Every two years, Wisconsin has a wonderful first Tuesday in November in which there is no election. Although there are monster elections elsewhere, as in New Jersey and Virginia, Badgers get to stay home today.
Although I have never gone as far as my late lamented friend-I-never-met Wally Conger, who refrained from voting altogether, I tend to agree with him that voting is a futile exercise that “only encourages the bastards,” in that it lends an air of legitimacy to the corrupt enterprise responsible for most of the misery rampant in the world, most significantly the horror of war.
Freedom does not depend on choosing the right ruler — no political leader cares about you or your loved ones anywhere near as much as you do. A friend I see in the mirror regularly once wrote, “Freedom means understanding that I am the boss of me.”
One man I gladly cast a ballot for, Lee Sherman Dreyfus, once said, “Government should defend our shores, deliver the mail and leave us the hell alone,” and that’s where I stand most days. I can think of no task that government assumes that the rest of us couldn’t do better and more efficiently. Any politician who wants my vote needs to be committed to liberty and ending war — as a result, very few politicians earn my vote.
My ideal world would be one where we all voluntarily buy into what Jesus called the two greatest commandments — Love God and love your neighbors, understanding that by “neighbors” we mean every human being on this speck of dust in the universe.
Alas, it is not an ideal world, but I for one do buy into those two laws, and my soul has been more at peace ever since I made that decision. Therefore, I heartily commend the idea for your consideration.
In the meantime, I plan to very much enjoy this bi-annual Non-Election Day.
