9/24/2012 9:06:28 PM

neat

9/24/2012 9:25:07 PM

would you be so kind to describe the things that you believe in and how those beliefs are served by the libertarian party? very sincere question.

9/24/2012 9:33:41 PM

What about Virgil Goode!?!???!?

9/24/2012 9:34:52 PM

I dunno man, anyone who thinks they are able to change a corrupt system as an outsider probably thinks too highly of themselves.


A narcissist, if you will.

9/24/2012 9:48:32 PM

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
-John Quincy Adams

3rd party president won't happen until it has some seats in the house/senate. Did you vote libertarian at the state level too?

9/24/2012 9:52:21 PM

The point of voting 3rd party isn't to actually elect Libertarians, in my view. That ain't gonna happen on any meaningful level.

The point is to quantify to the GOP the votes they are losing and therefore influence their political behavior. There is more of an opportunity for advancing libertarian principles within the GOP than there is by trying to gain legitimate traction via the LP.

9/24/2012 10:29:15 PM

aren't you supposed to fill in the arrow more than that?

9/24/2012 10:34:41 PM

What is the vote at the top?

9/24/2012 10:51:18 PM

Quote :

"The legislature extended, without a vote of the people, expiration of a tax on possession of petroleum products and reduced the tax rate, costing $24,000,000, in its first ten years, for government spending. This tax increase should be: Repealed/Maintained. "

9/24/2012 11:07:56 PM

Quote :

"would you be so kind to describe the things that you believe in and how those beliefs are served by the libertarian party? very sincere question."

They recognize the constitution, individual liberties and small government.....................just like our forefathers who once lived under tyranny.

9/24/2012 11:20:39 PM

^^ wow, i know i've just eaten a packet of starburst and bag of jolly ranches, but I'm having a hard time parsing that sentence.

9/24/2012 11:38:39 PM

Quote :

"The point of voting 3rd party isn't to actually elect Libertarians, in my view. That ain't gonna happen on any meaningful level. The point is to quantify to the GOP the votes they are losing and therefore influence their political behavior. There is more of an opportunity for advancing libertarian principles within the GOP than there is by trying to gain legitimate traction via the LP. "

Good point

9/25/2012 1:41:18 AM

^^Yeah, the required wording is awful. Is this the correct interpretation:

A tax on petroleum stuff was set to expire. The government people didn't let the tax expire, but they did reduce it. By extending the tax (even at a reduced rate), they expect to collect an extra $24 million over the next ten years. Do you want to get rid of this tax or keep it?

?

9/25/2012 2:55:01 AM

I would assume a libertarian would want to remove the tax.

[Edited on September 25, 2012 at 7:34 AM. Reason : Want]

9/25/2012 7:34:07 AM

^^, ^^^^

Yeah, that's holy shit staggeringly poorly phrased.

9/25/2012 9:06:55 AM

Agreed...honestly, I may have chosen the incorrect one because I'm not...politically saavy enough to have figured it out, in which case I should have not voted (I did that a few times for races).

9/25/2012 9:39:41 AM

I don't think anyone's blaming you for that one. Shit. Also, who in the fuck's idea was it to "fill in an arrow?"

9/25/2012 9:41:25 AM

I read a little bit about the wording, and I think my interpretation is correct. In order to understand them, you have to get three things:

1. Any time a tax does not expire...that is considered a "tax increase" (even if that tax is actually reduced).

2. Any time a tax loophole is closed...that is considered a "tax increase."

3. Any time a tax is collected...that is automatically considered "government spending" (even if government services/employees are being cut).

Those three warped concepts alone make it very difficult for some of us, like me, to understand the ballot, but they additionally blew it by requiring this wording:

Quote :

"The legislature imposed, without a vote of the people, (identification of tax and description of increase), costing (most up-to-date ten-year cost projection, expressed in dollars and rounded to the nearest million) in its first ten years, for government spending. This tax increase should be:"

This was all part of a 2007 Washington state initiative to limit taxes by informing the public about "tax increases." And when they passed the initiative, the wording above is apparently what they agreed upon. I'm sure we can all see the problems with that phrasing.

The one in this thread about the oil is kind of boring to me. But check out this one on the banks:

Quote :

"The legislature eliminated, without a vote of the people, a business and occupation tax deduction for certain financial institutions' interest on residential loans, costing $148,000,000, in its first ten years, for government spending. This tax increase should be: Repealed/Maintained"

Washington state gave certain banks a break on taxes in order to encourage lending and grow the economy, and blah, blah, blah... The big banks haven't increased lending. So now the government wants to stop giving those banks the sweet, sweet tax breaks...but that's considered a tax increase (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL) so it has to go to advisory vote. To be clear, it doesn't actually matter which way the public votes, because the "tax increase" has already gone through with 2/3 vote, but it'll be interesting to see if the citizens of Washington get that one right.

http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/war-on-loopholes-will-be-tested-with-unexpected-advisory-vote-mortgage-tax-goes-to-ballot/

[Edited on September 25, 2012 at 4:47 PM. Reason : ]

9/25/2012 4:42:36 PM

^
WHAT

THE

EFF

9/25/2012 6:44:10 PM

^Thanks for responding, by the way. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one baffled by the extent of crazy going on there.

9/26/2012 7:28:47 AM

Christ on a cracker.

9/26/2012 11:29:50 PM

This is what happens when the snowflake generation grows up: they treat voting like it's a personality quiz.

9/27/2012 9:34:59 AM

Quote :

"On a similar note, I voted via mail in Washington last week (see my thread). Today, I received my Florida absentee ballot in the mail. That's frustrating, because when I went to register in WA about a month ago, I specifically asked the clerk if WA would notify FL of my change in residence, and was told they would. To get this second ballot only confirms what I am sure are many people's suspicions that this process is very jacked up."

9/28/2012 12:32:40 AM

States do not communicate. I was fucked in 2011 by North Carolina out of 2k for state taxes they thought I didn't pay in 2007. I had been living and paying taxes in New York. It took me 6 months to get it back.

No one double checks anything.

9/28/2012 7:57:46 AM