![Steem Pope](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWQYtUpRbqpsHdSqkaLmbNeSzTGDw1YiUv2in5FQRj3hh/steempope.jpg)

There is a difference between voting here on Steemit and voting in politics. Steemit votes are often abused. People buy and sell their votes. They flag (downvote) unjustly or for petty disputes. But on the whole, I think most long-term users are probably here to create and promote quality content through their voting power. The Steemit ecosystem is a voluntary one, and our active participation has the effect of allocating the generated resources in a relatively democratic meritocracy despite cases of whale abuse and plankton spammers. If you are here for the long haul, vote responsibly. Reward real human interaction by upvoting comments. Find users who are creating quality content, upvote their posts, and engage with them through substantive comments. Be a good netizen. On the other hand, politics is a nasty business. People participate in a ritual to delegate authority they do not have to complete strangers who have a well-deserved reputation for dishonesty, abuse, and corruption. Individual rights define the sphere of authority where one can act without trespass against others, where others trespass against one's self, and the standards used to define these universal and reciprocal principles. While the concept of rights is hotly debated by philosophers and political hacks alike, it is undeniable that governments claim to exercise rights granted by *the people* which *the people* cannot grant because *the people* do not have them in the first place. Yet here we are approaching yet another *most important election ever* in the United States, and people are bickering over who they think should rule them and their neighbors. Everyone wants to send jack-booted thugs to stomp on someone, be it immigrants, minorities, "the rich" (regardless of how the wealth was obtained), various foreigners, "gun nuts," and people who have the audacity to express contrary views about innumerable matters. This isn't healthy even if the political system itself works as advertised, and isn't rife with corruption in its administration as well as its execution. And all of this outraged energy is spent when votes are statistically zero, the districts are gerrymandered to Kingdom Come, and the choice is generally restricted to two corrupt party insiders whose sole interests are power. > "No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems -- of which getting elected and re-elected are No. 1 and No. 2. Whatever is No. 3 is far behind."—[Thomas Sowell](https://www.wnd.com/2009/11/116973/) As your self-appointed Steem Pope, I implore you to vote responsibly on the blockchain. I also implore you to reject the religion of democracy and stop soiling your soul by sharing in the sham of electoral politics. That is beneath your dignity as a rational, acting, compassionate individual no matter what the politicians promise.