How many times have you heard, "your vote counts"?

In a few hours, those who follow the elections intently, will vote for who they have always voted for, one of them, of either party. Those 37% of one party and 13% of the other, will go to bed tomorrow night, feeling confident, that their vote counted, because, they voted for their party candidate and as we've all been told, only they have the answers. And those lucky party loyalists who have time and time again, elected the very same partisan prostitutes, selling our vote to the highest bidder, hi-jacking an entire Presidency, while taking millions from the very same people who brought this country to it's financial and moral knees will feel their vote counted. Yes in deed, the party that wins tomorrow, is the answer to our problems. Ask a party loyalist from the winning side on Wednesday.. they'll tell ya, my vote counted.

The rest of us, 51% of voters in our State, claim to be Independent. Much is said about the majority of voters, making a conscious decision NOT to be affiliated with a party. Those very same voters who in the last election came out in droves to flex their political will in the voting both, in electing the first Afro American president. I will admit that I was inspired by his goals, cheered his promises, felt for the first time, relief that someone I voted for would take on the machine in Washington, I even like the guy.

But as we have witnessed, all the great dreams and goals of our President, that millions of voters had hoped for, have not, will not, and may never be as we were promised and believed, could and should be. We've watched Health Care Reform gutted by greed and now is being challenged as unconstitutional. Clean energy, foiled by misinformation, Banking Reform, blinded by hypocrisy, Open government, is now closed, by the very same people who have had "their vote count" in the last election.

Just days before we vote, we are besieged with non stop political TV, radio, web and print ads, fliers sent to our homes, phone calls from elected officials, celebrity personal appearances, millions given to campaigns from both sides from all over the country, all to get us to vote for their party candidate. For some of the less informed independents, that little exsporue will be enough to vote for either candidate, believing their vote counted.

But for the rest, who have felt disillusioned by the inability of government to get anything done right, more wars, more hunger, more corruption, more and more of the same old thing in government, in our hearts, perhaps idealistic, we stand for what we believe in. Our access to the alternative is limited by those who are so entrenched in having their way, they will do anything to limit our exposure to anyone different than themselves.

I can't in good conscience vote for the same old thing, it's worthless to me. Nothing will ever change for most Americans. The influential rich will gain, the middle and lower class people will loose, no matter which side gets in. It's morally wrong for me to stand by idly and watch our world come a part and vote for either of the two party candidates.

The only candidate on record as saying he believes in ending the wars, having less government and less spending is the only candidate where my "vote counts", in my conscience.