jmdirt
Posts:775
 |
| 06/04/2014 11:24 PM |
|
jookey, that used to be my theory: if you "send the message" by not reelecting these POS then eventually a decent candidate will get in. The problem: decent people want nothing to do with it, and there seems to be a long line of POS.
Sh*t always stinks! |
|
|
|
|
Dale
Posts:1767
|
| 06/05/2014 06:12 AM |
|
Posted By Master 50 on 06/04/2014 09:55 PM
I read more and more how the US government is more an oligarchy than a democracy. IE the government does the bidding of the wealthiest people. the less than 1%ers.
The financial influence of lobbyists, special interest groups, the NRA comes to mind. Then the soft well paid board positions after they retire from office all create corruption of the system.
This
How am I going to have equal voice to the Koch brothers?
|
|
|
|
|
jmdirt
Posts:775
|
| 06/05/2014 03:06 PM |
|
More thoughts:
I'm not saying that "bad politician" is a new concept. You can read news papers from the 1800s that have quotes about politicians that are applicable today. I think that the big differences are: 1) The bad ones used to be the minority, now the are the vast majority. 2) The bad ones used to be sneaky about screwing us, now they are pretty in our face with it. 3) Politicians used to make a living through private business, now most are career politicians. 4) Most politicians used to look out for their industry and their constituents, now career politicians look out for special interest. 5) From the first day they take office, politicians start building their campaign for reelection. |
|
|
|
|
stronz
Posts:447
|
| 06/05/2014 05:18 PM |
|
If I could come up with one pivotal change that would make our system work more like the way it was intended it would be term limits. Get the re-election incentive out of the govt and you'll remove all the bozos who are attracted to poilitics as a career. They become relatively immune from the special interests contributing to their re-election campaign (cause there aint gonna be no re-election) and they can make decisions based on merit not on how it will get them more votes.
Maybe increase the term of service a little. But you get one term and one term only. |
|
|
|
|
THE SKINNY
Posts:506
|
| 06/05/2014 05:23 PM |
|
| what's sad is we only get about 20% participation in voting. and even more pathetic is most of those people probably aren't making an informed choice. granted it's hard to become informed because there is so much misinformation. still sad. |
|
| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
|
|
jmdirt
Posts:775
|
| 06/05/2014 06:37 PM |
|
Agree stronz and skinny.
skinny, I too find it sad that a 25% turnout is considered a "high turnout". I attribute that to some people being so disenfranchised that they don't bother, some people being lazy, and some people being ignorant (like you said above, they are happy as long as they have 500 TV channels and a sweet smart phone). Although, some of the ignorant ones get out to vote when someone says "my opponent wants to take away your guns". Really, do you think that one person can do that? Even the prez can't do that without getting congress to agree, and that isn't going to happen. |
|
|
|
|
Dale
Posts:1767
|
| 06/05/2014 08:06 PM |
|
And the 75% who do not vote-- what difference would it make? Likely the same people get elected. Not that I'm advocating apathy but seriously, why the big stink over people not voting?
I vote every time and generally write in someone who I think would do a good job. I wrote in Jon Huntsman last prez. election. Ticked off my girlfriend, she said I was throwing my vote away, I told her in 40 years of voting my individual vote has never swayed an election, not even in my tiny podunk town.
Here's my solution-- 535 people selected at random from the phone book to serve one term, then go home and have another batch selected.
No pension, no benefits, small stipend for serving the 2 or 6 years.
You people under 30 will just need to Google 'phonebook', I don't have time to explain  |
|
|
|
|
C2K_Rider
Posts:173
|
| 06/05/2014 08:21 PM |
|
Posted By stronzo nonfumare on 06/05/2014 05:18 PM
If I could come up with one pivotal change that would make our system work more like the way it was intended it would be term limits. Get the re-election incentive out of the govt and you'll remove all the bozos who are attracted to poilitics as a career. They become relatively immune from the special interests contributing to their re-election campaign (cause there aint gonna be no re-election) and they can make decisions based on merit not on how it will get them more votes.
Maybe increase the term of service a little. But you get one term and one term only.
That hasn't worked in California. They just run for se other office. Even going backwards to mayor etc. the major damage is that we end up with an eternally amateur legislature and the special interests end up writing the bills they want which are then introduced by the "representative."
I'd rather have longer terms and figure out how to ensure they represent people rather than corporations.
Yes I'm dreaming. It's never been like and probably never will
|
|
|
|
|
THE SKINNY
Posts:506
|
| 06/05/2014 09:39 PM |
|
of course this would never happen but:
have a voting tax of $1 per election per eligible voter. so for a presidential election, there is $1 per eligible voter split between the parties. no outside funding. same with senate races all the way down to dog catcher. so the average voter would have to pay maybe $20 a year depending on how many offices there are to vote for. also have a government funded channel on radio, tv and the interwebs that is strictly for political adds. there won't be any signs or people yelling in the street. if you want to know about a candidate or issue you can go to those channels provided. no point in me having to listen to that crap while 'family guy' is on. also have a fact check feature that calls out all the bs for what it is or puts it in the correct context. also make voting mandatory like jury duty. and have it on saturday and sunday. and give out ice cream. i have spoken. |
|
| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
|
|
jmdirt
Posts:775
|
| 06/06/2014 09:05 AM |
|
Dale, your post gave me a flash-back to Eddy Murphy Delirious when he did the set about drunk white guys voting for Jessie Jackson.
That is one of the disenfranchised reasons for not voting "my vote doesn't make a difference". No individual vote sways an election, but if a million people who feel that way vote they do make a difference. A better argument for your vote is that if Huntsman got a lot of votes, that sends a message. There was an election in a small community (pop. ~800) near me recently, and Donald Duck got more votes than the incumbent (something like 150 to 45). Message sent. |
|
|
|
|
Yo Mike
Posts:338
|
| 06/06/2014 09:29 AM |
|
+ a million to Skinny
I have a friend who I don't think has ever voted. He claims it will increase his chances of getting called for jury duty........ |
|
|
|
|
jmdirt
Posts:775
|
| 06/06/2014 10:23 AM |
|
| Mike, have you told your friend that jury duty is called from tax information not from voting information? I guess I'm assuming that all jurisdictions select the same way. |
|
|
|
|