Policy Vs. Team

This consideration has been a long-running them here at the Kole Hard Facts. I watched throughout the Bush years as Republicans buried their heads in the sand as the size and scope of government expanded with LBJ-like rapidity. I have since been treated to the spectacle of Democrats pretending the wars and civil liberties don't matter and deficit spending is now wonderfully good economics now that Obama is president.

Now comes the Indiana gubernatorial race. I did some google searching for a position on marriage equality for Democrat John Gregg. (I didn't have to google for Pence, thank you.) I couldn't come up with anything at all. His website has a button that says "Issues", but if you go there, you will not find any listed. He's asking what issues are important to you.

But if Gregg is the Blue Dog Democrat I think I know him to be, then he's not going to put this issue at the front of his agenda, even while Mike Pence might. So, while Gregg doesn't say anything about this issue, or any other in fairness, most people who support marriage equality will likely conclude that they have to be against Pence, so Gregg gets the vote.

Here's Libertarian Rupert Boneham's position:

That's as plain spoken as it gets. Doesn't mince words. Doesn't hide. Doesn't hope to win the issue by hoping nobody brings it up.

So, let's see if that creates any real cognitive dissonance. I hope it does. If the issue is important to you, and you want marriage equality, why wouldn't you vote for Rupert?

Enter another common theme of the blog's lifespan: The Wasted Vote Syndrome.

Oh yes, wouldn't want to waste your vote on an unelectable Libertarian. Better to vote for the Lesser of Two Evils, right? Better to defeat Pence, right?

But wait- Gregg is trailing Pence by some 13 percentage points. (See the Lugar-Mourdock poll story and read down.) At this juncture, voting for Gregg is pretty much a wasted vote too.

So- will the GLBT community go with policy or team? You're team guy is giving you nothing right now. Rupert is giving you 100%.

Expected Tax Day Rant

It's a brief one this time. Why do I dislike tax day? Because I don't support some 85% of what the taxes pay for.

Here's a good place to see where the money goes. I can't think of anyone from any political persuasion who wouldn't like to see something cut, if not eliminated. The only thing I would not care to see reduced is benefits for veterans. All else could stand to be cut and reduced.

We do too much to see about taking & spending more money, and not nearly enough about cutting. There are two ways to balance budgets, after all.