George Graham

Just a Wasted Vote

stein2

 

You know as well as I do that Jill Stein (above, right) is not going to be America’s President. Not now. Not ever.

You know as well as I do that Gary Johnson  (above, left) isn’t ever going to be President either.

But they will get more votes in this election than ever before.

Not since Ross Perot has there been so much “third party” support in America.

You know the reason as well as I do. A lot of voters dislike Donald Trump. A lot of voters dislike Hillary Clinton.

I personally think the public distrust of Hillary is unwarranted. I think it’s the result of savage character assassination that has been going on for years. I personally think Trump is scum and deserves to be shunned.

But even if I were among those who dislike both candidates, I would hold my nose and vote for one of them.

Voting for Stein or Johnson – or any of the other splinter-party candidates – is simply wasting your vote. And, no, it’s not a “protest vote.” It’s just a dumb vote.

Nobody  pays attention to “protest” voters.

Surely you must know that Jill Stein cannot “cancel student debt”? Surely you must know that Gary Johnson can’t legalize recreational drugs?

The President of the United States is an executive who administers policies approved by Congress. And, yes, there are some things he or she could do by executive order, but those actions are subject to being revoked by the next President. And they don’t include canceling student debt or legalizing recreational drugs, anyway.

Candidates like Stein and Johnson can promise you anything. They know they won’t ever be in a position to keep their promises. They know they’re just blowing smoke.

So if you’re planning to vote for Stein or Johnson (I’m talking to you, Janice!) you might as well stay home. Why waste gas and pollute the environment by driving to the polls?

Stein’s platform

Johnson’s platform

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com