AS THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DRAWS NEAR IT IS TIME TO SUPPORT THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES—I’ll ask my supporters in Kansas to vote for Nader-Gonzalez,

AS THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DRAWS NEAR IT IS TIME TO SUPPORT THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES—I’ll ask my supporters in Kansas to vote for Nader-Gonzalez, but others need to choose carefully whom to choose on other state ballots

By KEVIN A. STODA


I have been watching the ability of the Nader-Gonzalez ticket to succeed in getting on the Kansas’ and another 44 state ballots. That is pretty good for a pair of candidates on a shoestring budget.

I have also appreciated the daily e-mails with consistently good insight on the enfolding financial and quality of living crises in the USA in 2008. Sign up for those mails here at http://www.votenader.org/ .

One of the more recent blogs from the independent candidates’ website cites Noam Chomsky and John Dewey in the same breath on economy, politics, and business: The article is entitled POLITICS IS THE SHADOW CAST ON SOCIETY BY BIG BUSINESS http://www.votenader.org/blog/2008/10/12/politics-is-the-shadow/ .

“As Noam Chomsky put it this week: ’The United States effectively has a one-party system, the business party, with two factions, Republicans and Democrats.’”
While John Dewey noted, “Politics is the shadow cast on society by big business.”

POWER POLITICS AND KANSAS VOTER OPTIONS 2008

According to Nader, John Dewey defined power in the American system as “business for private profit through private control of banking, land, industry, reinforced by command of the press, press agents and other means of publicity and propaganda”.

Another recent blog by Nader is “In the Public Interest: Derivative Casino”.
In the blog, Nader reminds us political economic historians, “In 1995, Congress enacted the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) of 1995, which imposed onerous restrictions on plaintiffs suing wrongdoers in the stock market. The law was enacted in the wake of Orange County, California's government bankruptcy caused by abuses in derivatives trading. An amendment offered by Rep. Ed Markey would have exempted derivatives trading abuse lawsuits from the PSLRA restrictions. In defeating the amendment, then-Representative and now-SEC Chairman Chris Cox quoted Alan Greenspan, saying “it would be a grave error to demonize derivatives;’ and, ‘It would be a serious mistake to respond to these developments [in Orange County, California] by singling out derivative instruments for special regulatory treatment.’”

Nader reminds us that Greenspan and Congress were sleeping at the helm in the 1990s (as well as in this decade) in protecting American pensioner and investor interests. This was done simply for short term gains on the stock market.

This writing of Nader is on par with Paul Krugman’s writings—and Krugman just got the Nobel Prize in economics. This is the sort of analytical eye that a third party can bring to American politics—if Americans allow both third parties and alternative candidates to come forward and threaten the system, as Ross Perot did in 1992.

In Kansas currently, McCain has a 12 to 14 percent lead over Obama, so I do not foresee me endangering Obama’s chances of kicking the badly run Republican Party out of the White House.

KANSAS ALTERNATIVES FOR PREZ

Meanwhile, Kansas has a number of other candidates on the presidential list this year. There are the Libertarians, with Barr and Root
http://libertarianpartycandidates.us/candidates/randall-l-hodgkinson-2008-united-states-senate/
as presidential and vice-presidential posts. Moreover, there is the perennial Reform Party, with Baldwin and Castle topping their party lists.

Interestingly, the Kansas State authorities tried to have Chuck Baldwin taken off the ballot in September, but this has been cleared up. http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=154781
By the way, here is what the American Reform Party of Kansas stands for: http://www.americanreform.org/ARP-State-Affiliates/kansas.html

The Reform Party, among many other issues, in there platform are calling for recognition of Cuba and demanding the U.S. remain current on its UN contributions. Moreover, the Reform Party requires clear access to third parties on the ballot on par with what the Democrats and Republicans experience.

In short, Kansans have no excuse for NOT voting for someone they like--rather than voting for someone they only feel like sticking up their noses at.

SENATE AND HOUSE CANDIDATES in KANSAS

Similarly, opposing the inadequate and aging U.S. Senator Pat Roberts who blank-checked so many questionable pro-Bush bills and decisions (like going to war in Iraq or bugging citizens’ phones) over the last 8 years—or more—are again the Libertarian and Reform parties.

Randall L. Hodgekinson is leading the Libertarians
http://libertarianpartycandidates.us/candidates/randall-l-hodgkinson-2008-united-states-senate/
on this portion of the ballot as is the Reform Party member, Joseph L. Martin.

Oh, yes, Jim Slattery is running on the ticket for the Democrats against Pat Roberts, as well. Slattery’s advertisements are popular on the web.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jimslattery2008

Too bad he is on the Democratic ticket, eh? Anyway, all alternative candidates can run similar radio ads. (The TV controllers of American life make it difficult for poorer folks to get time. Let’s get control of the airwaves, cable, and satellite networks in this campaign. Throw all the bums out or scare them almost-to-death. Vote for alternatives.)

Both the Libertarians of Kansas http://www.lpks.org/ and the Reform Party are putting up candidates in each of the state’s four U.S. House of Representative. http://votekansas.no-ip.org/reform/f/


CONTRASTING KANSAS OTHER STATES

In many neighboring states, like Nebraska and Missouri, the presidential candidates are the same as in Kansas.

I have looked at Missouri sample ballots, and there are also two alternative (third party) candidates for governor, but elsewhere on the Missouri state ballots there are almost no other third party candidates to be found anywhere. (I found only one libertarian.)

This situation is found too often in America. Most states have absolutely no choice but to vote for the status quo—Republicans and Democrats.

To the north, in Nebraska, the Green Party, with Cynthia Anne McKinney as presidential candidate made it on the presidential ballot along with the five sets of parties that Kansas has.

NOTE: If someone wants to duplicate my research a great website for doing so is

PROJECT VOTE SMART http://www.votesmart.org/election_president.php

On this site, I looked up Colorado presidential elections and was astounded at the number of candidates pending—16 presidential candidates in all!

Astounding! Coloradoans should be able to find a good candidate among that group: http://www.votesmart.org/election_president_search.php?stage=3205&go.x=15&go.y=18

On the other hand, it appears that Oklahoma has no other presidential candidate options than the parties Chomsky warned us against—Democrat and Republican.

After reviewing the 5 central U.S. states—Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado—I would have to say that non-Democrat and non-Republican voices are often not being heard as well as they should be. Oklahoma is a particularly sad case. (No wonder most of America’s newest casinos are opening in Oklahoma—the Republicans and Democrats love casinos, derivatives, gambling and taking your money without giving much back.)

Let this election be the one when the death-toll to these two parties’ stronghold, go out and vote for the alternatives, NOW.

BY THE WAY

I just sent in my ballot for Kansas. I voted for the Nader-Gonzalez for President and Vice President to encourage voices in politics that emulate Paul Krugman

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/

or Noam Chomsky more than they mimic Dick Cheney or Paul Volker.

Whoever you vote for, please really consider supporting alternative voices in 2008!!! Vote wisely and sincerely for someone you want.