TMR: Voter Turnout for Midterms Lowest Since 1942, Marketing of the Flu Vaccine, and Ben Swann on 2014 Libertarian Political Victories
Welcome to Lions of Liberty! Here’s your Tuesday edition of The Morning Roar!Voter Turn Out Lowest For Midterm Election Since 1942The Democrats can take solace in the fact that although they were completely annihilated by the Republicans in the midterm election, only 36.4% of the voting eligible public cast ballots. This mean that more than 63% of the voting public wasn’t buying what either party was selling.The Washington Post reports:
Just 36.4 percent of the voting-eligible population cast ballots as of last Tuesday, continuing a steady decline in midterm voter participation that has spanned several decades. The results are dismal, but not surprising -- participation has been dropping since the 1964 election, when voter turnout was at nearly 49 percent.The last time voter turnout was so low during a midterm cycle was in 1942, when only 33.9 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.Voter turnout during presidential elections is, as a rule, significantly higher. More than 58 percent of eligible voters submitted ballots in 2012 and nearly 62 percent did so in 2008. By contrast, only 41 percent of eligible voters voted in 2010 and 40.4 percent in 2006.
Participation in the U.S. democratic system is trending down as people lose confidence in those they elect with the hope of initiating meaningful change in Washington. Many of the Americans that voted understand the system is designed to favor big business and banks. Politicians are beholden to lobbyists rather than their constituents.Even though the system is highly flawed, it is important to understand that voting can still be used to defend individual rights. There is no better example of this than Prop 47 in California, which passed during last Tuesday’s election. The legislation will result in significantly fewer felonies for non-violent offenses and could set up to 10,000 non-violent offenders free. Election initiatives such as this, which can directly stop government infringement upon individual rights, should give even the most principled libertarian reason to vote.Marketing Of The Flu VaccineLast week a friend of mine contacted me with a story about the corporation that they work for aggressively pushing employees to get a flu vaccines. This got me thinking: how prevalent of an issue is flu shot “hazing” by employers?Personally, I have not experienced the degree of emphasis placed on flu shots that my friend details below, but I’d be interested to hear from our readers if they’ve had similar experiences. If you have been pressured or forced into a getting a flu shot by your employer, send an email to John@lionsofliberty.com with the details or leave a comment below. There is no need to include the company name or anything like that. We’ll keep all of that anonymous anyway.Here is the story my friend shared:
Our regional manager is bringing in a company to administer flu shots at work. He walked around with a clipboard asking each individual in the office if they were interested because it's "free" if you have company insurance. When he came to my desk I said I was not interested, he paused as if to ask, “Why not?” So I explained I have never had the flu and don't feel that I need the shot. He replied "you’re going with that then?"Since saying no to the "free" shot myself and a few friends and coworkers feel almost like we are being singled out for our choice and overwhelmingly pressured to change our minds. He brought it up in our weekly meeting and read the list of names (Medical privacy act anyone?) and said, "those of you who are not getting the shot I'd better not hear you coughing around the office (Insert corporate phony laugh here… Hardy har har)" I should also mention anyone who calls off from illness obviously do not get in trouble per our sick day policy, but they are faced with some serious attitude upon return from management. So, coworkers wanting to avoid the awkward feeling of everyone being pissed at you for calling off sick come in while they are sick, contagious and need to be home. Last week I witnessed a co-worker coughing up phlegm into a garbage can basically all day. Shouldn't she have been sent home?
Flu shots do serve a purpose and I'm not against flu shots or vaccines in general. But I draw the line at individuals being forced to put something into their bodies without consent.People are quick to label those of us that are cautious about what we put in our body as nut jobs. But there is nothing nutty about questioning who benefits from the massive disbursement of the flu shot each year. It takes someone oblivious to reality to not take into account the dream scenario the flu shot is for the pharmaceutical companies. The media, government, and corporations all help pharmaceutical companies sell flu shots. And vaccines are protected, so they can’t be sued if anyone has complications. The situation is ripe for abuse.The flu shot was probably developed with good intentions and it’s likely that it has assisted people with avoiding the flu, but the human body is complex. There could be unintended consequences associated with flu shots that don’t appear for many years. There could be immediate consequences that are not properly being attributed to flu shots.There is no harm in being skeptical and asking questions. After all, for a young and healthy person who has never had the flu, what is the worst outcome of not getting the flu shot?If you answered losing a week of your life being sick with the flu, then you are correct.That’s a tradeoff I’m willing to accept.Ben Swann on 2014 Libertarian Political VictoriesWhile the news of a Republican sweep and the typical left-right banter dominating the mainstream media - and/or your social media newsfeed - it can be frustrating for those who value individual liberty over meaningless political rhetoric. Well our good pal Ben Swann is here to point out not just the silver linings, but some verifiable victories for libertarians (and third parties in general) in this past year's midterms.http://youtu.be/67rfMbw-3e0This is just some more evidence that libertarians should not be running away from politics, but be driving head on into the arena with spears dipped in the rational thought and the spirit of liberty.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
