You Think You Know What It Means To Vote?

[Razor]

The AP Like to Interview People With Balls

But three explosions — a rocket attack and two suicide bombings — showed the ability of insurgents to carry out bloody attacks. They have promised to disrupt the voting with violence.

"Terrorists wanted to hamper the elections, thus they started to blow themselves up in the streets," said Deputy Interior Minister Ayden Khalid Qader, responsible for election-related security across the country.

Thursday's voting was for those who might not be able to get to the polls Sunday. The vast majority of early voters were the Iraqi police and military who will be working election day — when the rest of the country votes — to enforce security. Others voting included detainees, hospital patients and medical workers.

That's right. People in Iraq are braving terrorists shooting rockets at polling stations and committing suicide attacks to vote. Most Americans can't even brave 10am to go vote.

What is with this seeming disparity? We are taught from an early age that we are Americans, damn it. As an American we should exercise our duty to vote. That's the way we help out our nation. We vote for people who will do what we can't while we work in the factories, raise our children, make money to pay for our clothes that fuel that economy.

And yet, you will be damned if we can get 50% of America to vote in a Presidential election. And if people were bombing the polling station? Hells to the no. I bet if someone were to bomb a polling station in New York people in San Fransisco would refuse to vote.

Why do the Iraqis take a bigger pride in voting than we do? Is it because we didn't have a brutal dictator? Is it because we shit our pants at a glowing circuit board, while people in Iraq brave bombs day in and day out?

I'm honestly confused. Are the people in Iraq just that much braver than the average American citizen? Do they have a stronger sense of nationality in Iraq?

Stake your claim.

 

[klunderbunker]

Americans are lazy, plain and simple. Voting means nothing to the people in this country for the most part yet they'll scream to high heaven that the government is fucking them over. I'm 22 years old and I have voted in the only national election that I was eligible to vote for. I loved it. Did my vote mean much? Probably not, but I was allowed to go to the polls and say who I felt should run the country for the next four years. Now without turning this into a political argument, I didn't agree with the previous administration's policies so I voted for the Democratic candidate. In other words, I didn't agree with the government and I was able to attempt to do something about it.

Think about that for a minute. How amazing is it that you can do that? You, a private citizen that has really nothing at all to do with Washington DC or anything like it can do something to legally change the government. How would you like it if you couldn't though? How would you like it if there was nothing you could do to change the government other than wait for the leader to die? In America, we are allowed to vote and say what we think about the government. And yet in a good year, half of the eligible people will take the half hour total that it takes to go to their voting location and pull a lever. Really? Are you kidding me? That's pathetic. These people amaze me to no end and yet in this country people will likely complain about how stupid they are. Give me a break. This is amazing to say the least.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I'd probably care more about exercising my right to vote if we had a parliamentary style of government and a proportional representation system. Enough people vote in the US, so, I see no reason in going to vote for a president. I vote in state and local elections, but I could give a fuck about who becomes the next POTUS. One of the great things about America's political system is that ambition counteracts ambition (I believe that's from one of The Federalist Papers). Not one of the many assholes in Washington wants anyone else to have anymore power than they already do.

 

[Tastycles]

The difference between Iraq and the west is that this is probably their first chance to vote in their lives, and they think it is going to make a difference, which it probably will. In the USA, and its getting this way here too, people have long stopped voting for policies and have started voting for showmanship. There is very little difference between the political parties because everyone is so afraid to make anything remotely different because doing so will mean that it can be turned on them if it goes tits up. Politics in Iraq is about changing the way the country is run. Politics in the west is about getting re-elected.

 

[BladeRunner]

A little devil's advocacy here, but "not voting" is a type of vote too.

It means, you don't think any of those people that are the options you can pick from are qualified for doing the job.

I can't stand our political parties. They're corrupt and disgusting. And they do nothing but denigrate anyone who disagrees with their particular tenants.

People like to talk shit about religion a lot because of how it can sometimes separate people. Well I say politics is even worse, because politics separates people and doesn't even teach them ethics. Politics truly teaches you to HATE those who think differently. If you don't believe me, look at any political message board about something controversial. It's full of the most disgusting vile people you'll ever meet, because they're so self righteous about their particular political tenants.

It's a huge wasteland out there for those who don't fit into the either/or mentality of our current political process.

Voting means having options. Well what do you do when your options are shitty and shittier? Some people say vote for the "lesser of two evils". But voting for an evil is still an evil, and it makes you part of that evil by condoning it.

 

[The Gribbler]

I must say I envy the apparent right of people in the US not to vote. In Australia it isn't a right...it's mandatory. We don't vote we get a fine and this and that. Which I think is bullshit, part of our right should be being able to say no.

However I agree with the OP in the fact that if you do not vote, then you have no right to complain about SHIT! - Don't vote, then don't complain.

Just My Opinion

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I really would care more about voting if I agreed with either of the parties run. Having a two-party system in this country sucks, especially when these parties can't work with each other. Seriously, check out CSPAN some time. All the democrats and republicans do is bicker with each other. It sucks, because these people have monopolized the media, so the typical American has no idea that they can vote outside of democratic and republican boundaries.

Of course, this is crazy talk, because someone of a different party or an independent will never win an election. We're going to be stuck with the fundamentally ******ed republicans and the socially and fiscally weak democrats... who will cater to the republicans anyway.

If there were campaigns to spread political awareness, as well as people voting for their political beliefs, not because their president-elect has a certain skin color, then perhaps people in this country would be more inclined to vote.

 

[Lee]

I must say I envy the apparent right of people in the US not to vote. In Australia it isn't a right...it's mandatory. We don't vote we get a fine and this and that. Which I think is bullshit, part of our right should be being able to say no.

However I agree with the OP in the fact that if you do not vote, then you have no right to complain about SHIT! - Don't vote, then don't complain.

Just My Opinion

Well if you're so concerned spoil your ballot paper. That's your 'right' not to vote. The amount of people who I speak to (being a former politics student) who say oh i can't be bothered, or my vote won't change anything, why should I vote? To me if you have actively chosen NOT to vote then spoil the paper, it takes what, 5 minutes to get off your fat ass and go to the polling station. Heck there's even postal voting now.

It saddens me the lack of understanding people have for the system and not realising how much people went to to get the vote. My sister refusing to vote spits on everything Emily Davison did and it makes me sick.

 

[The Roid Rage]

I'd probably care more about exercising my right to vote if we had a parliamentary style of government and a proportional representation system.

I just thought I would point out to you that we actually do have an accurate representation system called the "Electoral College". Now we can argue it's efficiency back and forth, you can start making hateful remarks at me, and I can start freaking out on you, and eventually we can both end up looking like dumb fucks, but that won't prove anything now will it. Instead of arguing how it does or doesn't work, explain to me what could be more fair. It gives the states with smaller populations a real way to make their vote count as much as states multiple times their size, and that's really as fair as it gets.

Add in the fact that as has been already established approximately half the population doesn't vote, I think makes it more fair as well in representing everyone, including those that do not vote. Just because you don't vote doesn't mean that you aren't represented in the polls. That is why grass roots campaigns are so important. The community level voting is still important. If my district votes unanimously for a democrat nominee and I vote for the republican nominee it doesn't matter, those votes represent the choice of that area which includes me. Now if I don't like that, I have the choice to support my party and try to get enough votes so that my district votes unanimously republican next time. That is fair and is also one of the many reasons democracy is so great, because we have a choice, the freedom, and the opportunity to make that difference if we want to.

I have voted in the last 2 elections and was proud to do so. If I actually thought my vote didn't count or make a difference I would still vote just so that my voice was heard, so that I can at least say I did my part and stood for what I believe in. My problem with todays elections is that it has become nothing more than a popularity contest. Who can be more charismatic? Who is more likable? Which one has the better smile or better hair cut? Which guy wears the nicer suit, and talks with the most bravado? Who lies the least or the best? It's not about policies and beliefs anymore, it's like a beauty pageant. That is most of the reason I think Clinton and now Obama were voted in, they were both very charismatic guys, and were perceived as "Cool". That superseded their political and moral stances and people were more into their "personalities" than they were their policies. That is the flaw I see in it now, and I think the media is a big part of the problem. They sensationalize the ones they love and ostracize the ones they hate presenting a biased and disproportionate reality to their viewers.

One of the things I believe Americans particularly have to come to terms with though is the two party system. Tons of people always say "I don't agree with either one, so I am not going to vote." Well, that's fine, it's your choice, your will, you're entitled to it. But, just hear me out for a second on this one. The harsh reality is that no matter what this country is divided by political parties, and both have very different views on a number of different subjects. You might not agree with everything either party supports, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't or shouldn't support one of the two parties. I don't necessarily agree with everything in Christianity but I agree with most of it, so I take a lot of my beliefs from it. The same with Taoism, I don't necessarily agree with everything about it, but there is a lot I do, and I add that to me beliefs.

You say you want to make a difference right? Well, voting for Nader or not voting at all just isn't going to really do that. If you want your vote to really count you have to go with one or the other, democrat or republican. Each has a track record, you can find out what each one is really all about, just look it all up, teach yourself something, and when you're done, decide. If anything, vote for one party just to try and stop the other, even if you don't entirely agree with them, at least do something to make one more voice heard and counted. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

 

[Baller]

Americans are under the perception that their vote doesn't matter, and it greatly affects a lot of the population. Plus we are one of the laziest countries, as KB mentioned, and due to the fact that they are just one vote people just decide voting is not that big of a deal.

Voting is a big deal, and I wish I could vote in elections as I actually understand politics, and watch the news, unlike people in this country. People don't vote because of the reasons above, and they don't know anything about the candidates. For example, my sister was able to vote for the first time in the Obama vs McCain election. The day of the polls she goes, "Dad, who should I vote for? I don't care I will just vote because I am 18 and want to vote for the first time". She is noly voting because she thought it was cool, and probably doesn't plan to vote again, just a sign of how uneducated a lot people are about voting at all.