One more political rant- privacy violations

I already semi ranted about this on Facebook and Twitter. But I'm going to go off a little longer... I am REALLY frustrated that the political campaigns feel the need to constantly violate my privacy.

I started realizing it with the political popup ads. I have a popup blocker and I constantly have to temporarily disable it to do my banking. But... when I am surfing the web, minding my own business, I get political pop up ads.

Here's what bothers me about this. I honestly think that popup ads, especially ones that are this aggressive, are serious violations of privacy. I've purposely set my computer to not receive them, and yet they still appear. I'm tired of the tracking cookies that watch the sites I visit, and when I visit political sites because I want to research the candidates so I can vote based on education, I find that future sites I visit have ads for the political party I was most recently researching.  I'm sorry, but I do not trust a candidate who is willing to SPY on my internet activity to have my best interests at heart. Someone who is willing to disregard my decision to not have popups on my computer does not care about me or my family.

Now, for those of you who want to say, "but my political party or candidate isn't doing that," let me tell you that you are probably wrong, unless you are for a third party. Both Democrats and Republicans, as well as their supporting PACs and special interest groups, are doing this. In addition to the Internet ads, I am bombarded with phone calls. We get at least 5 political calls a day, and we're on the "Do not call" list. Apparently, it doesn't apply to political calls, and I think that's wrong. If I don't want people invading my space with their calls, I should have the right to say no. I should also mention the political candidates who ring my doorbell and wake me up from my nap to ask for my vote. Since you aren't capable of reading my "No Soliciting" sign, I'm not sure I trust you to be capable of reading the information necessary to properly represent my interests. And yes, I consider the candidate who left flyers on my door (right next to the "No Soliciting" sign) also violating my privacy. How can you "care about the environment" when you just wasted paper and ink on those glossy full color brochures that are going directly to my round file?

I understand the candidates are trying to get the word out. But honestly? When you invade my world with things I have specifically asked not to have (popups, tracking cookies, phone calls, visits to my house), you aren't getting the word out. You're pissing me off. Last presidential election, I commented that I was voting for the person who called me the least. This year, I'm voting for whoever violates my trust the least. Right now, the third parties are in the lead. It really is too bad that Ralph Nader isn't running this year, because he probably would have gotten my vote.

Candidates, if you want to restore whatever it is your campaign slogan says you're doing for America, start with restoring respectful treatment of the people you're supposed to be representing. Don't let your advertising and efforts to get elected cross the line into areas where people have asked you not to go. This year, I will not vote for it.

Time to get political... and think!

I'm fairly intentional about not getting political in public. I've got too many online friends on both sides who tend to make jerks of themselves and alienate the other side with their political comments. If you're looking to read that Obama is the antichrist or that Romney will end democracy as we know it, you should probably find some other blog to read. I don't think people on either side are stupid. In fact, I'm getting tired of educated adults calling people names because they happen to think differently than others. I wish I'd thought to make copies of the different infographics going around. I'm amazed at how many of the Republican ones look almost exactly like the Democrat ones, and how they've both used the same distorted figures to prove opposite things.

A lot of my friends are saying that this election, they are voting for the lesser of two evils. I graduated with a degree in Political Science, so I totally understand this. I've always heard the philosophy that a vote for a third party is a wasted vote, because no third party will ever get elected. But I'm starting to question if that's really true. If so many people are merely voting for the lesser of two evils, what if we voted based on who we really want in office, regardless of political affiliation? Right now, this is just a question of "what if." I actually don't know if it would change things or not. But I've heard so many people argue that voting for a third party takes away from what could have been a win for the primary candidates, so why couldn't that logic work in reverse? Could enough people not vote for the two main parties that the rest of the population takes someone else seriously?

I don't know. I'm honestly just tossing ideas out there right now. But I'm tired of not feeling like I have a choice and not voting my true conscience. Before I vote, I'm going to take some time to do some serious thinking. I have great respect for all of my friends on all sides of the debate, and as I continue my own research into my decision, I hope everyone can continue in that respectful discussion.

So I've been researching... examining the candidates, and doing my homework. I found a quiz that I thought was very informative, so I thought I'd share.

http://www.isidewith.com/presidential-election-quiz?from=46400048