Oddbean

As an #American I have #voted in every #election since I turned 18. But I fear I cannot in good #conscience vote for either candidate for #president this year. It's not just "both sides bad" BS, as they both have horrible policies that I dread either one becoming president. #Trump is working with others towards #Project25 which essentially is a coup against our #government and will push #America even more towards #fascist #conservatism. Among his other major flaws. #Kamala #Harris is actually proposing #PriceControls on food. But price controls do not work. The only reason food prices are rising is because the dollar's value is falling, because they keep #printing more of it (endless printing of funds IS a "both sides" problem), these aren't actually record prices and record profits at all it's actually record low values for the dollar we measure prices in. Price controls lead to #FoodShortages, it doesn't magically make the same food cheaper. I cannot support a candidate who is pushing us towards a more fascist #conservative America, and I cannot support a candidate who is proposing price controls which will just cause food #shortages. Not familiar with what price controls have done throughout history? The Roman Empire is the biggest example that comes to mind, as they tried to do the same thing around 200 years into the debasement of their coins having removed all but 5% of the silver from them. Rome collapsed less than a century later. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_on_Maximum_Prices This is another piece of evidence showing what the slow breakdown of society looks like. History is repeating itself. Only this time we have on the sidelines an alternative system being built on Bitcoin that will help us come out the other side much quicker and even hopefully avoid any major collapse between now and then. Just remember in times like these that at the end of the day society's really big problems are caused by the FIAT system, and it doesn't REALLY matter who is president as they're not really in control. Whether you vote this November or not, simply by owning Bitcoin you ARE voting every second of every day. Only you're voting with your economic energy for a new system that frees us all from the current one, and there is no stronger vote then that. Regardless of who wins in November don't worry for the world in the long run, and just stack sats and HODL to get through the bumpy road we may see on the way there. The Bitcoin economy is coming, and it cannot be stopped because it is better than the current system in everyway and for everyone. The future is bright 🌞, don't believe otherwise. https://m.primal.net/KCTB.png

It's sad that you think you actually have a choice at all. Really, the fact that we only ever have 2 - 20 people to pick from (depending on if you count the primaries or not) is proof you don't get to choose. It's an illusion of choice. The wealthy only fund campaigns that either way further their interests. Good luck running a successful campaign on actual change, because the people it would benefit the most have the least money and are struggling to just survive. Statistically your vote is at best about as likely to affect the outcome of the election as you are to be struck by lightning in a given year, at worst it's much less likely than that. These elections are more America's reality TV show anymore than able to affect actual change in our government. Welcome to election season! Who will you pick out of the less than 2 dozen people the wealthy fund??? Your vote matters! Except it really doesn't.

It's true that no candidate advocating for sweeping change is going to get the financial backing. But incremental change is better than nothing at all, and every single election, we get the chance to decide if we slide backwards a bit. Sometimes, the alternative is to hold steady, sometimes we get lucky and get a small bump in the right direction, sometimes we get real unlucky and we only get to decide how far back we slide. But every single time, the consequences matter, and over a lifetime, those small gains can add up to meaningful change. Or you can give up, opt out, and let the rich have their way, which is to fuck you even harder. Your call, I guess.

I do opt out, with ₿. By owning and holding ₿ for the long term, I'm voting for a system that leads to a better way of life. And I'm supporting companies and people around the world who choose the same. The only way to win, is to not play their game.

I think those are all great steps to take. I just don't think it's a binary choice between systems to influence. The changes bitcoin will bring are going to take time to arrive. Years. Maybe decades still to fully realize the potential. Until then, the system we have now is going to seriously impact people's lives, and we're given the occasional chance to nudge it for better or worse. Just because we have hope on the horizon doesn't mean we should stop maintaining what we already have, even if it isn't all that we want or deserve.