Yes. If enough people protest vote, even 10%, it will shake things up. If not, it's up to people who operate within the current duopoly.

BTW, I recognize the circular nature of my argument: "if enough people throw away their vote / donation dollars, then those people won't have thrown away their vote / donation dollars."

"you prefer socialism"
As I said, the other mainstream choice is so-called "conservatives" who are more socialistic. Boycotting them at this point is the answer, for me. Most of them, regardless of party, are good people who will respond to lobbying. It's an uphill battle, though, because there is much more incentive to lobby for a slice of the gov't pie than to lobby to reduce the size of the pie.

That's right.
Q.E.D. Don't continue making the same mistakes again and again.

"it means using your brain instead of your feelings and voting only for someone who is worthy and has proven competence"
Who is that? Almost all mainstream candidates accept the bipartisan consensus that gov't will stay large and intrusive.

Hello sumitch,
Carpe diem, as I understand it, is usually interpreted as "seize the day." I like your warning, but my intention is to inspire and fortify one to do what they can for the cause they believe in.
Regards,
O.A.

Simply put, no. Law is the social agreement that sets forth predefined and uniform punishments for abrogation. Logic can lead to the institution of correct legal principles, but the absence of law can not lead to a lawful society.

Once we established a culture which said anyone who is a "minority" has has no accountability, we were screwed. I have and will never understand how this became a cultural imperative, so I have no idea how to reverse it.

We have already established our homestead as our Gulch, and continue our efforts to make it more independent, and to increase our resistance efforts. We have room for a few allies to join us, but our offspring will probably not be among those.
We're old folks, with limits in both resources and energy, but we have most certainly "drawn our lines" for self-defense. We fully understand that all this is quite likely to bring us to our end, and that's quite okay. Sadly, If that should happen, I suppose that this world will never know of it. So we must live within the limits imposed by the Rulers until/unless that mob goes out of business.

There is actually some serious consideration of putting together a physical Gulch. I am part of the planning for such an enclave. However, I think you are right. I think the only Gulch that will ever really exist is already here.

The only Gulch which will ever really exist is already here, but that is simply within our own private homesteads and chosen family/friends. There will be no mass movement to anywhere; a government of force will always prevent anything beyond that.

Whenever we have seen governments-all go out of business, there will be no need for a mass Gulch. That's coming.

yes, J_IR, this is a great post for discussion

Your suggestion glows for accuracy.

THAT is a really great question! Really. I do not want that to go by as a rhetorical question. May I suggest that you repost it as a topic?

Re: Neuro deficits - one set has a choice, the other does not.

Try [bas]tards. Fits.

In any Gulch society it will be remarkably difficult to convince someone to leave. After all, they won't be able to use force. ;)

j, How does the old saying go; 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.' I think Gulchers can and should have children, but at a point the Gulch will have to vote/decide on allowing each to stay. Some Gulchers might decide to leave with the children that aren't allowed to stay but those that regardless of teaching and raising don't understand and accept Objectivism by a certain point have to go.

The number of looters drops to zero only if admission to the Gulch is by invitation only and if Gulchers are not allowed to have children in the Gulch. The temptation for power is too great for a high enough percentage of the population such that looters will exist otherwise.

Naw, the number of looters will drop to zero. All of us will self-defend, being themselves judge, jury and executioner. The bandits will quickly get the message.

Despite Socialism's horrific philosophy (Anti-mind, Anti-life, Anti-prosperity) and its evil record of death and destruction (Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela, et alia) it is poised to dominate the governance of the world through the U.N.
Why are we humans so incapable of resisting the evil which we have been plunged into repeatedly over the last eighty centuries.?

Yep; a con-con is a great unknown, and scary.
If it comes to be, it will be most likely like all the other "tinkering" going on repeatedly, and worse because the collectivist-progressive herd has come to be in total control of this government of force. Worse, 98% in vote 2012 went for "more of the same.

Bottom line, we would still be "governed", but more-so.

Thus the last-gasp for mankind will be the inevitable global Great Collapse. This will put the Rulers out of business. No more fiat dollars, and nobody to pay out the dole.

Then we'll have some version of Galt's Gulch. What happens then will be up to the survivors, and that's a big sweat!

Calls, e-mails, letter, etc. are easy to ignore, not so when your offices, fundraisers, corporate donors places of business, etc. have constituents on site regularly - that will draw media eventually.
We have allowed the premise of who is in charge to be flipped, until we can flip it back, by simply refusing to let it slide, by not asking, but insisting term limit legislation be introduced, we`ll get nowhere.
A simple demand of " Follow the law" backed up with a list of lawless acts they have refused to be accountable for, along with a list of flat out lies from the admin. that can be handed out to media may get the ball rolling.
You must also target local media outlets, they are the the real problem - they live and die on advertising dollars, go after the advertisers.
It won`t happen quickly, but to avoid a very bad ending, it must happen.

and corporations, and unions, and wall street
firms, and ..... -- j

p.s. as a thousandaire, I can only vote.

Islam comes to mind.

The idea of a constitutional convention scares me. I just can't see that any such gathering doing only to let the existing powers grant themselves more and the vast population losing much of what little they have left.

Live for the day? I'm taking your meaning to be that people vote selfishly and without thought of what it causes to future generations. Am I close?