Voting does work - when you vote.  But more disagree with you than agree.  That is why Dean and Kerry lost.  That is not to say that your last statement about the cannonball is not correct.  In the end, we vote for who we want, but rarely get who we vote for.

My error went the other way, I voted for Gore in the first election, me still being a Democrat and all, then I voted for Bush due to my deep rooted hatred of Hanoijohn Kerry. This election I Am not inclined to party vote but to vote for the person. So far Rudi Most closely represents what I think.

voting won't work properly until we have 100% of all voters voting every time

Voting does work, but most people have forgotten that it is the state and local government where most change can occur... the federal government was never meant to be the babysitter, problem solver and wetnurse to each and every person in the country.

I really have to agree with you all in sentiment.

Voting can work (and I've always voted and canvassed and expressed support for 'my picks')

But I don't think it has been working for a long time. People have not been represented very well by their chosen public servants. Rather, it seems, those Public Servants have helped themselves to public coffers and enjoyed benefits from collectivist entities rather then individual private citizens.

here is what you do.


go and tell all your friends that they are ------(fill in the blank) if they don't go and register.

then tell them they are ----------(fill in the blank) if they don't vote.

if they don't know where to go to register tell them to go to the dmv(or whatever they call the driver license office in your state)

if any of them can't drive for whatever reason offer to take them.

oh and by the way if you don't regester your all chumps. and if you don't go and vote your voting for gene.

The whole process is rigged by the two party system to ensure independents don't challenge the two party system. After that, between the two parties it's a challenge to outspend the other and campaign earlier and earlier.

Pretty soon we are going to get one year of work out of these politicians and three of campaigning.

The sole thing politicians care about is getting reelected. They will make compromises and decisions to align themselves with that goal to the best of their ability. Those who do not, don't get elected or re-elected.

It would be great if we would limit the time and effort spend on elections. Allowing one term rather then two, and extending that term from 2 or 4 years to 5 or 6. Forcing the politicians in the government to work together during their terms rather then fighting for control, or fighting for who can raise the most amount of money to piss down adverting and telling us how bad their opponents would be at running the show.

It is rigged to give you a negative view of the other guy or gal that exceeds your negative view of the guy or gal you might like based on the lesser of two evils. Yeah that's a great system alright.

It's so great that less then half of the people eligible bother voting. Those who don't are ridiculed by those that do, because they gave up their power to vote when really all they wanted to do was rid themselves of the b.s. war that goes on between the game of politics.

It's so great that less then half of the people eligible bother voting. Those who don't are ridiculed by those that do, because they gave up their power to vote when really all they wanted to do was rid themselves of the b.s. war that goes on between the game of politics.

Bravo. I refuse to vote - so dl can ridicule me all he likes, but the vote isn't for the best person anymore - it's for either the guy this camp chooses or the guy that camp chooses, and I don't see all that much difference between them. Oh yeah...I hear a difference in what they SAY...but I never see any actions that back it up. I wish you could fire a president for backing out on a campaign promise. Then I might vote. I'd know that whoever I voted for would be held accountable to do what (s)he said (s)he was going to do, and to NOT do what (s)he said (s)he was NOT going to do. I am STILL the net, and will remain so until things are different.

You can fire them, but only if their party hates the sun of a bitch we elect too. Which isn't likely to happen, unless a R gets elected but starts signing into law and sponsoring for all the D's priorities or vice versa. The game is only played as a team sport. Bi-partisanship is largely dead for most of the 8 year period.

After about the first year the "we are going to work together" talk stops and it turns into "a battle on capitol hill" or "the D's are stonewalling" or the R's "wont compromise"

It would be great if we could vote to fire these assholes in congress and get new people in there off the street to make the best decision they could. Give them a 6 month term let them run the country lightning round style. No campaigning, just rotating terms and good representation and good lawmaking.

Now thats just blackmail   

Meet a chump, I will only vote for a person if I believe they can represent my views, or at the very least the Party they represent will curb the loonies getting a free ride on the back of Party Agendas. The latter is as far as I will go in the circular 'must vote' debates. I will not cast a vote on the basis of the best one there, just because they are there - to me thats a wasted vote, and encourages idiots and quasi parties with no basis in their offered Policies.

However, at the end of the day, its a good thing we have a voting system, thats the key factor, and for that we should give a prayer of thanks. Against the latter, whichever is the right principle - mandatory vote or not - becomes which "shade of grey". A welcome luxury that we are fortunate to be able to debate. Many on this Planet still cant vote at all.

there is always the write in vote.

Thats certainly true, if more people expressed their views Publicy via whatever medium outside the voting system, Politicians might listen more

(well they might ...... wouldnt they?   )

if there were enough write in votes they just might.

I don't think voting is a luxury. I think it's a necessity. Those who would elevate certain people to posistions of power should have and demand the right to vote them both in and out of that power.

Just because some people have not fought for that right, from those who would deny it, or earned it, by helping to create or maintain a society who would utilize it, doesn't mean it is not a right.

Luxuries are things which are given or created as gifts and non-essentials. Voting is essential for democratic people. It is essential to any people who have discovered it's power and freedom creating nature. The power of the vote, introduced to people who have a choice, and choose to exercise it, is what history has demonstrated in the past, to be what dictators and those who would deny people of their right, to be dangerous as well as very necessary.

Let me clarify that. It is not the voting which is not working for us. It is the system that the politicians we have voted for, the parties which we have supported, "one versus the other", the system they have created, that is not working. This system that allows the "team-players" to conspire between the "two parties and only two parties", to load up the bills with unnecessary pork spending at the expense of sending that money back down to the tax payers, or into projects necessary to the maintenance and bettering of our society. Irresponsible spending traps money better spend on necessary projects on pork or tax returns.

Campaigning for longer and longer stretches, starting earlier and earlier, spending a new record with each election, at the expense instead of voting on spending, working together longer to reach important compromises; Deciding together rather than at the expense of one party for political leverage, on how best to spend scarce resources is the job of these men and women. But once inducted into the party system, the effort is on remaining electable, for the next election, passing the laws and bills that bring the best chance of positive feelings about candidates rather then taking care of needs.

It is this system that has been created by those already elected that is not working. Term limits that exists for new elected officials but not those already in office.

It is the system which is corrupted and fails us. Not the idea of voting our conscience or minds. Voting into office elected officials which say one thing and do another damages us all but it is the system that is corrupt not the people electing these officials.

I don’t think anyone would deny that, that’s not the issue.

Ultimately it is the people who create a system, and ultimately it is the people who bare responsibility for correcting that system. We should never be in the situation where politicians are allowed to "create" a system, or manipulate a system. They should not be able to do that in the first place. If they are able to then its we the Public must correct that either through the Vote or putting in place a new system via Oversight mechanisms such as the Supreme Court.

It is of course insane to believe that the Public should bare responsibility for every political misdemeanor, hardly needs saying - there will always be abuses, and providing those abuses are corrected from within the system the Public authorised, then all is well - the system the Public created is working. (for example Vote the idiots out, impeach the President, whatever).

But when those abuses can no longer be corrected from within the system the Public authorised, and they are a threat to the system the Public wants, then that is a situation that the Public must stand up for, and be counted and corrected. A system which is continually allowing idiots to represent the people, and is being abused to create parties with power bases not intended by the people is dangerous - that can only be resolved by the people, politicians must not be allowed to police themselves.

Ultimately, any political system is one created and maintained by the people, not the politicians. Allow elected politicians to change the basic core system .... that is when dictatorships and totalitarian states emerge. We have fought too many wars over the latter, lets not go down that road to another.


Then Vote them out - the system then works. Voting in idiots who say one thing and do another just because they are the best of a bad bunch, is not a corrupt system, its a less than thoughtful public (the means to eject them exists - don’t vote for the idiot - the real hassle comes when you cant get rid of them - then you have a corrupt system).