8 Opinion October 12, 2004 THE RETRIEVER Point Counterpoint Your ballot: Change or principle? The lesser of two evils is still evil

JON BERNHARDT winning. PETER BESSMAN date you consider to be evil, regardless of the fact that Retriever Guest Writer In the real world, it would be nice if voting for Retriever Guest Writer that candidate isn’t as bad as his alternative, you are Ralph Nader would change things. I’m sure that’s still voting for a candidate that you don’t want in It’s a very simple question: when you vote at what he wants you to think. But that’s not what’s Voters disillusioned with the major party candi- office, but merely see as lesser form of evil. The effect the beginning of November, a few weeks from now, going to happen. This is a very important election. dates face an interesting paradox in third-party repre- is that you doom yourself to a perpetually evil leader- are you voting to make a point, or are you voting to We are in the middle of a global war. We cannot sentatives. On one hand, it’s not terribly uncommon ship. To truly vote tactically, you need to consider the make a change? afford to waste our votes. Does it sound like I’m try- to find people agree with a particular third party’s plat- time factor and remember that four years is too short I’ve heard a lot from people around campus ing to scare you back into line? Well, I am. There are form to some degree. On the other hand, many vot- a period to settle for a candidate you still see as evil. about voting for third-party candidates, most specif- many things to be afraid of out there, and if you ers cannot be convinced to vote for a “doomed candi- I’m not delusional. I don’t think for a minute ically Ralph Nader and Michael Badnarik, and want a voice in how we fight our fears in the next date.” that my third-party candidate of choice, the there’s even a hardcore LaRouche crew. What the four years, you’ll just forget about Ralph and Mike The prevailing notion amongst those who con- Libertarian Michael Badnarik, is going to be calling majority of their arguments come down to is that a and Lyndon. Vote John, or vote George. Then we sider “tactical voting” is that it’s better to vote for a the shots for the next four years. However, a vote for protest vote on principle for the candidate you can take it from there. lesser evil, and against a greater evil, than to vote for a him sends a message to the Republican Party, who believe in is the essence of democracy and should be party that doesn’t have any chance of putting a repre- have strayed from their “conservative” roots with encouraged and upheld at every possible opportuni- Jon Bernhardt is a guest writer for the sentative in the Oval Office. If we were electing a Dubya, that a return to Goldwater form might net ty. This is a very nice ideological argument. But if Retriever. He can be reached for comment at opin- King, this might be true; for the time being, it’s a log- them some more votes. Libertarians who ideologically Bush wins another four years, none of you third- [email protected]. ical fallacy. The United States elects a new President agree with Badnarik should do so, and should not con- party voters are allowed to complain, period. You every four years. If you continuously vote for a candi- sider a vote for him as a vote for John Kerry. At pres- wrote yourselves out of this election when you voted ent, he is the only remotely visible candidate who Nader. advocates a limited government. Whether Bush or American democracy has, since the late eigh- Kerry wins, it is still a loss in this sense, thus, teenth century, been a two party system: there has Libertarians can only hope for a better future. been a party in power, and an opposition party to If you don’t think this has any causal force, con- keep them in line by doing what the minority always sider the outcome of the last election. In the eyes of does best, complaining and criticizing. This is the many Democrats, Nader’s relatively strong perform- point of the minority part in American politics. It’s ance cost Gore the election in 2000 and cultivated an a rather simple process, too: one side holds power, even greater reluctance amongst those liked his poli- that side screws up, the other side gets power, that cies but not his effect on the election. However, fast side screws up, and the first side gains power again. forward to the present, and, among sundry policy Do you have to like it? No, and no one’s ask- reforms increasing the common ground between ing you to. I’m personally not a fan of the two big Greens and Democrats, the party has unofficially parties, either. However, there’s a reason I’m voting adopted Michael Moore as their Vanna White. Nader’s for either President Bush or Senator Kerry on the role in the 2000 election has provided a wake up call second of November: I feel that this election is of sorts to Democrats, who have taken note of the important enough that I’m not going to waste my Greens’ dissatisfaction with the party. vote on a no-chance third-party politician who is At the same time, when voting for candidates not going to be elected. I am voting to change other than the Republicans or Democrats, there is an things, not to satisfy my internal moral principles, infinitesimal-but-still-there increase in the chance that which is what our third-party voters seem to be one day, your third party might actually win. doing: making themselves feel like they didn’t sell Consider that a freebie. out to the machine. They know that their candidate Courtesy of www.warwickgreens.com is not going to win the upcoming election. They’re Don’t make me Ralph: Opinions on third party candidates vary greatly, even on the same side of the polit- Pete Bessman is a guest writer for thd Retriever. protest voting. If that’s your thing, more power to ical spectrum. While some liberals praise Nader as a advocate for reform, others denoucne him as a spoiler. He can be reached for comment at you. I’ll stick with a candidate who has a chance of [email protected]. Rethinking Social Security: Privatization means progress

JEFF HARTLINE attacks and the subsequent war, the Security, to put it frankly, is going ment some form of private ownership Retriever Staff Writer economy has grown by leaps and broke, but we’re still paying into it. If in their retirement systems. In the bounds since the tax cuts were enacted. this doesn’t infuriate those of us in col- 1970s, Chile privatized their entire The economic proposals put forth While Democrats belittle the growing lege who pay into the system and won’t retirement system. Since that privatiza- by Senator John Kerry and President economy, one cannot help but notice see the benefits, then we need to tion has occurred, Chileans have seen a George W. Bush reflect two radically dif- the good news. The economy has become more aware of the conse- major return on their private invest- ferent worldviews. John Kerry believes grown 4.8% in the past year and pro- quences of apathy. ment for their retirement. Several stud- that the best way to enhance economic ductivity is higher than it has ever In the 2000 election, candidate ies concluded that workers receive 75% growth and promote opportunity is to been. Also, over 1.5 million jobs have Bush proposed that Social Security more benefits now than they received spend more money on Social Security been created in the past year alone. should be reformed slowly to allow from the government. If an ownership and other government programs while There is a wealth of information avail- younger workers to put a small amount policy can work in Chile which does simultaneously repealing the tax cuts for able on the enormous economic of their social security into private not have the same modern economy as those making over $250,000 a year. progress made under the Bush admin- accounts. In his keynote address to the the United States, then it has the Bush’s plan is that the true way to istration on the internet if people Republican convention in August potential to work here. improve the economy while enhancing would care to examine it. 2004 he said, “We must strengthen President Bush put it succinctly opportunities—to reform Social Security Although the tax relief of 2001 has Social Security by allowing younger when he said during his convention and Medicare while making the tax cuts provided a jump start to the economy, workers to save some of their taxes in a speech, “Expanding government rather permanent. Although people might be it would be wise to make those tax cuts personal account or nest egg you can than expanding opportunities are the focused on the pressing issues revolving made in 2001 permanent. History has call your own.” Simply put, this pro- policies of the past.” We don’t need a around foreign policy in this election, it shown that a consistent pattern of posal is a stroke of brilliance. As the return to the failed tax and spend poli- is important to also examine the eco- lower taxes improves the economy. The baby boom generation retires, there cies embraced by liberals for over 50 nomic proposals put forth by both can- tax cuts of the Kennedy and Reagan will be a huge generation of people years. Our generation has seen the didates. administrations helped to bring eco- receiving Social Security benefits with a results of this failure and we should be One of the first proposals President nomic booms in the 1960s and 1980s smaller working class to pay the cost. willing to accept the ideas that Bush pushed for in 2001 was a sub- respectively. If the tax cuts passed in Many people would question President Bush proposes. Lower taxes stantial tax relief bill. At that time, the 2001 are not made permanent, then whether this would constitute a “priva- and a greater ownership in our retire- economy was slowing from the eco- the economic growth we have seen in tization” of Social Security. I would say ment will allow us to be freer from the nomic bubble that was created in the the past few years will be erased. Tax it does not. However, the term “priva- confines of government while simulta- 1990s. Bush campaigned in 2000 on rates will return to their pre-2001 rates tization” is a loaded term meant to neously allowing our economy to grow. the premise that an across the board tax and taxpayers will pay a higher portion scare senior citizens into thinking that A country which embraces the freedom cut would help economic progress of their income to Uncle Sam. they will not receive their benefits. found in ownership, while repudiating while alleviating some of the tax bur- Another issue in the current When President Bush proposes to the dependence found in government, den on American workers. Despite Presidential election is the issue of what allow workers to invest in private is a country that allows its citizens the vociferous opposition by many to do about Social Security. It does not accounts, he is allowing people to take necessary freedom to control their Democrats (including Senators John take an intelligent person to realize that more ownership in their future. The lives. Kerry and John Edwards), tax relief Social Security is in terrible shape. wasteful, inefficient system that is cur- passed in both the House and Senate Many younger workers (and I include rently in place must be reformed to Jeff Hartline is a staff writer for the by substantial margins. myself in this group) have come to the meet the needs of the future. Retriever and looks forward to a time The attacks of September 11th conclusion that we will not see any of While the issue of Social Security when the government no longer steals slowed much of the economic progress the benefits of Social Security when we reform is debated in the United States, from his paycheck. He can be reached at that was taking form. Despite the approach retirement age. Social other countries have seen fit to imple- [email protected] for comment.