No, I guess that I've become somewhat of a political...whatever. Regardless, I am blogging about politics again, and as some of you may know, I am a political activist of sorts. So I've decided to put this out there.
These are the races I'm voting for in Newton County, Georgia and these are the people I'm voting for:
President and Vice-President of the United States of America
Gary Johnson (L) & Jim Gray (L)
I've never voted for a Republican or Democrat for President in my life, and I'm not starting now. Why? Romney will win GA by double-digits, so it's not like I'm going to be changing anything. The reasons for casting a principled vote of conscience? How about NDAA, drones, and the FED to start? Having respect for the 4th amendment and maybe questioning the war on drugs or the merits of NOT having an interventionist foreign policy are more examples of why I think Romney and Obama are two sides of the same coin. This goddam 2-party duopoly is precisely why we're in the mess that we're in and frankly, I'm damn sick and tired of it.
Public Service Commission
PSC 5: David Staples (L)
PSC 3: Brad Ploger (L)
There are two PSC Libertarian candidates on the ballot, and I'll be voting for both; however, there is one in particular that I'd really like to mention. David Staples is in a 2-man race with Stan Wise for the PSC 5 race. I've known David for years and I can say this - he's a good man, and he's smart as hell. Also, as evidenced by his debate performance on GPTV, he knows his stuff. He would do a hell of a job. But, Stan Wise is absolutely awful. He is the poster boy for crony capitalism. He gets over 90% of his campaign contributions from the executives, lobbyists, and lawyers of the utilities that he is charged with regulating. He, singularly, is responsible for you having to pay some of the highest utility rates in America. If you vote for him simply because he has a "R" next to his name, then you suck!
Newton County Commission Chair
Keith Ellis (R)
I've known Keith for years. I've worked with him in the real estate business (me as an agent, him as a builder) and have gotten to know him pretty well over the years. He's a good man, and he's honest. I think he would do Newton Co. proud...especially with people like me reminding him that he needs to always be mindful of the concepts of freedom and liberty and placing taxpayer dollars in the most sacred regard. I think he'd be willing to do that.
Newton Board of Commissioners, Dist. 5
Levie Maddox (R)
I like Marcello Banes. He's smart and likeable, but I'm going to have to go with Levie on this one. We don't need 4 Democrats on the BOC. I'm definitely a "divided-government" fan.
Newton Co. Sheriff
UNDECIDED
I've been grappling with this one for months....I just don't know. I think we would be OK with either, but I will say this: awhile back I was positive that I would be voting for Ezell Brown (D), but in the last couple of months, I've had several folks, including people I think very highly of, sing the praises of Philip Bradford (R). I think I'll decide this one when I actually touch the computer screen in the ballot box.
Newton Co. Coroner
Tommy Davis (R)
I've known Tommy for some time having worked with him in the death business (Tommy as a funeral home director, me as a cemetery salesman). He seems like a heck of a guy and a super, hard worker. For a job like this, I think we definitely need someone who knows what they're doing.
U.S. Congress, 4th District
I'll be writing in "GREG PALLEN"
And let it be known that Greg is not a certified write-in, so my vote won't count. Greg ran in the GOP primary as a Republican "Liberty Candidate." He lost with 45% of the vote which surprised most insiders and establishment types. He would have been the much better candidate to get slaughtered by Mr. Guam, Hank Johnson. Whereas J. Chris Vaughn will likely lose 70/30, Pallen may have been able to push 40%. I've met Greg a few times. I like him; he's a little kooky on some things, but aren't we all?
GA Senate Dist. 17
Nelva Lee (D)
Simply a protest vote. As I said earlier, I'm a divided-government guy. It seems like more and more as the GA Republicans take over the Gold Dome, the worse things get. At this point, I think the Libertarian Party of Georgia is about as organized as the Democratic Party of Georgia. The Dems in GA are in shambles - they're broke and and in disarray. There are county parties that are in good shape, but statewide, the Dems are in a bad way. We need a real and viable 2nd party in Georgia. Thanks to Georgia's archaic and draconian ballot access laws, it's damn hard for the Libertarians to get on the ballot for non-statewide races.
Constitutional Amendments
NO on both.
For amendment 1, I'll just direct you to Better Schools Georgia As their sign says, "I love Charter Schools. I Love Local Control." Therefore, you just have to say NO.
Special Elections
YES on all three.
I'm all about freedom, and we need all the tax revenue we can get!
Everything Else
I'm skipping!
I haven't voted for someone running unopposed in about 6 or 7 years, and I never will again.
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So that's it...
Please vote if you haven't already. Seriously, VOTE!!!
