American Political Discussion and the Important Issues

[Tael]

[leokef]

[leokef]

Rather than fine citizens for not voting, it would be much more productive to fine elected politicians based on the percentage of turnout. That should encourage them to connect more with the electorate and earnestly seek out as many votes as possible. Hell, I'll even be generous and say that there can be a minimum threshold beneath which a politician should not be fined.

[Tael]

Wouldn't that just make politicians promise the moon on a stick?

[Red Omen]

[BaconFat]

My comments are based on a) very low voter turnout in the United States especially amongst the people it screws the most (which might be fixed by compulsory voting) and b) the lack of third party representation due to the a system which punishes you for voting for a third party (which might be fixed by preferential voting)

I pretty much mention this stuff whenever I can not just when the "party that is genuinely much worse than the other one wins.

[gorv]

[Kingpun]

the system is not representative if large demographics don't even vote. people might be really bad at figuring out what's actually in their interest, but if they're not voting then no effort will be made on behalf of them. im very much of the opinion that those who choose to come to the polls are no better qualified to decide but if you really, truly believe that non-compulsory voting selects better voters and so is a better system, then you would be better off with more formalised criteria. like, landed gentlemen maybe

in addition, if you still want to make a protest and not vote after you've been forced to submit a voting form or show up to the polls, you can go ahead and do that, since it's a secret ballot

[Eulogic]

so because YOU think elections and politics and the way the country is run is important, everyone should think so? some people simply don't care, and i don't see why you should try to make them.

not to mention that if make these people vote, they are just going to fill out random bubbles--especially on a local level. hell, i went out and voted now and that's what i did for most of the candidates, as i hadn't heard of most of them. what's the point? there is no point.

[Smasha]

So the Dems got Washington. The senate races turned out almost as well for the Dems as they could have hoped. Almost; I would have loved to see a Democrat win in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. Feingold in Wisconcin was the only senator who opposed the USA PATRIOT Act. He was also rare among Democrats for giving more than lip-service to reducing the deficit.

Following the Senate races this year was pretty fun.

[ploppy]

[pwb]

[Smasha]

I totally don't get it.

"The problem with Scotland is that it's full of Americans?"

[pwb]

That it's full of Scots. Try to follow along here, Smasha.

[Smasha]

But Mexico isn't full of Scots. You guys make no sense.