There are many reasons, but here is a quick list of why I’m not a Republican and couldn’t vote for one. This may shock some people, but I live to shock. Some may disagree with me and say they are “voting for the lesser of two evils.” I would counter they are getting the very evil they fear by voting Republican. So here’s why I can’t vote for the GOP.

1. Republicans are anti-Liberty. The Grand Old Party (GOP) or Republican Party was the ideological descendent of the American System—a political ideology Henry Clay and his ideological mentor Alexander Hamilton (a proponent of lifetime presidencies) propagated. They believed strongly in a powerful central government, an income tax, a strong central bank and high tariffs. All of these beliefs run counter to the principles of Liberty. The Republican Party, especially the hero of its party, Abraham Lincoln, was a student of Henry Clay. Lincoln inherently wanted a strong central bank, income tax and high tariffs. These tenants are still found in the GOP today.
2. The GOP grows government, despite what it states publicly. The current Republican-controlled congress has repeatedly approved budgets that have taken America further into debt, expanded the welfare system, expanded government surveillance of Americans and then looked the other way while the executive branch has gotten the country into foreign entanglements that apparently have no end. While some would suggest this is done in the name of “national defense,” the truth is that these operations have less to do with the defense of this country and more to do with reaffirming the presence of an American empire. After all, most of the hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi, yet American forces invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. We also are involved in covert operations all over Africa and Asia via drone warfare.
3. They believe in the same political ideology as the leftists. Republicans, especially neoconservatives, believe in Machiavelli’s Noble Lie principle as laid out in The Prince. The principle suggests that the public is too stupid to know the truth, so smart central planners should lie to them in order for the common good. Democrats and progressives at the turn of the 20th century like Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt and FDR believed this as well. In fact, the belief is so engrained into the political ideology of both parties that closed door meetings, congressional voting without the public presence, and classified government programs are the norm and almost completely accepted as a reality by the public.
4. Republicans love government and deplore the Constitution. Despite what they may say, Republicans continue to pass unconstitutional laws, expand unconstitutional programs and rely on the Federal Reserve Bank and income tax to steal from Americans though taxation system and inflation of the money supply. Government under George Bush grew beyond any previous president and has grown even more under Obama. Does more government equate to more freedom or less freedom for the public? More taxes or less taxes? More debt or less debt? The answer is obvious.
5. They love war. This was mentioned before, but it’s worth restating that Republicans have consistently violated the constitution by allowing the executive branch to conduct foreign wars without a formal declaration of war by Congress. Democrats are complicit in this as well and the result is a foreign policy that has made it less safe for Americans at home and abroad. Not to mention the endless debt and perpetual warfare state our country is embroiled in.
6. Republicans have contributed to the failed War on Drugs. Indeed, the GOP and “conservatives” love to demagogue about Liberty, but they will use the force of the government to keep you from using substances they have deemed illegal. Ingesting a substance or possessing something should never be a crime if there is no victim. The United States has spent billions of dollars incarcerating people for the use and sale of illicit drugs, but drug use is still very high in this country. Meanwhile, our jails are full of nonviolent criminals, publicly bankrupting our system.
7. Republicans believe in limited speech. While it has been mostly Democrats that have supported hate speech laws and the sedition acts of World War One (which shows how intolerant the left truly is of free speech), Republicans have been complicit in the war on free speech. From creating laws against flag burning (which is obviously atrocious), to attempts to ban pornography (also admittedly a problem for many), Republicans have repeatedly misconstrued FREE SPEECH for POLITE SPEECH. Just because something is not polite, may seriously offend someone or even possibly be hurtful to others or the government itself does not mean there must be a law against it. Freedom of speech was not written into the First Amendment to the Constitution to protect polite speech. It was written into law to protect controversial speech. Besides, why should we allow government to tell us what speech should be allowed or what speech is polite or appropriate? If there is no physical victim created from the speech, it must be allowed. (The famous argument for restricting speech is the “yelling fire in a crowded theater” logic. Obviously if there is an actual fire, the speech is protected, even if it results in a stampede because the truth was spoken and there was no malice of forethought. If there was no fire, malice of forethought has been established and the person “yelling” is responsible for the consequences of his behavior.) Flag burning and pornography may be atrocities, but they are speech nonetheless and should be protected under the constitution.
8. Republicans have sought to expand the police and surveillance state. After 9/11 Republicans were eager to pass the Patriot Act into law which allows for law enforcement agencies to execute their own search warrants without approval of a magistrate in certain situations, if that situation is deemed to be of “a national security matter”. While this is a clear violation of the Bill of Rights, Republicans did even worse than that by giving us the TSA and Homeland Defense Departments of government—agencies that repeatedly engage in the violation of personal liberty. Perhaps the worst example though, is bipartisan effort to allow warrantless wire taps on American citizens and the mass collection of data from phone calls, emails and text messages by the NSA. But what is even worse is that they refused to inform the public before they engaged in these acts.
9. Republicans consistently raise the debt and deficit. This is not disputable. Republicans have consistently grown government programs at home (think Medicare Part D) and given out billions in foreign aid. Even Ronald Reagan, the great Republican hero, engaged in deficit spending and added significant to the national debt.
10. They lie. You might say that all politicians lie and you’d probably be right. However, Republicans will say they stand for less government and more individual liberty and then act in a way that does exactly the opposite. At least Democrats will say they are going to expand government, restrict Liberty (the necessary implication of expanding government), increase taxes and spend more money. I mean, at least you know what you’re getting with a liberal. With a Republican, you might get a Democrat in Brooks Brothers clothing.

The takeaway? The only “wasted” vote is one cast for a Republican or Democrat. There is no lesser of two evils. There is only evil. Ditch the two parties and vote for Liberty, property rights, and the non-aggression principle. Don’t be complicit in the evil of the system. Reject it.