Don't you hate it when people rotely encourage others to get out and vote? I really don't think you should encourage anyone to vote unless they are educated on the candidates and issues. Why would you just want people to vote for the sake of voting? All that does is dilute the vote of those who take the time to make an educated decision. I wish we'd reconsider the way we market our right to vote.
Speaking of voting, this will be the first time I vote on the new electronic touch-screen machines. I guess they debuted in May, but I was out of town and missed the primaries. Let it be know, that I am staunchly against the use of these devices-at least the way they are being currently implimented. In my professional life, I've had occasion to speak with developers of alternative, more trustworthy technology. Granted, these guys had their own agenda to push... but if you need any convincing, wade through this Vanity Fair article from a couple years ago. Granted, Vanity Fair is a clearly biased, liberal rag, but still, this article is pretty damn convincing, when coupled with everything else I've heard. (When I say "wade" - it's acutally a great read, but the quality of the image viewing experience in this link is pretty low. If you can find a printed, or electronic copy of the article, it would probably be better, but I stress again, it's an eye-opening piece.)
4 comments:
Are there really that many people who have no idea what's going on in the U.S. and are completely uninformed regarding these elections? Good grief. You'd have to live in a Spider Hole ™ not to know what's going on, wouldn't you?
I think I have to agree with Melissa - I think a lot of people are really just too busy to understand the issues. Personally, I read the paper every day, but I really don't know what the big difference is between Santorum and Casey, for example. Of course, Santorum has this reputation for being pretty right wing - but then he's also supported by the Catholic Church. So, what's that all about? And English and Porter? I've met Phil, and he's a bit odd, but personable and smart enough. Porter... I mean does anyone really take the time to read the drivel that these guys write on positioning? On top of that, most of it is probably a pack of lies anyhow...
I do apprciate Ralph's point about the dilution of my thoughtful vote by someone who doesn't know what's going on. I read a lot and try to make an informed decision...just to have it cancelled by someone following a particular ideology.
That said, I still believe that the best weapon the voting public has is the ability to "throw the bums out". That's what happened Tuesday, for the most part.
From what I understand, the Founding Fathers did not want career politicians staying in office for decades at a time. So, even if people are often uninformed, I like the fact that they often turn out and toss out incumbents.
DDD
Throw the bums out we did...
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