"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..." - Hosea 4:6 (KJV)
In the time that I've been here in this physical dimension, I've noticed that most people don't take the time to check things out for themselves. A simple act of reading a few pages of letters can sometimes rather easily dispel dangerous rumors and myths.
One such myth is the much exalted and revered "vote". Sure, you, as citizens of the United States (by which I mean those with the same status of emancipated slaves circa 1863), have a right (actually a privilege) to "vote", but what is it worth?
Since you are a United States citizen, the value of your vote can be readily determined by simply reading the Constitution. Now, a lot of times you might hear someone admonishing you to "Read the Constitution!" To which I say: horseshit. The Constitution for/of the United States of America is a boring, dry document that basically just lays out the rules for how the government will operate. The interesting/important parts are the preamble and amendments (especially the first ten, collectively known as the Bill of Rights). If you know how to read arcane legal documents, the preamble will have clued you in to the true nature of the Constitution: it's a trust indenture. And more specifically, a trust indenture designed to operate a corporation in bankruptcy. Though that's well beyond the scope of my present screed, I will point you to resources you can consult to understand the true nature of the Constitution. And if you have desire to read an important founding document, the Declaration of Independence is far more relevant, and an excellent read to boot.
Anyway, the pertinent part of the Constitution for the purposes of this enlightenment is the following, Article II, Section 1. If you're a typically lazy American, just read the bolded parts:
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of
whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representatives from each State having one Vote; a quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall choose from them by Ballot the Vice-President.
There you go, in black & white "ink". And congratulations: you are now a Constitutional Scholar (arguably on at least the same level as Barack Obama ). Having read that (even just the bolded parts) you now know more about how the president is selected than 99.99% of Americans. According to the Constitution, there are currently 535 Electors. These 535 people (allegedly*) select the President of the United States. Look at all the millions of idiots that parade around protesting against Trump or Hillary or the avowed socialist Sanders, not to mention the buffoons that actually threw their support behind abject morons like Ted Cruz or Jeb Bush. All these people have never actually read the controlling document of their nation and think their "vote" actually counts towards something.
And what is this mythical "vote"? I would show you in the Constitution where it defines what your vote is worth, but it's just not in there. That's right, there is no such thing as a "popular vote". The Constitution never once mention those words. It's a contrived ceremony over which apes may beat their chests, and no more. My people suffer for lack of knowledge. Stupid is as stupid does.
So what is voting? I'm just cynical and jaded and have been around the Sun enough times to know that it's just a way to fool Americans into thinking they are involved in the selection of their leader. Iin actuality it's just a way to psychological subdue those who choose to participate in the farce. After all, if you vote, you are implicitly lending your approval to the contest. And by the way, you are utilizing a privilege granted by someone else, in this case the United States. It's simply a government benefit to make trick you into feeling better about yourself, like free healthcare. By voting, you are saying, "Whether I get my way or not, I approve of the outcome of this process by my act of participation." It's a contract, and your vote is the evidence of it.
People, the Constitution is a corporate indenture. Anything with a President, a Vice President and a Secretary is a corporation. The United States is a corporation. The Board of Directors selects the executive staff. You, the common citizen, are not on the Board of Directors. At best you're one of the workers, so you get to bitch and complain to management (your representatives) and they bring it to the executives, and maybe the Board catches wind of your gripes, but by and large you really have no say in who runs the corporation. You just get to voice a nice opinion which shall be promptly and judiciously ignored.
Now you know. You are welcome.
Now, how many people, having read this--having read the words in the Constitution itself explaining the process by which the President is selected--and now knowing that it is all a sham, will still go out and cast a vote (and this notwithstanding all the evidence that the voting process itself is rigged by electronic voting systems)?
Seriously?
If even one person is educated by this and not only stops voting but actively de-registers, then my effort will have not been in vain. Send this to all the dumb people you know who annoy you with talk about presidential candidates and think it's worth losing friends over a bunch of narcissistic boobs who in the end will sell them out without a flinch of conscience.
I am Chumbawamba.