasons exempt any of the three from having to cite their qualifications.

7) Elitist Mentality - Both parties accuse each other of being elitists, and guess what? They're BOTH right! It's fun to watch these guys dress up in hunting clothes (fresh off the rack) or go to a NASCAR race to prove that they're really just average guys and gals just like us! It is also insulting because their attempts are so transparently phony, that only a fool would believe for a minute that they'd sit on your sofa and talk to you about real world issues. The truth is, the big dogs of both parties look at you like you're Joe Dirt. Your problems are just a puddle of piss to the "Millionaires on Parade", and neither of them care about you when you're not in the voting booth.

8) Religious Blackmail - Here's the Republicans: "If you don't elect us, the Democrats will take away Christmas and your kids will grow up to be godless Pagans". The Democratic rebuttal: "Elect us or the evil Neo-Cons will have us under a Christian theocracy that will make Al Qeada look like pussycats." The reality: Neither situation has even came close to transpiring, nor will it ever. Rationality still seems to be the majority mindset, as far as I can tell. How about just assuring the People that they will still be allowed to worship freely the god of their choice, yet also be free to reject any and all gods if so inclined.

9) They are SO in Bed With Special Interests - Yes, the Repubs pander to the Religious Right, Corporate America, and the wealthy, and the Dems suck up to the environmentalists, the minority groups, and the feminists. What a shame that they don't really give a damn about any of these groups or the folks they represent; I mean, beyond caring about how much money they can get from them. Also, remember that when someone gives a candidate or party money, they actually OWN them. That means that they're going to do what these groups want, not what the People want. Truly, the only difference between the two major parties is the special interests to whom they are indebted.

10) I have different stances on different issues - On most issues, I tend to be conservative, but there are certain issues on which I tend to be liberal. After being honest with myself, and really thinking about where I stand on everything, I have come to the conclusion that most of us are liberal on some issues, conservative on others, and moderate or of no opinion on still others. I cannot be pigeonholed into a neat little category (and that is precisely what pisses so many hardliners off). I refuse to pick a side, and I think that takes more balls than wanting to be on a winning team! Seriously, when you pick a side, half the people hate you. When you think for yourself, almost everybody hates you. I don't run Independent to make friends or keep people from getting mad at me. If that was my intention, then my little plan sure backfired!

I have decided long ago that I like what I like, and I stand for what I stand for, and that's that! I have locked horns at many a church over questioning things I that don't make sense to me, or go totally against my nature. I refused to be insulted, bullied, humiliated, or otherwise blackmailed into accepting party dogma, especially when it all seems so self-serving and gratuitous. What will it take for a party to gain MY support? Here's a thought: leave me alone and let me make my own way in this world! I don't need you to hold my hand, kiss my boo-boos, or save me from myself. If I need your help, I will surely ask you for it, but until I need you, just stay the hell off my back, OK?

Republicans and Democrats. They're not opposites, they're opposames.