Why I Vote

I live in Illinois and I am fairly politically active. Though, perhaps not the way you may consider it. I sit at home, I watch all the debates, research every candidate, research all the parties, I read as many books as I can, and I actually write out a pros and cons sheet quite often. Needless to say, I am one-hundred percent certain that no one I know went to such extremes. Yet, I never once told someone how to vote, never tried to convince them, if they asked i’d explain and maintain my composure if they told me why I was a fool.

What really got me riled was that I when I was walking up to the polls to vote I was berated by four or five older women who stopped me and asked me, “Who are you voting for!?” I looked at them and just laughed and said, “I know who you voted for.” They then said, “Oh really who.” Naturally, I said “Obama (living in Illinois, it is a safe bet).” Of course I was correct and one even had the gall to yell, “Go Obama!” I look at them and simply say, “Why did you take away my future” and walked away.

To be clear, I do not expect anyone to vote for the candidate I vote for, I have participated in elections since I have been able and I have always voted for the one who:

• Supports the lowest taxes
• Allows the most personal freedom
• Doesn’t support welfare
• Essentially supports the smallest government possible.

It’s silly isn’t it? I cast my vote to avoid being handed something I have not earned. I cast my vote for myself to be self-reliant,  to not be responsible for my neighbor, to be able to look at myself in the mirror, to be able to sleep at night. I will never vote for a party or law that supports imprisoning my neighbors to me or myself to my neighbors. I realize that I am part of a society and as a society we must protect ourselves, but that does not mean I need to be handed provisional goods based on which party I vote for.

I love what America stood and still stands for, but I cannot stand by it any longer. I will not support a government built on censorship of the internet, I will not stand by a people who receive hand outs at my expense. I pay ~20% income tax, 8.25-9.25% tax on my food, 3% inflationary tax, and countless other expenses relating to government mandates. I work as hard or harder than any electrician, plumber, construction worker, and have for sure attempted to surpass their education and improve my situation. Yet, I am the one being punished for the welfare, the union wages (supported by the government), seems to be the “support” from the government harmed me more than it helped.

I am a twenty year old Honors Student, I have a 3.3 GPA, I am a Junior Engineering Student, I am working through college, and I am only asking for anyone to thinks like me to stop supporting a government which harms me; to stop supporting welfare, to stop begging, to stop being a monger, stop stealing from my future and to stand up and be a man (or women).

Stand up, work hard, and stop voting and working to rob me of my hard work.