Quote of the Day

Use YOUR vote the way that YOU want.

I understand the concept behind “harm reduction” – a term that comes from substance abuse treatment and refers to helping people who have no intention of quitting but don’t want to die. As such, it’s a term that’s very fitting for the neoliberals who are trying to maintain power. But it just prolongs the situation.

Look in your heart and do what you genuinely believe is best. Listen to candidates. Are they flawed but generally good? Or are they just trying to keep their ideological foot in the door?

I do think everyone should vote, even if they just write themselves in, to maintain the right. It’s harder to take it away if people use it, even among authoritarian fascists who generally do what they want anyway.

But follow your heart. If it says harm reduction is useful, go for it. If it says it’s not, don’t feel shame. Don’t ask for something you don’t want.

– Mickie Kato
via social media
October 19, 2026

Related Off-site Links:
The Fallacy of Electoral Harm Reduction – Roderick Douglass (Medium, January 11, 2026).
The Problem with Harm Reduction – Second Thought (March 11, 2022).
Voting Is Not Harm Reduction – Indigenous Action.
Why Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils Is a Waste of Your Vote – Jeffrey A. Singer (Cato Institute, May 18, 2018).
7 Arguments Against Voting for the Lesser Evil – George Martin Fell Brown (International Socialist, October 29, 2024).
The “Lesser of Two Evils” Is Voter Bullying – Erik Blair (Medium, June 30, 2022).
The Problem with “The Lesser of Two Evils” – Zachary Ludwick (The Uproar, November 2, 2020).
Principal Dissent vs. the Lesser Evil – John B. Londregan (The Public Discourse, August 23, 2026).
Matthew McConaughney Urges Voters to Ditch the Two-party System – Amaris Encinas (USA Today, October 20, 2026).
Matthew McConaughey Bashes Two-party System and Advocates for Independent Candidates – Rising (October 20, 2026).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• An Epic Takedown of the Liberal Tactic of Blaming and Shaming Leftists
• Jeffrey C. Isaac: Quote of the Day – October 28, 2024
• Democrat Talk on the Eve of Trump’s Return
• Adam Bates: Quote of the Day – June 9, 2026
• Butch Ware: “You Can Actually Vote Your Conscience”
• Something to Think About – August 15, 2024
• Nick Cruse: “‘Vote Blue No Matter Who’ Is the Privileged Position”
• Demolishing the False Narrative About Jill Stein and the 2016 Election
• Politics 101