Wasted Votes and Compromises With Evil

by Perry Thompson

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other wrong, but the middle is always evil. . . . In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.” 
~~ Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

We often hear people who are concerned with the ongoing erosion of our freedom say that they will no longer compromise. In making this statement they usually mean that they will no longer obey unconstitutional laws, especially gun laws. For example, a person might refuse to obtain concealed carry permits even if he lives in a “shall issue” state because he feels that the Second Amendment is the only permit he needs. He might convert his AR-15 into a selective fire M-16 because the M-16 is simply the modern version of the military musket that the drafters surely meant to protect with the Second Amendment. 

There are many other examples of “refusing to compromise” on the issue of freedom. However, too many of the people who have decided to no longer compromise have one thing in common. At every election they vote a straight Republican ticket. They justify this by saying the while the Republicans may have betrayed freedom time and time again, they are still better than the Democrats. This may be true, but there is a common phrase to describe the typical Republican candidate. They are all too often “the lesser of two evils”. This compromise vote is far more dangerous than the compromise of following the unconstitutional laws currently on the books.

I strongly suggest that these people read a little further down the ballot. There are more than two candidates running for president and for most other offices as well. Of course the response to this suggestion is predictable:

“If I don’t vote for the Republican candidate, I’ll be wasting my vote. A third party candidate will never get elected.” 

With that attitude the “lesser of two evils” voters are right. Decent candidates will never win until people stop voting for what they know to be evil and start voting for what they know to be right.

The response continues, 

“But I just couldn’t live with my self if I didn’t do everything I could to stop that evil Democrat from getting elected.” 

I have to wonder how such a person can live with knowing that he helped elect an only slightly less evil Republican. My version of his response is that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do what I could to stop the erosion of freedom. In general, freedom may be lost faster when Democrats are elected than when Republicans are elected, but there is still a steady loss. This steady loss of freedom will continue until we stop compromising our votes and electing evil candidates. 

In short, the only “wasted vote” is one cast for a candidate the voter knows to be evil and the lesser of two evils is still evil. I can make this vow. I will never again waste my vote because I will never again compromise with evil at the ballot box.