Problematic Stuff

[Cunt]

I think a blockchain-secure voting system could roll in, but they first have to prove it works with something less important. Like money. They still can't seem to get the fuckery out of bit-coin and such.

[Hermit]

The only problem with mandatory voting is that you then get the real idiots voting. People who really should have no business in deciding the country's future.

While I have seen evidence that more educated people are less likely to vote for fuckwits than less educated ones, I have yet to encounter statistics showing that they are more likely to vote.

[pErvinalia]

It's not about education, but more about civic engagement. People who have no concept of governance are likely to vote terribly.

[Svartalf]

So, which of these 3 is the biggest perversion of democracy in the US?

* gerrymandering electoral boundaries

* the electoral college system

* blatant and deliberate interference with the right to vote?

I'd say the third, the the electoral college system is close behing, gerrymandering is virtually unavoidable as you can't avoid having corrupt people to make up the borders of constituencies.

[Svartalf]

The only problem with mandatory voting is that you then get the real idiots voting. People who really should have no business in deciding the country's future.

While I have seen evidence that more educated people are less likely to vote for fuckwits than less educated ones, I have yet to encounter statistics showing that they are more likely to vote.

Young educated people are actually likely not to bother with voting if they don't recognize themselves in a candidate... I know, there was a whole part of my life when I just did not bother voting for any of the rotten, corrupt, self serving nasties... even nowadays, when I practice voting as a duty, I'm still likely to vote for unelectable idealists, or to cast null votes when there are no bodies that strike my fancy.

[Hermit]

The only problem with mandatory voting is that you then get the real idiots voting. People who really should have no business in deciding the country's future.

While I have seen evidence that more educated people are less likely to vote for fuckwits than less educated ones, I have yet to encounter statistics showing that they are more likely to vote.

Young educated people are actually likely not to bother with voting if they don't recognize themselves in a candidate... I know, there was a whole part of my life when I just did not bother voting for any of the rotten, corrupt, self serving nasties... even nowadays, when I practice voting as a duty, I'm still likely to vote for unelectable idealists, or to cast null votes when there are no bodies that strike my fancy.

Yeah, well, that is not something that differentiates young, educated people from those who are not. "Why bother? Politicians. They're all the same" followed by references to pigs at the trough is typical of every non-voter, regardless of age or education level.

[Brian Peacock]

The only problem with mandatory voting is that you then get the real idiots voting. People who really should have no business in deciding the country's future.

Seems reasonable, which is why Republicans are filtering out those people who have no business in deciding the country's future.

[Brian Peacock]

So, which of these 3 is the biggest perversion of democracy in the US?

* gerrymandering electoral boundaries

* the electoral college system

* blatant and deliberate interference with the right to vote?

How about all those voters who think the US is a democracy?

How about you make your comment relevant to the post your quoted without asking a non-sequitor of a question?

Or all those voters who have been tricked by one side or the other?

How do political parties trick voters? Is it by holding meetings, giving speeches, paying for TV ads, and making policy promises?

[Svartalf]

You know, electoral promises are binding only to those who believe in them...

[Scot Dutchy]

When parties form a coalition here they negotiate a coalition agreement and sign it. If the government takes any action that is not in the agreement or goes against it there is an election.
This should have happened in the UK with the LibDems and tory government.

[Cunt]

It's not about education, but more about civic engagement. People who have no concept of governance are likely to vote terribly.

Like people who think they are in a democracy when really they are in a constitutional republic? How can their opinion be valued when they don't even know how their government works?

So, which of these 3 is the biggest perversion of democracy in the US?

* gerrymandering electoral boundaries

* the electoral college system

* blatant and deliberate interference with the right to vote?

How about all those voters who think the US is a democracy?

How about you make your comment relevant to the post your quoted without asking a non-sequitor of a question?

It's an example of what I think is one of the biggest perversions of democracy - how so many people think it is a democracy, showing that they don't understand the system they are voting in.

Or all those voters who have been tricked by one side or the other?

How do political parties trick voters? Is it by holding meetings, giving speeches, paying for TV ads, and making policy promises?

I could have sworn I gave an unexpected, funny, yet serious answer already. You saw the amusing tweet screenshot, no?

[Hermit]

You know, electoral promises are binding only to those who believe in them...

When our erstwhile Prime Minister, John Howard, was asked about a blatantly broken election promise he made in 2003 he lectured the reporter who asked the question about the difference between core promises and non-core promises. His promise helped his government win the the 2004 election.

[Cunt]

I've known a few people who were elected. They made promises campaigning which they simply could not keep after winning.

These people weren't liars, they just didn't realize how things worked.

It's not always lying, but it's nearly always easy to accuse them of it.

[pErvinalia]

It's not about education, but more about civic engagement. People who have no concept of governance are likely to vote terribly.

Like people who think they are in a democracy when really they are in a constitutional republic? How can their opinion be valued when they don't even know how their government works?

I'm not sure who you are talking about, but the two aren't mutually exclusive. This point was already made by someone earlier in the thread.

[JimC]

The only problem with mandatory voting is that you then get the real idiots voting. People who really should have no business in deciding the country's future.

Seems reasonable, which is why Republicans are filtering out those people who have no business in deciding the country's future.

Poor people, black people, the homeless...