Election Day's "Musical Chairs"

Few Excuses As Voters Get Ready to Merely Switch Factions in a Few Days

Not voting is worst than switching back and forth between the two major parties, or the two respective factions of America's single party, the Democratic-Republican Party, but there are other options on the ballot.  You see, most Americans have a third party or independent choice on the ballot.  In Washington state, that was through the already past "Top 2" primary, but voters simply decided, by and large, not to vote for a third option.   There's basically no excuse for continuing the cycle of endless "one-party" control and accomplishing pretty much nothing politically besides playing musical chairs every 2 or few years.  And you thought Mexico's PRI had a long run until about a decade ago, although reinstated in the presidency, again, fairly recently, but the U.S. Democratic-Republican rein could be centuries long if voters don't change their robotic habits. 

Many voters inevitably complain that third parties cannot win, so it would only be a waste of their time, but if people would just vote on principle instead of trying to game how their vote would place, they would probably be surprised at the outcomes and the political change they could institute by costing the Democratic-Republican Party and, by extension, their vested anti-commoner interests, votes.  Washington voters in the 9th Congressional District had a chance to put in a new party (the Revived Citizens Party) in Congress last August, through the Top 2 primary, an election system that is opportune for not having to worry about spoilers, but 97% chose not to.  Now, that the  Republicans will be in control of the entire Congress come January, the rate at which the economic disparity between rich and poor will grow to an even more gargantuan size will be accelerated.  And you thought the economic disparity in Argentina was bad, you haven't seen nothing yet with President Obama more likelier than not refusing to wield the veto pen as the Republicans take charge.  Once in power, they will try to end Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, Food Aid programs, Pell Grants and basically any government program that gives middle and lower income classes, and the poor, a lift and a source from which would be a part of some basic sustenance that has a silver lining of helping the overall economy. 

Yet, Republicans, as their Democratic counterparts have done, will keep tax subsidies in place for big business, and Rs will create or resurrect other forms of governmental largesse for already rich corporations, let the environment be downgraded to the most pitiful standards possible, go into yet another round of deregulation frenzy that will literally poison the Earth, and figuratively the economy (like they did when they and the Democrats dismantled "Glass-Steagall"), and otherwise  cater to their well-heeled benefactors, including lowering taxes on oligarchs, at the expense of the general commons.

Let's see where all that gets us ... back to the Democrats in 2016.  With the presidency up for grabs in a couple of years, you would think the Rs would be better off not controlling the entire Congress for the next two years, but sometimes voters stick with the same faction for two or more cycles, so unsurprisingly, they are going all out to win.  It may be another 6 years before we switch back to the other faction, or maybe, surprisingly, a New Awakening by putting forth a strong real 2nd party for a change, or at least several parties with none truly dominant if only to get out of the turn-of-millennial downward spiral that our nation finds herself in.

[revised on 11/4/14]