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Political Factions-The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

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Collectivist

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Political Factions: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Psychiatrists  usually equate good mental health in decision making with proper and prudent understanding of the decision (s) required, knowledge of the decision (s) complexity, discussions with confidents and above all honest rational thinking. Only then psychiatrists say can the proper decision (s) be made. Notice however that most elected officials nowadays decision making are based on range of the moment expediency, whim, intuition and/or false reasoning. For example, if a bridge is to be built or replaced in your town, do elected officials seek out the most qualified (and not necessarily the cheapest) construction companies to perform such a complex time consuming task,or is the hiring based on favors, long standing friendships or in the extreme, promises of some method (not necessarily money) of “payback?”

In small towns (and in some larger cities) elected officials are often voted into office by “factions.” A faction is a well organized group of voters who dedicate themselves and their votes to one specific candidate. Factions are not illegal but they (in extreme cases) may interfere with the voting process by totally blocking out oppositional voting. If the town is small enough (by average city standards) only two factions may exist. This means that faction candidates are voted into office over and over, one after another, making many qualified persons without a change (or factions) to ever become elected. In this example towns of this sort find themselves in a quandary when nothing seems to improve or even modest improvements in the life of the town citizens in question can advance. Why? Well, it makes sense if you owe your election to a faction, elected officials will do nothing to embarrass, mock or rule against their particular faction for fear of losing their support. Now, what is the result of faction voting.?

But first I don’t want anyone to get the idea that all political factions are bad. They are not. Electoral factions can be correctly judged by their ideas, aspirations and goals. For instance a faction can be formed to elect a good official against one that isn’t. A faction can be formed to elect a model sheriff or mayor. One’s that are known to put the people’s interest as their highest priority. It’s not all one way. However, if a faction sole interest is gaining or preserving power then here is what happens. Suppose you live on one street and there is a street right next to yours. Both are in dire need of repair. You are a fine citizen of your city, you help with needed causes and so do your neighbors. But there is not enough money to repair both. You wonder what is going to happen. You wake up one morning with the sound of repair trucks working the road,you look out your window and see, yes they are repairing the street but it is the one next to yours. You street will remain in needed repair for years.

What happened? You have been a victim of faction “favors” because over time you learn that most of the people on the other street voted for those in power.

Factions are a definite threat to our Republic. Factions however, will continue to exist. There will always be the good, the bad, and the ugly factional positioning in any election. Be aware, be confident, never give up, never give in and always vote your conscience and resist being told who to vote for! Stand up as an Independent and a knowledgeable voter the founders intended you to be!

Edited by Collectivist
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5 hours ago, Collectivist said:

 Factions are a definite threat to our Republic. Factions however, will continue to exist. There will always be the good, the bad, and the ugly factional positioning in any election. Be aware, be confident, never give up, never give in and always vote your conscience and resist being told who to vote for! Stand up as an Independent and a knowledgeable voter the founders intended you to be!

Factions are a reality of politics, as you have pointed out. I would not entirely with your statement that factions are a define threat to our Republic. In general, I agree with the intent of this statement, but the threat is not the divisions in civic leadership. Rather, it is the ideological or philosophical influences most widely accepted in our society. Factions have existed within every society, from the tribal, to the superstate. In the case of our present day democracy, it is the people, the majority, who decide the persons in leadership. But if they choose between one statist over another, they will only wind up with another statist. If your vote goes for the candidate(s) that will fix your street, the guy on the other street has equal justification for outrage. Rather than entangle this message with alternatives to democracy, I believe there are other ways to vote, such as with one's wallet or one's feet. If Americans were to embrace a more laissez faire political system, a more just system of public appropriation and expenditure might emerge. While this would certainly be a hard sell in these times, advocacy of individualism, capitalism, reason, and Objectivism would be the best way to begin the long journey of reaching the desired goal of a more just social order.

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