“If no one went to the polls on election day, or no one voted for a democrat or republican, it would be a huge victory for the people”
ok suppose for a moment there were 100 people in america (because this is a mater of ratios not bulk numbers a simplification is apt)
suppose 60% of them didnt vote the number of voters drops to 40 people. of those 40 people 16 vote democrat, 24 vote republican. the republican candidate and the democratic candidate both want to do terrible things to the internet.
now those 60% who abstained from voting did so because they didnt like either politician’s stance on the internet.
the result is a candidate who wants to do terrible things to the internet is elected, the 60% abstaining didnt do anything useful.
now strictly speaking the 60% wouldnt do much useful for voting for one of them either, the solution is this one:
"write in a candidate"
but i would go further, dont just write in any candidate, find one that matches your views that you can get behind, and if you dont find that person run yourself. you will never get the approval of the mainstream media but that’s the great thing about the internet…we dont need it.
or find someone you can get behind and convince him to run and support him.
the political system isnt blocked out to us lesser beings, we can run, we can win. the outpouring of sopa opposition has shown that WE are still in control that WE when we raise our voices together can still effect change.
and i dont just mean president, there is too much focus in people’s minds on the president but he is just a figure head, i mean all levels of government: mayor, governor, local state senator, congressional representative, national senator (each state has a congress with a senate and the nation has a senate comprised of 2 senators per state), school board member.
the cost of liberty is eternal vigilance, people have to pay attention to what the government is doing, they need to get involved in the government. they need to vote for people who are on their side no mater what the political party, they need to run for offices and attend meetings. because no mater what the zeitgeist might be today we have seen many times that the voice of the people still elicits fear in the politicians (such as nixon having john Lennon deported so he wouldnt rally the hippies to vote against him, the recent upheavals in tunsia, egypt, and throughout the middle east, and the opposition to this bill) as well it should, they should always know that they are in office to represent US, that it is WE who elect THEM and that this is still a republic by the people, for the people, and answerable TO the people.
thats how you prevent corruption in the government, if you do not get involved you make the government your parents and have no right to complain when they treat you like children.