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Post by petrushka on Nov 6, 2020 13:57:57 GMT -5
Kanye West, a mentally ill rapper with no political experience, got more than 60,000 votes in a total of 12 states.
I always wondered if listening to (c)rap rots your brain, or if the propensity to do so is indicative of a brain already rotted.
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Post by worksforme2 on Nov 6, 2020 14:16:34 GMT -5
Apparently when the USA was formed, the winner became president and the loser vice president. Made for interesting campaigning in that you were saddled with the guy you bad mouthed for 4 years. In a number of states including my own it is often the case that the Governor and the Lt. Governor are of different parties. That will be the case again for the next 4 yrs. in NC. |
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Post by isthisit on Nov 6, 2020 14:39:11 GMT -5
Kanye West, a mentally ill rapper with no political experience, got more than 60,000 votes in a total of 12 states. Good Lord, I am astounded by this. At least they voted I suppose. I was amazed that around 1/3 of folks eligible to vote did not bother. I can’t stand people so apathetic that they just can’t be arsed to vote. The outcome of the US election is a great example that everyone’s vote matters. You can never predict an outcome and it’s always worth the trouble. |
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Post by saarinista on Nov 6, 2020 14:55:29 GMT -5
Too many people in the US take stuff for granted. It is shameful how few people vote here. Absolutely shameful. Democracy is a result of a million acts of self determination and free speech. I truly think it should be legally required to vote here as it is in Australia, but if any politician stated that publicly in the US, probably the Second Amendment crew would threaten his/her life.
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Post by tamara68 on Nov 6, 2020 18:37:37 GMT -5
Too many people in the US take stuff for granted. It is shameful how few people vote here. Absolutely shameful. Democracy is a result of a million acts of self determination and free speech. I truly think it should be legally required to vote here as it is in Australia, but if any politician stated that publicly in the US, probably the Second Amendment crew would threaten his/her life. In Belgium voting is legally required. You can get a fine if you don't. People who disagree either accept the risk of having to pay a moderate amount or deliberately make their vote invalid. Luckily it is very easy to vote in Belgium as well as in the Netherlands. Lots of places where you can vote and the waiting time is never very long. |
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Post by saarinista on Nov 6, 2020 18:43:36 GMT -5
It's not THAT hard to vote in the US, either, though of course it could/should be easier.
I have ancestors who immigrated to the US from near Belgium and I just think it's kind of an insult to those who came before me not to take the fate of things seriously.
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Post by DryCreek on Nov 6, 2020 23:44:10 GMT -5
I have mixed feelings on compulsory voting. I believe that voting is an incredible privilege and everyone ought to value having a say; however, I don’t want someone who only makes a half-assed effort to poison the process by submitting ill-informed or random votes that dilute the potency of those who care.
To that end, the US process is “just hard enough” that lazy bastards will self-filter, leaving the people who value their vote. There are still plenty of ill-informed voters among those left.
In my jurisdiction, you can ask to be permanently added to the mail-in ballot list, giving weeks to respond from the comfort of your home - I’ve done this for years because I used to travel for business and couldn’t guarantee to be near my designated polling station on Election Day.
This season, the in-person polls were open all day, every day, for a month leading up to Election Day, thanks to Covid. And you could go to any polling location you wanted. If you can’t muster the motivation to vote with all that opportunity, please don’t.
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Post by jerri on Nov 7, 2020 4:19:54 GMT -5
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Post by worksforme2 on Nov 7, 2020 7:53:47 GMT -5
I have mixed feelings on compulsory voting. I believe that voting is an incredible privilege and everyone ought to value having a say; however, I don’t want someone who only makes a half-assed effort to poison the process by submitting ill-informed or random votes that dilute the potency of those who care. To that end, the US process is “just hard enough” that lazy bastards will self-filter, leaving the people who value their vote. There are still plenty of ill-informed voters among those left. This season, the in-person polls were open all day, every day, for a month leading up to Election Day, thanks to Covid. And you could go to any polling location you wanted. If you can’t muster the motivation to vote with all that opportunity, please don’t. I don't have mixed feelings at all when it comes to government bureaucrats deciding what I must be compelled to do something for my own good or the common good. Should our overweight population be mandated to exercise 2 hours each day, rain or shine? And who will decide if you are putting in the required amount of effort? If your overseer decides you need to increase the pace will something along the lines of a nice electrical shock be permissible to bring about the acceptable level of effort? And at what point does it stop, or does it? If voting is to be mandated what about compulsory forced labor? Shouldn't those who receive gov. assistance with housing, food, clothing be required to work for the goods and services provided to them by their fellow citizens? If not, why not? It seems reasonable to me that one could find a reason to compel the citizenry to do most anything. Fortunately in the US the 2nd amendment acts a a preventative to this and other egregious behavior by the government. |
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Post by jerri on Nov 7, 2020 11:41:16 GMT -5
They just declared Biden winner!
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Post by saarinista on Nov 7, 2020 12:32:01 GMT -5
Fair enough worksforme2. Let's not even think of using our 2nd amendment to escape voting. Actually, that would more likely lead to an erosion of second amendment rights, wouldn't it? Most people who want honed down gun laws don't need to be forced to go to the polls at rifle point to do something odious like... voting. As I recall, wasn't the ability to determine our own fate part and parcel of the founding of this country? I mean didn't we want to be free and vote and have a democracy? baza you guys basically have "compulsory voting" over in Australia, correct? How does it work there? Have any electric shocks been administered to non-voters? 🤔 Has the requirement to vote or face a fine led to a spate of requirements to do other things in service of the greater good as well, or have you been able to draw a line there? |
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Post by Handy on Nov 7, 2020 14:11:28 GMT -5
22 nations where voting is mandatory. Not voting in Australia carries a $20 fine.
Some countries that have OR had compulsory voting.
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Post by baza on Nov 7, 2020 17:43:15 GMT -5
Fair enough worksforme2 . Let's not even think of using our 2nd amendment to escape voting. Actually, that would more likely lead to an erosion of second amendment rights, wouldn't it? Most people who want honed down gun laws don't need to be forced to go to the polls at rifle point to do something odious like... voting. As I recall, wasn't the ability to determine our own fate part and parcel of the founding of this country? I mean didn't we want to be free and vote and have a democracy? baza you guys basically have "compulsory voting" over in Australia, correct? How does it work there? Have any electric shocks been administered to non-voters? 🤔 Has the requirement to vote or face a fine led to a spate of requirements to do other things in service of the greater good as well, or have you been able to draw a line there? Voting is compulsory in my jurisdiction The level of voting here is 96.8% Sister saarinista . So about 3.2% fail to vote for assorted reasons. If your reason isn't accepted, you might get fined $20. Usually, within the vote when being counted, about 4% are "informal" - that is to say the vote is invalid (incorrectly filled out, or unreadable) - and these votes don't count. So if you knock off the ones that forgot to vote (3%) and the level of informal votes (4%) then the election result is based on 93% of eligible voters (Australian citizen and 18 years old) |
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Post by lessingham on Nov 8, 2020 4:55:00 GMT -5
My gran was quite firm on the matter. She lived in one of those places where they weighed the winner's votes not counting them. She insisted on voting even though it made no difference. "I remember the fight to get this vote for women. It is my duty to them who fought for it to vote"
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Post by petrushka on Nov 8, 2020 8:22:47 GMT -5
Fair enough worksforme2 . Let's not even think of using our 2nd amendment to escape voting. Actually, that would more likely lead to an erosion of second amendment rights, wouldn't it? Most people who want honed down gun laws don't need to be forced to go to the polls at rifle point to do something odious like... voting.
I often wonder if half of the US citizens even know what the second amendment means, historically.
In a feudal society only the nobles were allowed to own and bear arms (and, of course, their bully boys).
In many countries there was a death penalty waiting for any ordinary citizen who was found owning weapons. (because they just MIGHT be planning on assassinating a noble, right?)
So the second amendment, in it's original intent, was declaring "We are all equal, EVERYBODY should have the right, not just the nobility .... and forget about hanging them for it". I very much doubt that the original
intention was "every dickhead under the sun should have the right to tote assault rifles around". But hey,
your choice. I don't have a dog in that race.
(We are pretty heavily armed here in NZ, but we have almost no self inflicted shootings, and very few third party ones. Occasional gang-bangers. Nobody obsesses about their substitute dick - rifles are for
hunting or shooting varmint, not to fight the government that we ourselves elected. What an absurd notion.)
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