I just don't know what to believe anymore. That's kind of the reason I posted the thread, just to get some feedback from you guys. I'm not trying to purvey any message with the thread, I meant the title to be literal. It's open-ended.
I began "waking up" shortly after the '08 elections so I never really paid much attention to politics before that so I don't have any previous experience with national elections to refer back to. (I'm only 24, it's not like I have decades of life experience to refer back to either)
I just don't know what the fuck to think, or what I should do. I hate Romney like the day is long, no less than I hate our current dictator. The only thing that has me thinking is the common sentiment that "the Republicans are taking us down the same path, just at a slightly slower rate". I agree with that analysis, and as much as I hate Romney, he MAY, JUST MAYBE, buy us enough time to get to 2016 without a full scale collapse. Or... like Crudos said, maybe the "imminent collapse" fear-driven mentality really HAS been around for a long time. There have been doomsayers preaching about WW3 and imminent collapse since... well since WW2. My only quarrel with Crudos here is that WHAT IF this is really it. The real deal. I'd hate to brush off this looming fear of WW3 right at the moment when I should truly be worrying about it. There's just no telling what our "rulers" will do, which is partly what makes this prepping game so frustrating.
And EJR, I share your sentiment about individual votes not really counting for much, but I think you're overblowing it just a bit. If it really doesn't count for ANYTHING, then why are you going to waste your time in November? So you can tell your grandkids that you participated in the dog-and-pony-show like a good American? If you really believed 100% of what you're saying, then right now as I type this you'd be going full-retard and finding out where your Senators live. (of course, I'm just humorously making a point, you all know I'm not condoning any such activity)
anyway, I just wanted to give you guys a little insight into what's running through my thoughts right now regarding this topic. I'm extremely frustrated because I can't trust ANY information source, thus making it impossible to weigh my political options. I don't know whether to give up on Paul or keep up the fight all the way to Tampa, throw away my vote on Johnson (I don't dislike Johnson, but the mainstream is right on this one, a vote for Johnson is, in reality, a vote for Obama. Sure you can be proud to have voted on principal, which is respectable, but splitting up the GOP vote just puts mein Fuhrer right back into office), or to hold my nose, suppress my gag reflex, and cast my vote for Romney...
I just don't know what the fuck I should do at this point. I can continue to scream RON PAUL 2012!!!! from the fucking rooftops, but in the end, I'm getting a growing feeling that I'm just jerking myself off.