No, Really, Don't. I've Met You People

Never do.

I sent you the link, and then went to my blog hosted by your blog to see if I could embed it, and before I could ask you for help you’d posted it. Get. Out. Of. My. Brain.

If you live in a free part of the world – as in somewhere where you may state your opinion without getting arrested or shot – and don’t vote, you pretty much invite everybody else to step on you.

Or to be short and blunt, you fail at democracy.

Voting is a pyramid, my vote for president means f*ck all, my vote for county commissioner and school board is huge which is probably as it should be since the county commissioners have more impact on my day to day life than the president does. So I cast my vote for president because I’m there anyway voting on the stuff that really matters.

I make it a point to do whatever celebrities tell me to do.

@ Todd , you know it buddy

@ Klaitu, dude that is the kind of philosophy that I rocks !!

No, if you do NOT vote, you have no right to complain, because by not voting, you have given up your right to hold an opinion that is meaningful.

Yes, the system has issues, to put it mildly. Not voting would simply make it worse, however.

Wow. . . I remember when it first became fashionable to assert that there’s no difference between the political parties and that therefore our elections are meaningless.

Which, of course, is just an empty platitude intended to make the person saying it appear oh-so-enlightened. In fact, they’re demonstrating that *they* have it all figured out whereas the rest of us are just toiling away in ignorance, believing that our political views and/or votes might have some effect.

This is the type of pseudo-deep-thinking that’s rampant now. . . and could only be so wide-spread in a society that has essentially solved all the “big problems” (yes, through political action. . . voting!) and now finds itself being torn apart by what are essentially trifling issues. We are the most fortunate generation ever to set foot on this planet because we live in the United States in the early 21st century. Even those designated as “poor” or “impoverished” have cable TV, a car, air conditioning, shelter, more food than they need (food stamp program now *advertises*). . . so if both political parties seem the same to you, and voting seems pointless, I have to assume that’s because you don’t recognize these fundamental facts and would rather see it all torn down so that some socialist/Communist utopian society can take its place.

Wow. . . I sorta swerved there at the end. =)

Oh, and I’d prefer if *fewer* people voted. Especially the people who don’t appreciate that even the lowest among us live better than did Roman Emperors in their day. =)

Lucky to be alive in the U.S. on October 3, 2008.

It’s convoluted because the constitution makes it that way. And it makes it that way because otherwise we’d just have 60% of the population constantly crapping on the other 40% whenever they get the urge. Our gonverment is intended to be low and unwieldy so that it doesn’t get much done unless absolutely necessary. It’s also designed so that those in power can’t run roughshod over those momentarily out of power.

Or, just to be blunt, our system of government is intended primarily (among other lesser things) to allow for democracy without mob rule and a descent into the masses constantly taking the wealth of those who have generated it.

“Or, just to be blunt, our system of government is intended primarily (among other lesser things) to allow for democracy without mob rule and a descent into the masses constantly taking the wealth of those who have generated it.”

*sigh*

why does everyone ALWAYS come back to this singular hypothetical point when people argue that the “democracy” is a sham.

right there you are saying that the only reason that people are scared to admit that the system is shit because they know if they do, people will go apeshit and steal their power. not even steal their power really, just call them out for the hacks that they are, and remove their ever coveted sway.

“Want to know why shit you like doesn’t go your way? Because nobody’s going to get elected to fight for you if you don’t fucking vote.”

and, no. “shit” will never “go my way” because i refuse to take part in the payoffs that have to be done to make anything move in this country.

how come “I” didnt get to vote on whether or not the bailout would have happened? why didnt “I” get to vote on whether or not the government buyouts should have happened? why dont “I” get to vote on an increase or decrease in taxes? why dont “I” get to vote on abortion rights?

everything that the citizenship SHOULD vote on is handled by old men with more money than they know what to do with who are fucking 21 year olds in public bathrooms high on cocaine telling me the whole time it is wrong.

fuck the “democracy” in america.

I’m Canadian, but we’re having a concurrent federal election right now (the vote is October 14), and we’re facing the same issues regarding the question of whether we should bother to vote.

The top revelation of our election campaign at this time: our Prime Minister delivered a speech in 2003 (when he was leader of the Opposition) making the case for going in Iraq that was plagiarized verbatim from a speech delivered two days before by the Australian Prime Minister. That bombshell came out a few days ago, but seems to be forgotten already.

That’s the impression we get around here: No matter what is being said or its magnitude, the Conservatives will remain in power unless they give a glimpse of the “hidden agenda” they are often suspected of harbouring. Even the affair of the plagiarized speech should have gotten the conspiracy theorists started on how Washington delivered identical talking points on Iraq to the two countries. That it for the most part didn’t should be enough of an indication that even that probably isn’t working anymore.

A combination of several points is to blame for this very anticlimactic campaign of ours: a bookish Liberal leader leading a motley collection of political has-beens and the remnants of an unsavoury machine so used to being to being the natural governing party that it was, not three years ago, tarred and feathered out of power amid a string of scandals; a left-vote-dividing New Democratic Party that picks up the pieces of the debacle the Liberals are going through, but never enough to unambiguously replace them; and a Bloc Quebecois holding a number of seats in Quebec making a minority government by any main party far more likely than a majority as long as the Bloc remains strong.

At least you Americans have a campaign where the result promises to be tight, or, at best, where the reigning administration is going to be kicked out of office. Here the only thing left to uncertainty is not whether the Conservatives will get re-elected but whether they will have a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Which means that in the end, maybe 40 and 50 seats out of 308 actually matter in changing the outcome; and in a general situation with the two main parties almost equal in the polls, maybe 100 seats, tops, would have an impact. The rest of the country could take a break from voting and nobody would see a difference. As I live in a stronghold myself, I have very little reason to go out and vote, since there’s nothing I can do to change the outcome.

I suspect your Republican in Massachusetts thinks exactly the same.

Two words: “electoral college”
One Sentence: Please get rid of the electoral college.

In this country? Yes. Yes they do. Feel free to look it up. Don’t confuse the random street person you see who really is all f-ed up with what the government and the media refer to as “the poor” or people “below the poverty line.”

Our people “below the poverty line” live like kings compared to just about any standard set by any culture during any era of human history.

So, forgive me my friend, but I’m not the one who’s ignorant. I’ve seen what passes for “poverty” in this country. I see it every day.

We aren’t truly concerned with “poverty” in this country. We’re concerned about inequality of wealth distribution. Rather than focus on the fact that even our “poor” live pretty darn well, we focus on the fact that the system that allows for such a marvel doesn’t distribute wealth as equally as the conscience of some would dictate is necessary.

Wanna see real poverty? Go visit the rest of the world outside of western europe and parts of Asia. Basically, anywhere there’s not free markets and western-style government.

“Two words: “electoral college”
One Sentence: Please get rid of the electoral college.”

That would be a good way to encourage this country balkanizes even further. Presidential candidates would not need to campaign in any cities but Los Angeles, New York, and a few other coastal regions. “Fly-Over Country” would have no hope of ever seeing their culture and values represented in any nationally elected office and would feel even more ostracized by the political class and the media.

There’s a reason for all these apparati and seemingly foolish limitations. . . they work. And they were put there for a reason. The Electoral College makes sure that Colorado and New Mexico have a voice that can’t just simply be ignored as everyone caters to the urban centers on the coasts. And it originally served this purpose for the smaller states at the Constitution’s signing.

Hurin,
You’re ignorant.
There’s nothing to look up. Go get in mommies car and take a long drive over to where those poor people live.

Anyone dumb enough

I’ve always had the highest respect for the “None of the Above” philosophy in “Brewster’s Millions”.

Better than stay at home, just go and vote and get your ballot invalidated. That way, you don’t enter the non-voter statistics, which would open the door to claims that you are too idiotic to realize that the issues affect you. Instead, you make a claim that you will have nothing to do with this electioneering sleaze.

That worthless vote attitude leads to crappy turnout at the non-federal level though. Historically I’m as guilty of that as the next guy, unless smashing another sales-tax proposal was on the ballot. Now that I’ve left permanently-blue Oregon for swing-state WV, I feel my presidential vote means more, but the local races are often unopposed, so my potential vote there means very little.

I feel fixing the all-or-nothing electoral college is the right solution, but how do we get it done short of a constitutional amendment?

Guys, you know what Hurin is saying is actually the truth. Apart from the part about voting making a difference ofc. People of America have never it had it so good, I do think that is going to change pretty soon though, and its to hell in a handcart we go!!

It’s going to bloody great!

Hurin – of the crash course, thanks for the feedback, it is a bit doom and gloom, facts are facts as you said though, and I think we will do a bit better than he hopes. Still, doubt he is a commie, probably a libertarian, they all look the bloody same to me these days. :/

D-One, you just need to take a look at africa, most of central asia and a fair old bit of the indian sub-continent to get a an idea of what poverty is.

Now while I do not doubt there is poverty in America, it is poverty with a chance to get out of it. I bet you a whole bunch of Africans would be really happy to have American poverty, white or black. Swap with you in a heart beat my friend.

“Why the Electoral College Works”
http://mikemiller.net/electoral_college.html

A short essay mathematically explaining that your vote is MORE likely to count in a district-based voting scheme such as the EC, not less.

There are, incidentally, twelve states where the difference between the two politicians is less than 5%. Those 12 states will determine the election.

As for the whole ‘it’s cool to not vote because I’m, like all emo and shit’, seriously, grow up. Popular vote percentages will determine if the next president has a mandate or not. Downticket elections will determine if he will be able to actually be able to get any of his agenda moving forward. Votes for third party candidates increase the relevancy of those candidates arguments over the next four years.

I should probably vote, the map doesn’t seem to detail any relevant information though. Maybe I should just ask the U.S. Customs officer after I show him my passport.

There is always a third party voting option. Not a bad idea to give the best of them a bit of a leg up next time by casting your vote in their direction this time.

Woops, I should clarify that most of the poor I lived alongside for a few years there were illegals and/or low-income but most were not “migrant workers.” But it was always astonishing to see the cars, the video game systems, and everyone rather plump and healthy in an area where we’re told day-in-and-day-out that the “poor” are one bad break away from devastation and have *nothing*.

I’m happy that a lot of you aren’t voting.