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Deep-Six Electoral College!!! (Reply to this comment)
by AinsleyJo
One thing we definitely need to do is to get to the place where even the Presidential election is decided by popular vote--with this, hopefully, cutting way down on all of that quacking that goes on in the days, weeks, months, years after that re: stolen elections!
As for your piece, it's a real gem--one I'll be sharing bigtime!!!
Hugs!
AJ :o)
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Dec 07 '04
8:55 am PST
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Yes I do Vote..... (Reply to this comment)
by jlava73
I am a woman as you may or may not know(LOL) and I
revere and respect the women who fought and even
died so that we as women could have a vote and a
voice in Our Government.
I also vote because much as you state in your essay if we don't vote then we get what we deserve.
Now I have slightly changed my view on the election system since the last one was so badly bungled that I think it had to have been FIXED!
It will not however stop me from exercising my
right to vote even if it only makes me feel like
I am making a contribution.
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Aug 22 '04
2:37 pm PDT
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My view is that in the US we have low voter... (Reply to this comment)
by NFP
...turnout because we have a de facto two-party system with two entrenched, self-interested parties that have lost credibility. All recent third party efforts have failed to take hold in a meaningful way beyond one election cycle because of lack of funds, and a system that makes it difficult for them to succeed.
If we had a parliamentary system like in most of Europe I think we'd have greater voter interest and turnout because we could have votes of no confidence called, and shifting alliances among small parties with regular political representation in a body.
cheers,
nick
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Aug 21 '04
3:19 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Re: What a wonderful set of comments!!!! (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
Edwards is Kerry's VP candidate. I don't know he's a millionaire, but he won multi-million dollar malpractice suits (based on questionable scientific evidence, I might add), so he's taken in millions of dollars. Whether he still has the money is not known to me.
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Aug 06 '04
11:25 am PDT
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Re: Re: What a wonderful set of comments!!!! (Reply to this comment)
by SMITHSWOODSIDE
Sorry haven't heard of Edwards.
Both Kerry and Bush have been touted as billionairs in our media - but I will gladly stand corrected :)
Sorry to see they are just ordinary old millionairs :)
Peter
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Aug 06 '04
6:05 am PDT
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Re: What a wonderful set of comments!!!! (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
Which billionaire are you talking about? Cheney, or Kerry's wife and Edwards? (For the person out there not following American politics -- Cheney is the incumbent Vice President, and probable Republican nominee -- he may only be a multi-millionaire. Kerry is the Democratic nominee, with Edwards (probably only a multi-millionaire), his Vice Presidential nominee. "W", the incumbent President, is probably only a millionaire.)
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Aug 05 '04
6:13 am PDT
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Re: what still frosts (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
Unless something unexpected is done, it should be worse in Florida, this time. If you're allowed to vote at all (that problem may be solved), you'll never know if your vote is counted, or how many times, under the "new" electronic ballot system.
Whatever you say about the former Florida Secretary of State, under her policies, it was possible to get an accurate count, even if it couldn't be done in 2000. (Bush won Florida by about 3000 votes.)
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Aug 05 '04
6:05 am PDT
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what still frosts (Reply to this comment)
by ifif1938
my butt is the fact that my vote wasn't even counted in the last election with the state of affairs in my home state, florida..I only hope and pray things will be different this time around..
enjoyed your essay as always,
Barbara
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Aug 04 '04
11:33 am PDT
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What a wonderful set of comments!!!! (Reply to this comment)
by SMITHSWOODSIDE
I must say I am thrilled with the response to this little epistle.
I actually wrote it a couple of years ago but thought I would be spat upon if I published it - but then I thought "lets see".
What may be of interest is that Australia and Australians get a fair bit of a hiding from many countries for still having the Queen.
The vast majority of Australians want to get rid of her but as she has no power whatsoever and is not paid a cent its now not seen as a matter requiring urgent attention.
I say "now not" because we were all set in the late 1990's to give her the flick but too many couldn't agree on what type of Republic - that is the main issue was should a President (Head of State) be elected by the people or appointed by the whole Parliament as is now the case????
This was very important because it relates to cost - here elections are PUBLICLY funded and all and any donations are controlled and advertised by law. That enables ANYONE to be Head of State (Govenor General) or Prime Minister - money will not do it, no matter how much or how little.
Even I could nominate myself for any of these positions and my financial state would have no advantage or disadvantage.
Classic cases are a recent Head of State who was a police sargeant and the current one who was an Army Officer - and no, not a General :)
When Bush was "elected" by the Court that was the end for an Australian Republic - safe to say for 10 years at least! - fair dinkum!
The issue is not dead but this upcoming Presidential election is being watched as never before from here purely for that reason.
So please - as I am one of the majority who want to remove the Queen (her ornamentally majestic - sic) please show my fellow Australians, especially those that don't really understand our system, that you mob can fair dinkum elect someone and preferably that that person doesn't have to be a billionair.
Otherwise we will just continue to be a Constitutional Democracy, rather than a Republic Constitutional Democracy!!!
Thanks
Peter :)
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Aug 04 '04
5:50 am PDT
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Vote for Cuthulu -- (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
when you're tired of voting for the lesser of evils.
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Aug 02 '04
4:51 pm PDT
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Word! (Reply to this comment)
by Leeens
Thing is, in America if you live in a state that will surely go Democratic or Republican, there truly is very little incentive to vote.
Besides, if a candidate's got family connections, he can steal the election anyway.
-Ilene (Leeens)
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Aug 02 '04
10:42 am PDT
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well-said (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
We need to get excited about voting again, but after the 2000 election it's a hardsell.
jan
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Aug 02 '04
1:27 am PDT
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Re: very good argument (Reply to this comment)
by popsrocks
I agree!
Phil
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Aug 02 '04
1:21 am PDT
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yup (Reply to this comment)
by garym
Hi Peter,
Voting is also manditory in Chile if you are registered to vote. Vote once, vote forever.
The worst part is that you have to vote in the same precinct each time. If you move 2000 kilometers north or south of Santiago, for instance, your required to make the trip back to vote at each election. You can look for a freindly doctor to give you a release, otherwise you vote or pay.
I´m guessing here, the process was probably put into place during the Pinochet regime. Smart move. Pinochet haters were justifiably afraid to walk the streets, much less go to a public office and put their name and vitals on record.
The rule is still in place. My wife got out of a daylong trip to Santiago and back during the last election because she was pregnant and had a nice doctor. Crazy world.
Gary
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Aug 01 '04
3:31 pm PDT
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very good argument (Reply to this comment)
by mrssmoopy
thanks for another informative review!
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Aug 01 '04
1:17 pm PDT
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What did we do to deserve Dubya? (Reply to this comment)
by Stephen_Murray
Certainly not vote for him! But, then, we do not live in a democracy--and, with bipartisan support for the "patriot act," in a decreasingly free non-democracy. I'm going to vote for Bush Lite without enthusiasm.
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Aug 01 '04
9:53 am PDT
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Voting can be a real high. (Reply to this comment)
by treeseed
"perhaps never before in history are nations going to need to know precisely the wishes of the people."
I couldn't agree more. I enjoyed reading this essay and I hope it has helped to encourage some of the people who do not vote to do so from now on. I've been racking my brain trying to think of ways to get all of my son's friends to register to vote and I'm thinking of throwing a barbecue party and the admission price will be one voter registration card completely filled out. The next step will be to offer rides to the polls. I think once a young person does it once, they are more likely to do it again...kind of like smoking marijuana! :)
Thanks for the thoughtful piece.
~Terrie
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Aug 01 '04
8:27 am PDT
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