As to the Silver Surfer ball …it usually goes without saying that a winning lotto ticket is preceded by many, many, many losing tickets.

Thanks! You make some excellent points once again. The reason I’ve never voted independent is exactly for the reason you said. It’s realistically just a throw away vote and it only helps another party. For that reason, you may as well just choose the party you dislike less. People who vote independent just to protest our flawed two party system, no matter how much I agree with that point, make me just as crazy as people who don’t care enough to vote in the first place. No offense to anyone who has cast a ballot for Perot or Nader, but WTF were you thinking?

The two party system really frustrates me because in many respects, I’m still a conservative.

I can’t agree more with you on the Robinhood wannabes on the far left. Giving my money to some lazy pig who says he or she is “disabled”, when the fact is that they just don’t want to work…that doesn’t sit well with me, especially when my work schedule takes so much time away from my family and my life. The way I see it, the government is essentially making me work more (in the form of higher taxes), so that those scum don’t have to. In fact, I have some pretty radical views on what we should do with those folks. I won’t go there, but let’s just say I don’t think John Smith was completely off base. If you don’t work, you don’t eat…I won’t say “PERIOD”, but the list of legitimate exceptions would be a short one.

At the same time, there are people who really can’t fend for themselves for one reason or another, and I think our society as a whole is better off if those people aren’t left to starve on the streets. Even the most moral person, when left to starve to death, will lie, cheat and steal if that’s what it takes to survive. To me, taking care of these people is the right and moral thing to do. But even if you don’t care about what’s fair (no doubt, life is not), taking care of the truly disabled is still a less expensive proposition than dealing with all the crime we’d have if we didn’t.

I don’t know how many people are on government assistance in this country (not counting unemployment), but it wouldn’t surprise me if 70-80% of them could work if they really wanted to.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no happy medium, and I doubt there ever will be in a two party system. In my ideal government, anyone who gets help from the government would have to prove, without any doubt, that they really can’t work. Not by getting a note from THEIR doctor, but seeing a doctor whom the government can trust to give an honest report on said person’s physical condition.

So I guess telling you I hurt my back wouldn’t help me talk you into giving me a Silver Surfer ball?

Sweet combo, by the way. You should buy a lotto ticket!

I am a self-employed small business owner and my company pays for the health insurance of its employees. It is horribly expensive and the annual increases are debilitating (both personally and as a corporation). I agree that health-care reform is necessary but the manner in which it is currently being conducted is deplorable. I fully acknowledge that if Republicans were in control of the House, the Senate and the Oval Office they would do something equally inappropriate. Our political culture is venomous. It would be nice if an Independent could actually win more than a random election or two but I don’t see it likely in the near future. Knowing that a vote for an Independent is more than likely a throw-away vote (that seems to often help Democrats more frequently than Republicans) I have to stick Republican. I believe too deeply that each individual is responsible for their own success; that no state control over my life will every do anything other than rob me of my liberty and take my success and redistribute it to others. I do not work as hard as I do for the benefit of others. My successes and my failures belong to me and my family. I am a successful individual and I struggle each day to make that a true statement. I do not accept that everyone else cannot do the same. If they choose to be lazy, expecting someone to hand them their happiness …screw ‘em.

Colin Weaver

I’m a former Republican turned independent (thinker), and yes, I’m an Obama supporter. As much as I love breeding reptiles for a living, I would rather find a new career than try to make ends meet in a Republican run America. I’ll be the first to admit, the Democrats aren’t much better, but until there’s a snowball’s chance in hell for an Independent candidate to be elected, I will continue to support the Dems. The Republicans are crooked, and their agenda revolves more around corporate America’s interests than it does my America’s interests. For that reason, I doubt I will ever support another Republican, ever.

Health insurance, a hot topic today, is a real problem in this country…and in an industry comprised of nothing but hobbyists and small businesses, this is a real problem for everyone who breeds reptiles for a living. Being a professional reptile breeder with a diabetic business partner, the lack of decent insurance options is far more alarming than the thought of not being able to sell giant constrictors.

I’m healthy as a horse and my current health insurance is good, but the thought of being dropped if I get sick has always been in the back of my mind since I decided to pursue a career in reptiles. For me, fixing an ethically bankrupt health insurance industry is far more important than being able to sell big snakes. Ideally, we should be able to do both, and I think that’s what we should be shooting for…not sacrificing the health and well-being of 40+ million Americans to save our beloved giant snakes.

Before you vote Republican, think about this….

In a Republican run America, you can sell giant constrictors to your heart’s content…that’s great, but if you get sick, you may very well lose your business AND your health insurance. Being sick without health insurance, not to mention bankrupt with a building full of big ass snakes…let’s just say it doesn’t sound like the American dream to me.

The facts in this situation don’t lie. This is a problem championed by the democratic party. That’s what I care about and that’s why this is the perfect time to discuss it.

I am interested in preserving the well-being of my family and my business. It’s my job to do those things. To do that I have to vote republican (yes, yes, the lesser of two evils). It is decidedly clear that voting democrat means my right to own the reptile of my choosing is on the line. All other rhetoric is not relevant.

If you voted democrat and live in a district with a democrat in the house or if you live in a state with a democrat senator you can decide if your rights as a pet owner is a single-issue voting position. If it is, tell your representative that. Their mission is to stay in office. Knowing that they are losing constituents over the python and boa ban will not go unnoticed.