The Lesser of Two Weevils...

When I was a kid, my grandfather was my hero.  He had all kinds of little sayings that would just crack me up.  Sure, he indulged in the low-brow "pull my finger" humor (any good grandfather will), but he also could turn a phrase with the best of them.  One day I had a choice to make and I did not like either choice.  He told me, "You will simply have to pick the lesser of two weevils..."  It took me a second to catch the play on words.  After that it was a paroxysm of laughter. 

Well, my political friends - we are being told by fellow, well meaning Republicans that if we don't like Romney, at least it will be better than Obama.  In other words, on election day we will have the opportunity (once again) to pick the lesser of two weevils.  As long as you hold your nose, it won't smell as bad...

If you are like me, you are fed up with the media telling you who your nominee is eight months before the convention.  You are probably also sick of the half baked attempts by worthless candidates to model Dr. Paul's ideas in their speeches (and then claim that they have always held those positions).  But the thing I am most tired of is people telling me that they don't want to vote for someone unless they can win. 

The idea behind this is that if the "Republican" nominee is someone who "can win," then that is who you "can" vote for.  In other words, don't let that whole notion that you might vote for someone who actually knows the economy, has a workable plan to cut $1 trillion dollars from the budget in his first year and wants you to be able to choose how you want to live your life (read that: "Liberty") get in the way of you voting for "the guy who can win." 

Well, readers, let's see what a "winner" looks like (according to modern day pundits and uneducated voters)...

The current choice of a "candidate that can win" that the press is allowing you to have is (right now) Romney. 

Mitt Romney (R), a former Massachusetts governor, who often poses as a conservative has many views that are perfectly aligned with President Obama’s. During the 2008 Presidential election, Romney’s socialist views weren’t the focus of debate, but now that he is running for the Republican nomination in 2012, they're obvious when compared with Obama’s. In regards to gun rights, health care, and immigration laws, Mitt Romney seems to walk, talk and act like a socialist.

Mitt Romney signed a permanent assault rifle ban as Governor of Massachusetts. Romney has also stated that he would support a federal assault rifle ban as well. While he ran in 2002 for governor, this is what was on his own gubernatorial campaign website:

“Mitt Romney supports the strict enforcement of gun laws. He is a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban. Mitt also believes in the rights of those who hunt to responsibly own and use firearms.”

A cached version of his old website, which the quote was from, can be found here. Supporting the federal assault weapons ban is pretty odd for a conservative considering that even Obama has ruled out ever reinstating an assault rifle ban!

Romney is a staunch supporter of universal health care. As governor, Romney signed a bill into law that required all Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance and mandated all businesses to provide insurance.  Isn’t government intervention into business contrary to free market principles? If it’s socialism when Barack Obama does it, it’s socialism when Mitt Romney does it. In fact, the Democrats have given Mittney Willard high praise and claim that they used it as inspiration for ObamaCare.  Simply put, “ObamaCare” is “RomneyCare”.

Maybe Mitt isn't your man...

Maybe it's Newt?  Newton Leroy Gingrich - more commonly known as "Newt" Gingrich. How does he qualify to be a conservative?  He doesn't!  Lets set aside that he was driven to resignation over dozens of ethics charges and incompetence... The man who broke his own “Contract with America” is by definition a "socialist."

Newt Gingrich as a US Congressman voted for the creation of the Department of Education. President Ronald Reagan wanted to eliminate this department. The Department of Education recieved exceptional support not only from Newt, but from many noted socialists as well (including Jimmy Carter himself!).

Ronald Reagan was so "fond" of the Dept of Education he said this:

"The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling the Department of Education."

It was Gingrich who voted to give communist China “Most Favored Nation” status. Thanks Newt!  China, known for such uplifting atrocities as "The Tianenman Square Intervention," which highlighted a tank running over a protestor (I wonder how they would handle OWS?), now owns over $800 billion in United States debt according to a Department of Treasury Report in the 1st fiscal Quarter of 2009.

In 1994, Newt Gingrich voted to give $166 million of taxpayer money the IRS. This is a government agency that is there specifically to steal your money and redistribute it through government programs.  Newt claims to want to shrink government, but instead, expands it and supports the progressive income tax, which is one of the planks listed in the Communist Manifesto.

Remember NAFTA and GATT in the 1990s?  You can thank your little Maoist buddy Newt for that as well. Under a lame-duck session of Congress, Newt pushed for the unconstitutional North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, both of which removed power from the people of the United States and handed it over to an unelected and unsupervised group which mostly consisted of non-Americans. 

I won't even get into his pandering with Representative Nancy Pelosi for environmental protection...

"Oh...I wont vote for them - I am voting for Rick Santorum."  Well...Santorum has a fairly large batch of skeletons in his closet as well.  A closet that any Democrat would envy.  Let's look at Rick's closet...shall we?

- Voted to increase the Social Services Block Grant from $1 billion to $2 billion
- Voted to increase the FHA loan from $170,000 to $197,000.  Also opposed increasing GNMA guaranty from 6 basis points to 12
- Sponsored An amendment to increase Amtrak funds by $550 million
- Voted to use HUD funds for the Joslyn Art Museum (NE), the Stand Up for Animals project (RI) and the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Project (WA)
- Voted to increase spending on social programs by $7 billion
- Voted to increase NIH funding by $1.6 billion.
- Voted to increase NIH funding by $700 million
- Voted to for a $2 million earmark to renovate the Vulcan Monument (AL)
- Voted for a $1 billion bailout for the steel industry
- Voted against requiring that highway earmarks would come out of a state’s highway allocation
- Voted to allow Market Access Program funds to go to foreign companies.
- Voted to allow OPIC to increase its administrative costs by 50%
- Voted against transferring $20 million from Americorps to veterans.
- Voted for the $140 billion asbestos compensation bill.
- Voted against requiring a uniform medical criteria to ensure asbestos claims were legitimate.
- Voted to make Medicare part B premium subsidies an new entitlement.
- Voted against paying off the debt ($5.6 trillion at the time) within 30 years.
- Voted to give $18 billion to the IMF.
- Voted to raid Social Security instead of using surpluses to pay down the debt.

And what does our Conservative Champ Santorum have to say on the issue of taxes?

- Voted against a flat tax.
- Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for Medicare prescription drugs
- Voted to increase tobacco taxes to fund health insurance subsidies for small businesses.
- Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an $8 billion increase in child health insurance.
- Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an increase in NIH funding.
- Voted twice for internet taxes.
- Voted to allow gas tax revenues to be used to subsidize Amtrak.
- Voted to strike marriage penalty tax relief and instead provide fines on tobacco companies.
- Voted against repealing the Clinton 4.3 cent gas tax increase.
- Voted to increase taxes by $2.3 billion to pay for an Amtrak trust fund.
- Voted to allow welfare to a minor who had a child out of wedlock and who resided with an adult who was on welfare within the previous two years.
- Voted to increase taxes by $9.4 billion to pay for a $9.4 billion increase in student loans.
- Voted to say that AMT patch is more important than capital gains and dividend relief.

The socialism of Rick Santorum is a blemish on the face of conservatism, small government and individual liberty.  He has no business claiming to be a "conservative."

So, what is it going to be?  Each of these candidates could give Obama a run for his money for the "Lenin - Most Improved Comrade" award.  They are no different than what we already have in office. 

I won't be voting for the lesser of two evils in this election.  Once again, I will vote my conscience and it will not be stained after election day 2012.  I will vote for the Congressman from Texas.  The principled and unyeilding Constitutionalist.  The "Good Doctor" himself - Ron Paul.

Will you be holding your nose on election day?  Or will you vote for a real change that will make this nation great again?