Tom, you wrote:

"We are talking about people who support a largely collectivist view of the world, see almost every aspect of human existence as the proper function of government, and support centralized solutions, enforced by the coercive power of the state, for almost every problem of society. With the best of motivations, of course."

I have a really simple question for you here then. I've seen you label nearly every person that's disagreed with you on one issue or another as a "liberal". Does this mean that you feel that everyone that doesn't support Republican conservative ideals totally falls into that definition above? I have to tell you, I know a tremendous amount of people that vote largely Democrat and they don't fit that description at all. They might view government as having certain roles in our lives such as education and police protection but they certainly don't advocate Big Brother wiping their asses. The average Democrat I know probably fits the "centrist" label more than "liberal" and would probably be attracted more to the Republican ideals if the conservatives would only practice what they preach and stay out of people's personal lives and what they're doing behind closed doors.

Now what I've seen of my friends and acquaintances that tend to vote Republican primarily though is more a black and white, us vs. them attitude. Issues are more polarized. An issue is all good or it's all bad. There's little grey. Children's test scores are falling....blame the teachers. Murder rates go up in an area....blame the liberal judges. If everyone were armed that wouldn't happen. Illegal immigrants are causing problems....more border patrol. There seems to be this need for the immediate answer, the quick fix.

Just maybe Tom, it's a bit more complicated than those answers and neither side of the political spectrum has all the answers.

So if neither side has answers that truly work, then what's the person with mixed views supposed to do? The parties pump out extemist candidates with lots of reasons to not vote for any of them. So I think you categorize a whole slew of people as "liberals" that more simply fall into the "lesser of two evils" voters. You have your choice of Joe Republican, connected heavily to the military industrial complex, thumping his Bible and telling you that a good ten percent of your neighborhood should burn in hell for their choice of sexual partners, secure in their own finances and health care options but critical of any other person looking for assistance in time of need.

And then for the other option you have Dan the Democratic, advocating shutting down all industries in an area so that 12 scruffy squirrels can eat the dandylions the main production facility is being built on, selling their souls to labor unions leaders that use strongarm power tactics that rival dictatorships in South American countries and of course routinely is seen hugging Barbara Streisand which is a something that should be punishable by death. Of course Dan is also having three-way sex with his minister's wife and a small ferret.

So here's the choices we get because of the polarization this black and white thinking creates. Tom, get this through your head and you'll sleep better tonight: THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT PARTY ELITES DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU. The rhetoric they're both spouting is intended to do one thing and that's to take control over you. No matter how many times Ronald Reagan said that government was the problem he only meant the government he had no control over. I don't even need to mention Clinton to you and his need for constant ego gratification. What I'm saying is that just because someone doesn't like Bush and his bizarre cronies, it doesn't make them a Democrat or a liberal or a commie pinko bastard. Voting against an individual by going with the opposite party is simply the only option a voter has these days.

Here's my new voting philosophy. Screw with the bastards as much as you can. Unless the person exhibits truly uncharacteristic behavior in office and stands for issues based on merit and not party line, then vote the idiot out after one term even if it means biting your lip and going to the opposite party. Change your party affiliation often so you can vote against the worst extremists in the primaries. Always go for the most centrist candidate even if they have issues you may not agree with. Generally the centrists are more open-minded and can be persuaded by involved citizens to rethink their options. Vote to keep political balance between the Executive and Legislative branches. Try to vote to keep the Supreme Court evenly balanced. Here's the wonderful outcome of this strategy if enough people can be convinced to vote this way: Power blocks become harder to create. Legislators are fresher and more likely to still hold their ideals. They haven't learned all the tricks. The two major parties are forced to put out more centrist and reasonable candidates. Less laws are passed and less money is spent on wasteful items if control of the legislative and executive branches reside with opposite parties.