Should or shouldn't

I have been asked several times whom it is that I am going to vote for this November in the presidential election. My knee jerk reaction is to say that I am not going to vote at all. I do not like either candidate, well any candidate that I have seen and listened to. I can not in good faith vote for a democrat and I am not fond of the republican candidate. My repulsion toward democrat candidates goes back to quotes about the U.S. military that party leadership made that I can not in good faith forget or forgive. The republican candidate hasn’t really impressed me with his work on illegal immigration, being a Senator from a border state I would have liked his record to be a bit more, shall I say, existent… The independent candidates do not impress me either. There are platforms of parties that I agree with, but as with the Libertarian party, I do not agree with their stance on foreign policy, or the fact that the only ones that make the news are the ones that will fight to the death for their right to smoke a joint in public. I am pretty simple, two term term-limits for all elected officials, serious use of bio fuels (you can make gas and diesel out of kudzu) and the implementation of a national retail sales tax. Income tax should go the way of eight tracks. A strong military and the annihilation of all enemies of our society is my simple foreign policy. Less government intervention in day to day life, and cutting government spending by getting rid of things government should not fund. Just go read the fiscal federal budget for a run down of the pure crap that we pay for.
Political ideology aside my problem comes with thinking of the sacrifice that people in this country’s past have made to give me and my family the right to cast a vote. To have a voice in what happens in government is a true right and blessing that we have in this country, and people died for it. Freedom is the most important element of our existence in this society, and far too many people gave their lives to make sure that we have it for me to simply turn my back on it. I feel that there was truly something spiritual at work when the founders of this nation began the process that led to this society. They were slave owners, drunks, adulterers, and zealots to be sure, but their words paved the way for people to live in freedom for generations to come. Sure we are losing freedoms by government intervention on an almost daily scale. Political correctness is paving the way for a nanny state that could compare to soviet Russia some day. But, at this moment, at this time in history I can not let this election pass without casting a vote for someone, it is my way to honor those of our past and the sacrifices they made. Whether they gave their lives, their property, their standing in the community, their families, or their personal freedom I must honor them by casting a vote. I have to ask myself if I would be willing to do the same for a cause that I knew to be right. It would be easy to give my life for my family if someone attacked them in my presence, but would I give my life for my country… that is another question. I would like to think that I would, but it’s a question that you can’t answer until it happens to you. There are people overseas now who believe that they are indeed putting their lives on the line for this nation. I support them in all they do. I too believe that the work they are doing will make this nation more secure, whether I agree with the leaderships methodology or not. A full volunteer force is much more effective than a forced military, as we learned in Vietnam. I believe that if you have a true ideological problem with the mission you should speak up or decide not to go.
Come election day I will step up to the screen, hold my nose, and cast a vote for the one that I think will do the least amount of damage to my wallet. When I leave I will smile quietly to myself and send a private nod of humble thanks to the memory of those that put themselves in harms way in order for me to able to stop in and cast a vote on my way to work.