Americans want bigger government, just not this one

Today's USA TODAY has one of those sweeping studies that attempts to segment Americans based on their feelings about government. Some of the verbatims are so interesting. This one really nailed the zeitgeist for me:

Most Americans endorse government activism on a range of issues — not only national defense but also the environment, civil rights and consumer protection — but doubt the competence of government to deliver results effectively and efficiently.

There is no such thing as an independent voter

Would everyone who considers themselves an independent please go take a look at their voter registration card? In the state of Colorado, there is no such thing as a registered independent. You can either affiliate with a party and help choose the candidates. Or you can register as "unaffiliated," which means you are happy enough with the candidates the parties offer to abstain from voting until the general election.

The media, which is driven by voting patterns, not registration data, is accidentally perpetuating the myth of the independent voter. For instance, The New York Times wrote that "Democrats, Republicans and independents each account for about one-third of registered voters in Colorado." Wrong. One third of Colorado voters have opted out of the primary process, but that doesn't make them independent. In fact, it doesn't even make them nonpartisan.

Ten seconds of Googling will tell you I'm a Democrat. But I'll take a Republican, an ACP member, a Green party voter, or practically anyone over those who abdicate their responsibility and then try to pass it off as a sign of independence.