Lockdown at Seattle school

[JerryBaumchen 1,441]

  On 4/12/2025 at 11:40 PM, nigel99 said:

I still believe that voting independent like Keith did is not the same as voting for Trump or not voting at all. 

Hi Nigel,

I disagree.

Jerry Baumchen

[gowlerk 2,250]

  On 4/12/2025 at 11:40 PM, nigel99 said:

I still believe that voting independent like Keith did is not the same as voting for Trump or not voting at all. 

It is not the same. Just as wearing a fig leaf is not the same as being naked. But it may as well be.

[JoeWeber 2,832]

  On 4/13/2025 at 2:53 AM, gowlerk said:

It is not the same. Just as wearing a fig leaf is not the same as being naked. But it may as well be.

A lot of military people think they can be apolitical while being religious, as if the lines aren’t blurred. Just ask the MFFR foundation.

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/12/2025 at 10:51 PM, JoeWeber said:

Allow me to rephrase: 

A loaded question is still a loaded question. I would have still voted the same way I did. I'm done with the two parties of extreme. 

[kallend 2,106]

In a winner-take-all system. voting for a no-hope candidate is a wasted vote.

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/13/2025 at 5:02 AM, JoeWeber said:

A lot of military people think they can be apolitical while being religious, as if the lines aren’t blurred. Just ask the MFFR foundation.

How so?

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/13/2025 at 10:22 AM, kallend said:

voting for a no-hope candidate is a wasted vote.

You shouldn't feel that way - at least you voted. :)

[thelivo 10]

  On 4/13/2025 at 9:45 AM, BIGUN said:

A loaded question is still a loaded question. I would have still voted the same way I did. I'm done with the two parties of extreme. 

You should really travel outside of the US to see that really only one of those parties is extreme. Just about anywhere else, the dems would be seen as slightly to the right of center.

[JerryBaumchen 1,441]

  On 4/13/2025 at 10:22 AM, kallend said:

In a winner-take-all system. voting for a no-hope candidate is a wasted vote.

Hi John,

As I have posted numerous times, it is almost always a choice of the lesser of the two evils.  I have never & will never vote for a 3rd party candidate -> a wasted vote.

And, this last time around, it ensured success for Trump.

So, that begs the question:  Is that what they really wanted?

Jerry Baumchen

[JoeWeber 2,832]

  On 4/13/2025 at 11:05 AM, BIGUN said:

You shouldn't feel that way - at least you voted. :)

That makes no sense to me. The reality is that in our elections it’s a wasted vote. 

[nigel99 569]

  On 4/13/2025 at 10:22 AM, kallend said:

In a winner-take-all system. voting for a no-hope candidate is a wasted vote.

Are you saying that the US can only ever function as a two party system? 

This whole saga has shown just how flawed the American version of democracy is. 

[David Wang 65]

I agree that it's most definitely a wasted vote. That said, I think the only justification for your choice would be if you truly believed that voting for the independent reflected your values, moral principles, and beliefs.

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/14/2025 at 4:55 AM, JoeWeber said:

That makes no sense to me.

It was a joke. Hence, the :) at the end. [implying a vote for Kamala was a wasted vote).

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/14/2025 at 5:35 AM, David Wang said:

I think the only justification for your choice would be if you truly believed that voting for the independent reflected your values, moral principles, and beliefs.

Thank you for asking. I most aligned with Chase Oliver with the exception of his stance on Gun Control. Especially liked his position on immigration - which echoed some comments I've made on here. https://votechaseoliver.com/immigration/ 

[JoeWeber 2,832]

  On 4/14/2025 at 9:01 AM, BIGUN said:

It was a joke. Hence, the :) at the end. [implying a vote for Kamala was a wasted vote).

Yes, but we differ there: for me she was simply the unfortunate nut necessary choice.

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/14/2025 at 11:30 AM, JoeWeber said:

Yes, but we differ there: for me she was simply the unfortunate nut necessary choice.

It was a joke, Joe. 

[JoeWeber 2,832]

  On 4/14/2025 at 11:49 AM, BIGUN said:

It was a joke, Joe. 

Sorry. I simply believe it wasn’t a good election to give up a meaningful vote 

[wmw999 2,541]

  On 4/14/2025 at 12:07 PM, JoeWeber said:

Sorry. I simply believe it wasn’t a good election to give up a meaningful vote 

I'm a big believer in voting for third party candidates, because I completely agree that our system is flawed. But I also agree that this wasn't the election for that. The downside was too great. That said, any individual vote really doesn't matter in a national election.

Wendy P.

[BIGUN 1,418]

  On 4/14/2025 at 12:07 PM, JoeWeber said:

Sorry. I simply believe it wasn’t a good election to give up a meaningful vote 

I think you and 5 others have made that quite clear about 13 times so far. You felt your vote was meaningful. I felt mine was also. 

[kallend 2,106]

  On 4/14/2025 at 5:34 AM, nigel99 said:

Are you saying that the US can only ever function as a two party system? 

This whole saga has shown just how flawed the American version of democracy is. 

We have  a winner-take-all system.  It will naturally evolve into a 2 party system. 

[nigel99 569]

  On 4/14/2025 at 12:42 PM, kallend said:

We have  a winner-take-all system.  It will naturally evolve into a 2 party system. 

Fair enough, it sounds pretty fragile and prone to being corrupted. One thing that’s come of it all is I’m trying to properly understand our system in Aus.

[jakee 1,563]

  On 4/14/2025 at 12:11 PM, BIGUN said:

I think you and 5 others have made that quite clear about 13 times so far. You felt your vote was meaningful. I felt mine was also. 

The problem with that is that you justify it by stating things like you were faced with two parties of extremes, without ever stating what those extremes were. It just seems fundamentally dishonest. 

We all know what Trump's extremes are, but people like you and Brent happy to spread the both-siderist idea that 'well ok but whatabout the Dems they must be doing I don't know but something that's just as bad' which makes people feel that voting for him is ok.

Then you get things like this. Let's be honest, the Dems wouldn't have done anything like this. Trump blames Zelensky for starting war after massive Russian attack