Today marks the 228th birthday of the United States of America and I can think of no better time to start talking about the upcoming Presidential election this November. It's going to be a doozy.
Jefferson's Day.
4 July 04
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Greg, I agree. We'd be fools to have the freedom to chose and then not utilize it. Who are you going for, and why?
I find it interesting that native americans (referring people born in the US, not the people that lost their country to newcomers) don't take voting as seriously as people who have been naturalised.
Vote! Dammit! ...And don't forget to vote in your local elections. In local elections, your vote affects you much more than in the national election.
If you don't, I don't want to hear you bitching about the government.
It's also interesting to note that of all of the democratized countries in the world, many patterned after the US, many heavily influenced by the US, and many others created by the US, actually have much higher voting rates than the US itself, and some of those by a 2-to1 margin -- or better!
I vote, I always vote, and I always will vote. Life is far too short to be complacent!
Lazy americans. *ducks* J/K. You should all have to vote. If uncle kev (like uncle sam but aussie) makes me haul down to the local high-school, I might as well put some thought into who I'll vote for.
Yep, we Australians enjoy a bit of compulsory activity now and then..... so yes, please America, vote early and vote often :)
Voting is a privilege most Americans take for granted. But look out if you try to take away that privilege. Americans can't stand it if you try to deny them any "rights". Bunch of lazy, entitlement attitude whiners!
There's still no place I'd rather live, though, even if I have to put up with the few (although very loud) countrymen that give us a bad name.
I heard there was a presidential election, but I checked the TV listings and couldn't find any mention of it. Where do I find the 800-number to cast my vote?
And when did we start allowing excommunicated Canadians to vote in the US?
(Seriously though, thanks for doing your part, though I fear that among your American audience, you're mostly preaching to the converted...now if this plea were to appear on Who wants to Marry a Real World Extreme Outback Idol's Surviving Big Brother in a non-partisan manner, now that would be something)
I turned 18 right after the primaries, sadly, so I couldn't cast my vote then, but I am going to City Hall later this week to register because I'm sure as hell going to be voting come November.
It's sad, some of my friends that I talk to say they might just not vote because they just don't feel informed enough on the candidates. Well ****! Get your lazy *ss off AIM and do some research.
"Soldiers are dying for our rights and freedom!" Well, maybe not right now, theyre dying for the Iraqi's rights and freedom. In the last 200 years though too many people have lost their lives to protect what the US stands for, and our right to vote. We owe it to them to vote, and get a person who's sending kids like me over seas to die.
I remember I turned 18 just 4 days after the 1992 Clinton/Bush election. I wanted to vote so bad, but was days short.
I will never take my right to vote for granted, but if someone doesn't want to vote, they have the freedom to do so - that's what freedom is all about. I think compulsory voting is silly. But, I'm in favor of people having to show ID, be citizens, etc. in order to vote, as well. :)
I encourage everyone who has the right to vote, in any country, to use that right. Educate yourself about the candidates, vote for the one you think is best. I'm not going to tell you which side to vote for, just think, then vote.
Here's a thought: more people might vote if they didn't have to jump through the hoop of "registering" in order to be able to.
Here is something to help people make a more informed decision if they are still on the fence. When i saw this, Greg, I thought of you. Enjoy.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushisms.htm
YES! If you only vote once in your life, let this Presidential race be that one occasion. I feel that this election can really make or break our country, so make it count!
Apparently I'm an ass. I changed addresses and have to re-register. Time to buy some much-needed black ink for my printer!
Tomas - do you really think the process of registering to vote is that difficult? People these days go through more vigorous exercises to get the ability to rent at Blockbuster or get preferred prices at their favorite grocery store.
The difference is, registering to vote, and carrying an ID to the polls prevents fraud, so to me, it's well worth the few minutes it took to do it. (Once you are registered, you don't have to again unless you move or don't vote in two consecutive presidential elections.)
when I registered to vote in the US, I did it while in the queue at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The card I filled out asked for my name, current address and (optionally) party affiliation. I then handed it to the fellow behind the counter.
If you can't take the time to do that, you are possibly the laziest person on the planet.
And yet, there are so many unregistered citizens. The pervasive passivity of the US culture never ceases to astound me. One day people will start thinking that breathing is too much effort, then the problem will solve itself.
Dave: Who said anything about "difficult"? Having to register to vote in the US is only necessary because you don't have a national id system, which, if anything, makes it easier to commit fraud.
Tomas -
Not necessarily the place for debate, but suffice it to say that we don't have a national ID system for a number of reasons. Only one of which is the fact that we, in fact, never vote on a national basis. Instead, we vote locally. Sure, voting for President seems to be a national vote, and the election is on the same day, but votes are counted on a state by state basis.
We won't get into the state's rights, privacy and other arguments against a national ID system...
The European union is actually closer than modern America to what the US looked like at its inception: a group of sovereign states submitting in certain aspects to a central government.
So think about it and you'll see why we do not elect a president on a national popular vote. Each state has its own rights and interests: this system insures that less-populous states do not get trampled on.