Jim, I'm shocked! I always figured you as having a Nader sticker mounted crookedly on the rear bumper of your Mustang.
I'm not allowed to vote, and am currently not registered. I still voice my opinions, and participate in anything I think is in my (sometimes our) best interest. I also encourage others to vote, if we agree on issues.
I was raised in a strong Republican household, and was the only kid on my block with Nixon/Agnew stickers on his Schwinn (I still believe Nixon was one of the better Presidents in my lifetime). I was brought up to believe that Republicans were Men, and Democrats were whiny little pussies.
As I got older, I discovered that, at least for me, it wasn't that cut and dry. There are many issues that I believe in that are more supported by one party or the other.
I firmly believe that the Govt. has little or no business in what you and I do privately, and support the Republican attitude of "less Govt control". What I do find odd is that it always seems to be the Democrats that push for rights and "freedoms", yet
they are the ones who want to increase spending, and add more and more publicly supported programs that result in increased taxes, and take my guns away. Sounds like more Govt. to me.
The Republicans aren't completely innocent in this area either.
If they want less Govt., then why do they support the death penalty, yet are against personal decisions like abortion rights and drug laws? What happened to making your own decisions? Drug laws are a good tool to use for my example: I firmly believe that each person of adult age should be able to do to themselves whatever they please, in the privacy of their own home, and the laws regarding such things are mixed up with no rhyme or reason. I'm not advising that anyone should smoke pot, for example, but not one single person has ever died from a pot overdose, yet it's illegal. Meanwhile, alcohol kills tens of thousands every year, and is legal. When some one gets stoned, they want to stay at home and veg. When someone gets drunk, they want to go out and do something stupid. Stoners rarely fight. Drunks make up the vast majority of people arrested for fighting. Accidents involving stoners are less than 1 percent of what they are for drunks, yet again, pot is illegal, and alcohol isn't. I have seen the facts and weighed the issues, and there is no logical reason for this paradox. I think that is one of the things that really bothers me about the Republican party; that they tell me they want to be less involved in my life, yet want to regulate everything I do, even in the privacy of my home.
That all being said, I would have moved to Mexico if Gore had been elected. Democrats scare me. It's kinda like letting a 13 year old drive the school bus. Not a good idea for everyone concerned.
Okay, that's it for now.
Take care,
-Chris