Voting Rights in America

Should everyone have the right to vote?

Personally, I think the voting age should be bumped-up to 21. I also think taxpayers are the only people who have the right to vote in this country. Why the fuck should some college freshman who sucks from his mommy and daddy's trust fund and has never held a job in his life be able to decide who gets to lead this country?

I also think there should be some education requirements. Not degree-based, but simply based on how informed a potential voter is. Perhaps a test based on candidate platforms and general information regarding the US government would be fair. I don't think every person with a Harvard degree should be able to vote, while high school drop-outs should be automatically disqualified. IQ testing would also be unfair, in some cases. I just hate the idea that any fuckhead can walk into a voting booth and vote for a candidate simply because 50 Cent said "ROCK DA VOTE" on MTV.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Should everyone have the right to vote?

Personally, I think the voting age should be bumped-up to 21. I also think taxpayers are the only people who have the right to vote in this country. Why the fuck should some college freshman who sucks from his mommy and daddy's trust fund and has never held a job in his life be able to decide who gets to lead this country?

I also think there should be some education requirements. Not degree-based, but simply based on how informed a potential voter is. Perhaps a test based on candidate platforms and general information regarding the US government would be fair. I don't think every person with a Harvard degree should be able to vote, while high school drop-outs should be automatically disqualified. IQ testing would also be unfair, in some cases. I just hate the idea that any fuckhead can walk into a voting booth and vote for a candidate simply because 50 Cent said "ROCK DA VOTE" on MTV.

So many things wrong in this video I hardly know where to begin:



"....perfect opportunity for them to register at a temporary address like a homeless shelter..."

"... Barack man...I want him to do his thang...his thug thizzle...."

I think everyone should vote. I think everyone should have to vote. I think everyone who fails to at least show up and draw a penis on their ballot deserves a fine.

The virtue of compulsory voting is everybody gives at least a third of a crap. There'll still be misinformed idiots, but on average people *do* have IQs over 90 and are at least vaguely intelligent enough to smell bullshit, and an electorate that large is simply too big to bribe en masse or give special attention too without some other group getting pissed off. Most people fall between the centre-left and centre-right and the fired up extremes get drowned out by simple common sense. And even if D'Shawn Nike Velasquez, from Bumfuck USA with a 7th grade education, no teeth and a crack addiction votes, in the major cases he'll still have a 50/50 shot of backing the better candidate.

Only the properly educated ones. I don't like it that any general idiot can vote. Although, the idea of democracy itself is pointless. People, me included, would prefer to have their political party in power 24/7, you can't say people enjoy it when their party loses an election.

Mr. Brown wrote:

I also think there should be some education requirements. Not degree-based, but simply based on how informed a potential voter is. Perhaps a test based on candidate platforms and general information regarding the US government would be fair. I don't think every person with a Harvard degree should be able to vote, while high school drop-outs should be automatically disqualified. IQ testing would also be unfair, in some cases. I just hate the idea that any fuckhead can walk into a voting booth and vote for a candidate simply because 50 Cent said "ROCK DA VOTE" on MTV.

I mainly agree with all of this, but that part especially.

The US claims freedom of speech, following that there should be the freedom to vote.Denying that means that there is no freedom at all to express yourself in the most important way namely the right to chose his democratic representation.

saint mark wrote:

The US claims freedom of speech, following that there should be the freedom to vote.Denying that means that there is no freedom at all to express yourself in the most important way namely the right to chose his democratic representation.

And?

Vesper wrote:

The virtue of compulsory voting is everybody gives at least a third of a crap.

My experience of living in a country with compulsory voting was exactly the opposite. They voted because they had to, which meant they voted for anyone just to get it done and get out. I asked my ex-husband once whom he'd voted for and he didn't even know. He'd made a mark on the paper to avoid being fined as, it turned out, had many of our neighbours and none of them cared. They resented being forced into it. I pointed out that if they wanted out of that situation it might be worth paying more attention and trying to effect change by playing their part but I just got some odd looks.

saint mark wrote:

The US claims freedom of speech, following that there should be the freedom to vote.Denying that means that there is no freedom at all to express yourself in the most important way namely the right to chose his democratic representation.

I'm sure that most voters couldn't even tell you when the Constitution was ratified. And I'm sure they'd have a hard time reciting any portion of the US Constitution. Most act like that's a daunting task, but, really, it isn't. All of the information is out there, and has been for over 200 years. A lot of voters probably know they have the right to vote only because P. Diddy said so on MTV. :roll:

Of course, the US education system is also to blame.

Regarding compulsory voting, I don't think that should be enacted in the US, mainly for reasons that Santa mentioned. However, I wouldn't mind if the government revoked the right to vote from people who never participate.

Once you remove the right to vote from sections of the populace, you're veering far away from the democratic ideals the United States is based on. With other restrictions of ancillary freedoms that we have, the last thing we need is compromising one of our core ones.

We're focusing on the wrong thing here. We want to have better informed voters. The Internet is a great tool for this, yet it is being woefully misused. Instead of informative breakdowns of candidates positions, we get Obama Girl.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Regarding compulsory voting, I don't think that should be enacted in the US, mainly for reasons that Santa mentioned. However, I wouldn't mind if the government revoked the right to vote from people who never participate.

NOT VOTING could also be a vote. What if neither candidate is worth anything in your opinion. There should be the possibility of a blank vote. The amount of blank votes should be considered when counting the votes.

saint mark wrote:

Mr. Brown wrote:

Regarding compulsory voting, I don't think that should be enacted in the US, mainly for reasons that Santa mentioned. However, I wouldn't mind if the government revoked the right to vote from people who never participate.

NOT VOTING could also be a vote. What if neither candidate is worth anything in your opinion. There should be the possibility of a blank vote. The amount of blank votes should be considered when counting the votes.

Nah. That's a cop-out.

And I'm not only talking about presidential elections, either.

I think if you need to be 21 to consume alcohol, you should also need to be 21 to vote!

If you need to be 21 to consume alcohol and vote, you also should be 21 before you can fight in a war for your country, drive, own a gun, breed...

It's s pretty arbitrary age, when you think about it.

It's very young. :D

It's ancient. Really.

68% of registered 18-19 year old voters voted for Obama, a record in the history of American Presidential Election and look what happened.

Many of them will tell you they voted for Obama because they found him charismatic and sympathetic and friendly but they had absolutely no idea what Obama stood for in term of foreign and domestic issues.

I have at least 20 employees between 18 and 20 that voted for Obama who also said they voted for him because they liked the way he came across: friendly.

Yet they didn't know what Obama stood for in terms of jobs and economic and foreign policies.

Furthermore, if you spoke in depth with any of those employees of mine who voted for Obama in that age group, under 20, they will tell you they had no idea how the U.S. Government worked and how the Electoral Process worked.

Many of them couldn't even tell you the 3 branches of the U.S. Government.

I think everyone who wants to register to vote should be required to take and pass a U.S. Government class.

I had to pass a U.S. Government test and interview before I could receive my U.S. Citizenship.

Since many people in this country are immigrants before they become U.S. Citizens and not all of them have attended High School here where U.S. Government class is taught in the Senior Year, taking a U.S. Government class should be a requirement before registering to vote.

Well said, j7. No sarcasm intended.

j7wild wrote:

68% of registered 18-19 year old voters voted for Obama, a record in the history of American Presidential Election and look what happened.

Many of them will tell you they voted for Obama because they found him charismatic and sympathetic and friendly but they had absolutely no idea what Obama stood for in term of foreign and domestic issues.

I have at least 20 employees between 18 and 20 that voted for Obama who also said they voted for him because they liked the way he came across: friendly.

Yet they didn't know what Obama stood for in terms of jobs and economic and foreign policies.

While I don't want this turning into a debate on Obama, I do think you've raised some good points about elections, in general.

Politicians thrive on America's stupidity. Their platforms are all very basic and vague, too.

HATE GAYS. LOVE GAYS. FIX ECONOMY. CREATE JOBS. CLEAN OIL. FIGHT TERRORISTS.

Pick the most popular one, and you could become president.

Quote :

I think everyone who wants to register to vote should be required to take and pass a U.S. Government class.

I had to pass a U.S. Government test and interview before I could receive my U.S. Citizenship

A comprehensive US Government class--not the basic shit they put you through in the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades.

It's downright pathetic that foreigners who have obtained US citizenship know more about this country than Americans who were born with US citizenship.

I took American Government class in 12th grade for one entire semester and also, American Economics for another semester.

As as prerequisite to receiving a passing grade in American Government, we each had to spend 20 hrs volunteering for a Politician.

In my case, back in 1982, it was Mark White, Democrat, running at the time for the position of Texas Governor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_White

Then in 1984 while I was in College, I volunteered for the Ronald Reagan re-election campaign.

I still have a framed document signed by Reagan for being one of the Top Young Republicans Volunteers in Harris County.

I was also a volunteer on the Presidential Campaign staff for George Bush and George H. W. Bush and for McCain and Dole

I won't volunteer for Gingrich and Romney this time around, I don't like either of them.

If I didn't have a family and a business to run, I would go volunteer for Ron Paul.

I'd like to think that if we didn't have politicians who cater to the radicals on either side, the stupidity of the masses wouldn't be a problem.

Santa wrote:

Vesper wrote:

The virtue of compulsory voting is everybody gives at least a third of a crap.

My experience of living in a country with compulsory voting was exactly the opposite. They voted because they had to, which meant they voted for anyone just to get it done and get out. I asked my ex-husband once whom he'd voted for and he didn't even know. He'd made a mark on the paper to avoid being fined as, it turned out, had many of our neighbours and none of them cared. They resented being forced into it. I pointed out that if they wanted out of that situation it might be worth paying more attention and trying to effect change by playing their part but I just got some odd looks.

Well my experience is quite different. The informal vote is still a small minority, and I'm not saying everybody is a well informed and eager voter, I'm not saying they don't resent having to go down to the local school hall or whatever to vote on election day, but in spite of that but they generally at least a) know who the Prime Minister is, b) what party they're from, c) who they're running against and d) a very vague idea of what the pressing political issues are.

Which simply isn't the case in the States or countless other countries where voting isn't compulsory, and ostensibly only 'educated' voters who follow issues get out to vote. The restriction of the vote always seems to be floated by political tragics who can't get over the fact that some idiots get to make the same decision, with the exact same value as they do. Well tough shit, that's how a liberal democracy works. If you don't like it, move to China or go into politics or business or god forbid journalism where your decisions and opinions can and do make a greater impact.

This isn't Ancient Greece anymore. It isn't even the British Empire. You can't abolish slavery on the notions of equity and equality and then turn around and disenfranchise a proportion of the populace because they're inferior.

Jack Wade wrote:

I'd like to think that if we didn't have politicians who cater to the radicals on either side, the stupidity of the masses wouldn't be a problem.

The stupid masses are generally centrist, or impartial.. They're bien pensantes who go along with the status quo without thinking.

Democracy is the disease. The neutron bomb is the cure.

Should make property more affordable too.

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” - Zechariah 14:12.