Alright I haven't read this entire thread, I read page 1 and now I'm adding my $0.02
The premise of voting is either supporting the democratic party or supporting the republican party. A lot of people don't know the difference so I'll try to explain.
If you think voting is pointless because the government doesn't address your needs then you should vote republican
If you want the government to address your needs then vote democrat.
Here's why; The democratic philosophy is that the government can fix societies' programs via government sponsored programs. The democrats will write a bill that is supposed to help the elderly, minorities, LGBT, women, etc. These government programs will be paid for by raising taxes. If they raise taxes on the rich by 1/2% then you could use that money to help the homeless, or fund schools. Or you could raise taxes on cigarettes or alcohol and use that money for Covid-19 research. Or raise the highway tolls by 5% and use that money to fix potholes in the highway (infrastructure). Democrats believe in, "Tax and Spend".
The republicans believe that the number one problem in America is the government and government programs. Republicans feel that if they reduced funding to all of the government programs, people who work would pay less taxes. Then private corporations or not-for-profit organizations could address those problems with the elderly, minorities, LGBT, women, or whatever. Republicans feel that government programs are inherently ineffective because of the bureaucracy that a program has to go through to get anything done. Republicans want to reduce government spending by discontinuing programs that are ineffective, or pointless. In contrast, democrats think if a program is ineffective, they should spend more, as if putting more money toward a program that doesn't work is the solution.
So basically, if you want more computers in inner city schools, vote democrat. The alternative is to move out of the inner city and vote republican because the schools in the suburbs already have computers and they work fine. Also, if you vote republican, in theory, you'd be paying less money in taxes and you could buy your own computer.
Here's another example. A democratic candidate might promise to give school teachers a 5% raise. A republican, on the other hand, would give school teachers a tax break (say $500) and keep their salaries the same. So would you rather give school teachers a raise, or a tax break?
In conclusion;
Democrats believe in using tax money to fix societies' problems
Republicans believe that taxes and government spending is societies' problem.
So when you vote, it doesn't really matter on the candidate, what matters is his party affiliation. When you walk in that voting booth you'll see a bunch of people you've never heard of running for alderman, assemblyman, state senator, judges, sheriffs, prison wardens, and of course congressmen, senators and president. If you believe in the democratic ideology, just vote democrat across the board. If you believe in the republican ideology vote republican across the board.
If you think voting is pointless, vote republican. Because if there's a republican majority they will cut taxes and you can rest assured that they won't use your tax money to fund any bills. Voting republican means you're not expecting anything from the government, you just want your paycheck and want to pay as little taxes as possible.
Here's one way to look at it;
If you're paycheck is $1,000
With a Republican budget you'll pay $90.00 in taxes so your paycheck will be $910.00
With a Democrat budget you'll pay $210 in taxes so your paycheck will be $790.00
The democrats make all these promises to solve crime and unemployment and take your tax dollars to implement government programs.
The republicans don't make any promises and will probably cut funding to every government program as soon as they step foot in office.
