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Posted by Dan on 22 Sep 2004 at 11:49 am | Tagged as: Uncategorized
My friend just got a job writing for a paper in Colorado. Because of this job he had to forfeit his protest of the election that he was planning. I think his rant is pretty funny.
“Kids should register to vote b/c they have a candidate who they actually
want to vote for, not b/c P Diddy and MTV say it’s cool. Same goes for
everyone else. I do not think that good citizenship requires someone to
vote, if none of the candidates meet their approval. I think a good citizen
can NOT VOTE as well. Basically, low voter turnout is the fault of hte
candidates, not the kids, not the media (our typical scapegoats). The
CANDIDATE is the one seeking votes. If very few people vote (no matter what
the demographic), then the candidate is not doing a good job of soliciting
their vote.”
“Man, it would have been great. Me and my friends with picket signs saying
‘none of the above’ and ‘good citizens don’t vote for corrupt politicians’,
‘which rich white guy will you vote for?’, ‘vote for your oppressor’, “My
vote is not for sale” and the like. It also has to do with class warfare.
Did you know that most of our politicians, and the ones who critize them in
the media, are all mostly from an upper-class background? I realized this
wehn reading about Doonsbury writer Gary Trudeau. He blasts Bush in his
cartoon for being a silver-spoon, blue-blooded money monger. Truth is, Gary
Trudeau graduated WITH George W. (and many others) from Yale. I hate this.
How can a person be trusted to make decisions for the best interest of our
country if he or she doesn’t even know the price of milk, or has never even
had to TRY to get a job? how can our country and media be run by such a
select few rich kids who had the opportunity for advancement because of
their parent’s money? Kerry is just as bad if not worse.”
i’m so glad someone has the same opinion as me about this election.
Kel
Dan, I miss you because I like the way you think. It is true, why do we trust someone to run our goverment when they have never had to buy their own milk.
Kind of like why do we look to the media for help on getting to know the people running and all we hear about are the persons faults and or the few good things they did. We may hear their opions on things but usally there on issues that don’t really matter for the postion they are running for anyway.
Frustrating.
Glad to hear there are others out there who do not vote every time.
Yep, those would have been good signs. This sounds like my recent rant about political parties and candidates on the eriv forums… does your friend have a blog?
“how can our country and media be run by such a select few rich kids who had the opportunity for advancement because of their parent’s money?”
If the take this thought beyond just America and apply it to the whole world, for the most part we also become those few select rich kids running things. I would say that the answer to how is capitalism and the widely cherished idea that our current economic traditions result in a “free market”.
Society and the power struggle within the U.S. is really ingenious. In fact, it is so effective in its end result that it would seem that it must have been designed for a purpose.
We live in the most “powerful” country on Earth; our strength is limitless, and so is our lack of humility.
It’s more than ironic that the minority in Washington, i.e. the Rich White Men in offices of leadership, rule our country with an iron fist, and the majority, the American people, have no bearing on the direction of society, whatsoever.
Americans (and this inludes you and me and should especially emphasize the Evangelical Church) trust government to handle their infrastructural needs, the church with their souls, public education and extra-curricular activities for their children, and meanwhile, content themselves in working 50 hours per week at dead-end jobs for mega-conglomerate corporations–those that feast on the disparity of the weak and downtrodden–to earn just enough money to purchase those things that make life worth living.
Politicians know that the American people trust the sensational stories that flow from the press; politicians create a lot of those stories. They know that Americans are content as long as jobs exist, trinkets are cheap, and the country seems safe. The career politicians from Washington know that we live in a two-party society where winner takes all and that if a president-elect can influence enough people of popularity for a short time, during election years, with half-truths and hilarity, then they too can achieve the highest power in the land.
More than anything, we Americans are very good at articulating many-faceted problems and even better at justifying apathy.
don’t you think that, as unfortunate as it may be, it is our responsibility to vote for the candidate that is closer to what we want? if for no other reason than to keep things from getting worse and at best to move things a step closer to what’s right? it is to bad that we are forced to choose the lesser of two evils but when faced with that choice i think we must try to be as close to good as we can and not fall into the greater evil by doing nothing.
Patrick,
Are you my brother Patrick or someone else?
As far as the lesser of two evils thing goes… I didn’t post my friend’s email as representative of my views. I do however agree with a lot that he’s saying. I think that it is ok for some people to vote for the lesser of two evils, if they can really see a difference. But for others I think it is their right and good to not vote at all if there is not a candidate who represents them. Maybe they should write in a third candidate or something. But the question in my mind is, how evil are we going going to let our candidates be before we stop voting for them? If we had Stalin and Sadaam running for President, we could say that Sadaam is the lesser of two evils because he killed less people, but I really doubt that people would be offended by those who would withhold their vote because neither candidate represents them. See what I’m saying?
hey, nice comments everyone…i’m justin, dan’s ‘friend in colorado’
about the ‘lesser of two evils’ thread, I told some people about my thoughts on voting, and one girl got really mad and said that if I didn’t vote, then I wasn’t allowed to complain about the government.
That comment struck me as strange, seeing sa how she didn’t vote for George W., yet she complains about him non-stop.
I pay taxes. That’s enough justification in my mind to complain, regardless of who I voted for or if I voted.
I am not advocating complete abstinence from voting. I think everyone should vote for people that they truly believe in at all levels of government.
I wanted to start my own little non-profit called anti-vote. Basically, I would make a list of basic views and experiences that a candidate must posess in order to be considered. People who joined my org would then basically hold their votes until someone met the criteria. I think that something like this would help get young people involved and provide a positive way for candidates to reach them.
do you guys think it would work?
questions, comments, and sarcastic remarks are always appreciated
Here are some links to others who don’t vote.
www.lewrockwell.com/murphy/www.thousandreasons.org/opinionThere are plenty more out there, but you’ll need to google for yourself. Now I’m planning on voting this November, but I’m not sure I’m voting for President.
I’m a control freak, and as much as I hate to say it, I think the non-vote is the way to go. If the vast majority of voters in America is absent from the count or casting their voice into the third party stream, someone will have to affix their attention to the red flags.
One of the noticeable deficiencies in the political system of the U.S. is the dominant two-party system. The difference between Republican and Democrat in Washington depends on who the lobbyist is that paid and paved the way for either the republican or the democrat’s ride to stardom. Honestly people, career politicians are the only ones who can survive in Washington, and they stay in power by doing whatever it takes to survive. This is especially true for the commander in chief. G.W.’s words about Christianity, conservative morals, and religious-right agendas were specifically scripted by the best public relations people Georgie could find to surround himself with at the time of his inauguration–either that or he owed them a favor. Every speech and response he gives in public comes from them. His entire persona is coordinated with integral parts of his platform; he’s a made-up public figure. When he has something he wishes to accomplish, he runs the idea by the publicists first. They look at the polls and other data on who the big fish in the country are at that moment as well as a myriad of other minutia, and then G.W. baits the fish with whatever P.R. thinks they’ll want to hear. If the religious right weren’t perceived as holding some sway over lobbyists and constituents, Georgie would be swearing allegiance to something else altogether.
When one is considering the lesser of two evils regarding voting strategy, he or she should realize that presidents and the like make promises to their supporters, that is, those who put up the capital, in order to appease them. The things politicians do in the background for friends or against foe aren’t typically advertised on CNN or Fox News. So while you think you’re voting for the lesser of two evils because the lesser evil says he hates abortion and appeals to a higher Father, think about what he might be dabbling in behind the scenes. We, the citizens of the United States, are considered citizens because we’re ignorant of the goings-on of Capitol Hill.
Don’t all of you get sick and tired of judging and critiquing problems? Isn’t it possible for us to become mobilized to actually do something?