I've looked forward to voting in my first presidential election for as long as I can remember. During this campaign, though, I have become nauseated by the candidates offered up by the Democrats and Republicans.

On one hand, I can vote for Bush III or Gov. Mitt Romney, and hyper-aggressive foreign policy, massive deficits and trimmed civil liberties. On the other hand, I can vote for Bush IV or President Barack Obama, with a similarly bellicose foreign policy, similarly irresponsible deficits and a general disregard for the Bill of Rights.

This is like choosing Coke or Pepsi. One might taste slightly better to you, but ultimately you are drinking the same sludge of high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients which destroys your health. Both of these candidates represent a heavy dose of cola to an already diabetic nation.
Our current economic malaise was precipitated by the bursting of the housing bubble, which was inflated by decades of federal policy encouraging artificial demand for housing through easy credit, which bid up prices. This boom of malinvestment had its bust in 2007. Housing prices plummeted. What did our candidates have to say about this?

President Obama doubled down on the policies that caused this mess, pushing the Keynesian throttle up and dumping borrowed funds into the economy. Meanwhile, Governor Romney stood on the sidelines with pom-poms, cheering on policies like TARP and the Wall Street bailouts.
These policies prevented a deeper recession in 2008, but have not solved the problem. They have only prolonged our problems by kicking the can down the road. Consequently, the correction will be worse later on.

Because the government did not allow a full correction in the economy, there is still malinvestment.  However, this is only part of the concern-in the past 12 years, our national debt has skyrocketed and now stands over $16 trillion, more than our annual GDP. This strikes at the credit of the United States and, potentially, the strength of the dollar. This could lead to a monetary crisis, which would make this Great Recession seem like the good old days.

President Obama has no intention of shrinking the debt; he added more than all prior presidents combined. The Republican ticket also has little to offer in debt reduction. The "draconian cuts" Ryan proposes are pure rhetoric; the Republicans and Democrats want to exaggerate the cuts as much as possible, to excite and engage their bases. The Ryan budget would not balance until 2040. Given our already colossal national debt, baby steps like these are insignificant.

Both candidates would continue the absurd "War on Drugs," which intends to protect people from drugs by putting drug users into a violent prison system. Prohibition is fruitless and only serves to empower black-market cartels. Under President Obama, the Drug Enforcement Agency has raided more legal, medicinal marijuana dispensaries than any president before him. Gov.  Romney offers no departure from this barbaric policy.

Both agree on an interventionist foreign policy. Both see the United States as the world's policeman, with no regard to the concomitant blowback. We only see difference in their tone: Obama prefers to speak softly, but carry a big stick; Romney prefers to speak harshly, and carry an even bigger stick.
Disturbingly, neither candidate holds much regard for the Bill of Rights. George W. Bush's Patriot Act repeals the Fourth Amendment, which prevents officials from performing searches on you or your property without the due process of consulting a judge. President Obama re-signed this unjust law, and Gov. Romney would, too.

Horrifyingly, both candidates have deemed a repeal of habeas corpus as necessary to the national defense. Section 1021 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act makes it legal for the government to indefinitely detain any American citizen on the suspicion of terrorist activity.
Forget the Magna Carta and the Fifth Amendment! An American citizen is now subject to the same arbitrary power that an Englishman under King John was before 1215. President Obama signed this bloody relic of the Dark Ages into law, and Gov. Romney praised it during the primaries.
People wrested this essential standard of justice from a monarch nearly eight centuries ago; we've surrendered it out of pure apathy. Why are we so complacent?

On the issues at the root of our problems President Obama and Gov. Romney are in complete harmony.

Yet, on television, we see them each at the other's throat, claiming that their foe's ideas will drag America further through the mud. They're both right on that, but only because both of their ideas include ignoring these root issues. Perhaps it's time to ignore the rhetoric and sophistry, and examine only ideas and substance.

This campaign has been, in essence, a puerile cola war. I will not drink the red or blue cola at all, and will look to different and better options. For those who are committed to voting for Obama or Romney this election, know that you are choosing between Coke and Pepsi. Pick your poison.
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