Quoting:
Oh, that's right! I was supposed to vote yesterday. I knew I was forgetting something! Oh well. ;D
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Quoting:
...oh wait when I get older I still won't vote! HA! :)
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I do hope you are joking.  There is no excuse for someone not voting.  

Quoting:


... but there's nothing to vote for in California. They're all the same swine :P
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Exactly. ;D

Quoting:
it's true, but there's something else you can do instead of simply not voting...vote Green :D
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Not in Minnesota next time, RiceCube.  The Green Party failed to get 5% this time, so they're going to have to go the petition route to get on the ballot next time.  

Quoting:
Folks, there is only one fix for the system, and that is term limits. Now, we all know that will happen when pigs fly, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

As I understand it, the original concept for the governance of this country was that it be by the people, meaning that Seth the farmer would go to the nation's capitol and have his turn in Congress, then go back to the farm and let someone else go. Somewhere along the way we lost sight of this and the career politician was born. No longer is it the betterment of the people that is the goal, but rather the betterment of self. Not "how do I vote to best serve the people I represent", but "how do I vote to keep my seat when I run for election again".

Yes, cynical, but true.
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And that's exactly the platform I'm referring to!  Of course, you'll never see me running for anything, as I can't AFFORD to...

Quoting:
speaking of term limits...is Strom Thurmond dead yet?  the last time I saw his picture it reminded me of Skeletor
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Thank God he did not run for reelection.  If he had run for reelection, and was reelected, he would be 106 when his term ended!

Quoting:


Thank God he did not run for reelection.  If he had run for reelection, and was reelected, he would be 106 when his term ended!
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Quoting:



I do hope you are joking.  There is no excuse for someone not voting.  
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Ummmm theres an excuse for me one beacuse it's boring.....2 because half of the things you are voting for don't make sense(well to me but thats just my opinion) and 3.......welll........I just don't want too.

Quoting:


Ummmm theres an excuse for me one beacuse it's boring.....2 because half of the things you are voting for don't make sense(well to me but thats just my opinion) and 3.......welll........I just don't want too.
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Quoting:
Alicia, are you even old enough to vote?  Maybe you'll change your mind by then...your vote is the most powerful individual voice you will have in government decisions, no matter how distanced from it you may feel.  Remember that.


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I don't care for government....never have and mostlikely probably never will. I maybe not old enought right now but personally I don't care...........

Quoting:


Ummmm theres an excuse for me one beacuse it's boring.....2 because half of the things you are voting for don't make sense(well to me but thats just my opinion) and 3.......welll........I just don't want too.
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Well, Alicia, I'm assuming you are still in school, still live at home, not a tax payer, not a home owner, not working a full time job, not supporting a family, I could go on.

My point is:  maybe, or should I say hopefully when you do become an adult and have to take on adult responsibilities such as paying taxes, holding a full time job, buying a home, supporting a family, etc. you will care about the issues associated with government and will realize the importance of voting.

Quoting: ...  for me one beacuse it's boring... End Quote

Uh, ok, I guess.  Boring?  How could you know if its boring if you are too young to even do it?



Folks, if Alicia14 is any indication of the mindset of the future voters of America, God help us all!

Quoting:
I would love to be able to vote again. However, I cannot. Why? One word: Jury Duty. I voted for years and regularly received jury duty notices in the mail. Finally I stopped voting and the notices immediately stopped coming. After about 7 years I got up the courage to vote again, and within one month I had a jury duty notice. I had panic attacks for weeks in the middle of the night thinking about it. I went thru indescribable hell trying to get out of it so I could get back to trying to work and pay my bills. Until my government stops stalking me, they will never again see me vote.
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What?? ??  LOL!  In what remote area do you live that voting would put you on a short list for jury duty?  I have never heard about such things!

Quoting:



Yeah, getting out of it altogether is near impossible. I guess it's easier for me if I were to make up some excuse like I don't know English or have an old professor or doctor that I know write me an excuse. If I don't have those, then I have to show up and fill out their questionnaire - they leave me alone after that.
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Quoting:
Isn't that what this country is all about, Freedom? If people want to vote, then they have the Freedom to choose to do so. Same for the people who Choose not to vote. Freedom of choice.
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Quoting:


What ??? Are we resorting back to "personal attacks" again ??? ::) "That's classy"... How condescending. You know that word in the dictionary I was alluding to? Yeah, it's back again ;)

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Uh, ok.  I was referring to the fact that Alicia14 said she just doesn't care about elections and government because they are "boring".  That to me is scary.  I hope that her view is not how most kids her age see it now and when they can vote.  

Tarzan Boy, just when I was starting to have some respect for you...well, you know...

Quoting:



Uh, ok.  I was referring to the fact that Alicia14 said she just doesn't care about elections and government because they are "boring".  That to me is scary.  I hope that her view is not how most kids her age see it now and when they can vote.  

Tarzan Boy, just when I was starting to have some respect for you...well, you know...
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Quoting:


... but how can that be our fault when all we have are scoundrels/career politicians? There is a reason for my apathy. I don't disrespect the principle, but the people who fail to adhere to it.
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Quoting:
Ahh, good question.  That's where the voting comes in, and not just the voting itself but being heard in the community.  
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Very well said.  Voting involves so much more than just electing Congressmen and Presidents.  So many people, especially those who have never been to the voting booth, don't realize how much is actually on the ballot.  Its not just candidates, there are also important issues at stake.

Quoting:


Very well said.  Voting involves so much more than just electing Congressmen and Presidents.  So many people, especially those who have never been to the voting booth, don't realize how much is actually on the ballot.  Its not just candidates, there are also important issues at stake.
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Quoting:
Voting for a president or other national pol is important but the local issues effect you much more directly and each vote really does make a big differance.  

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My friend, I like your thinking.  After reading your posts, I realize the point I was trying to make with my posts in this thread, I just couldn't say it as well as you did.

Thank you.

Quoting:


My friend, I like your thinking.  After reading your posts, I realize the point I was trying to make with my posts in this thread, I just couldn't say it as well as you did.

Thank you.
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Quoting:


That, I can't tolerate people that throw up their hands and surrendor to a problem (or enven status quo) without even looking for a solution.
Jeesh, listen to me go, should I stand on a table and sing god bless americal now ;D

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Quoting:
I can play that on the harmonica while you sing :)  And in the meantime I hope the GOP does a good job with their newfound superpowers so we can stem the tide of voter apathy in this great nation...


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Quoting:
Please play loudly so no one can hear my awful singing voice.  
Intersting to see what the GOP can do, I remember Clintons 1st election he had it all Dems, didn't get a whole lot done except to lose the house a couple of years later.  Remember the heath care reform and gays in the military?  

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Quoting:
I recall giving a speech in school about the gays in the military issue...I personally don't think there's anything wrong with that, particularly since gay people are just as patriotic as straight people or androgynous people...as for health care issues, I seriously hate all this crap I have to deal with to get a decent medical plan.


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Quoting:
Alicia, you will care.  It's to difficult to ignore politics when you see what your paycheck looks like after taxes when you start collecting real paychecks, and when you can't get to work within 60 minutes when you only have 10 miles to drive to get to work, or when the bus service is cut so you can't take the bus to work to cut down on your commute time, or when the your childs classroom has 35 students in it, or when another vice tax raises that 6 pack of beer to $7.00, or when public parks are closed, or when we lose the pro-choice options, or when crime rates rise to dangerous levels, or when your 401-k retirement plan tanks hard, or when.............
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I don't drink beer......I don't want kids and over school crowdings I don't care for either....we get enough money to builed more classrooms and the priciple mysteriously gets a new car almost every year. Maybe if people cut back on having kids (which half the time they don't take care of) there wouldn't be a problem with that....and as for transet I wouldn't want to ride the bus thats why when I am 16 I will look for a job and save to buy a car....taxes are no problem....it doesn't hurt to save every penny you got when you are my age cut back on magazines and such.Thats all I have to say about this. Thats it. This one topic that I have with you is now close do not answer back. Thank you.

Quoting:


Well, Alicia, I'm assuming you are still in school, still live at home, not a tax payer, not a home owner, not working a full time job, not supporting a family, I could go on.

My point is:  maybe, or should I say hopefully when you do become an adult and have to take on adult responsibilities such as paying taxes, holding a full time job, buying a home, supporting a family, etc. you will care about the issues associated with government and will realize the importance of voting.


Uh, ok, I guess.  Boring?  How could you know if its boring if you are too young to even do it?



Folks, if Alicia14 is any indication of the mindset of the future voters of America, God help us all!




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I said what I said you can't nag at me for not voting and or not wanting to vote.

Quoting:
Well, Alicia, I couldn't wait until I turned 18 so I could vote!
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Hey Don, we can't force her to vote...nobody can.  That's as much her right as actually voting.  Too bad, really.

Quoting:


The Green Party failed to get 5% this time.  
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Quoting:
It's about the same for Libertarians in our state. (The Our Party failed to get a single vote.) I voted for Lib Andrew Horning in the 7th District Congressional race to protest the dirty politics of the loser Brose McVey (actually "helped" by Marion County Sheriff's candidate Tom Schneider, who also lost) and the incompetence of the incumbent Julia Carson. He only got 3% of the vote. I admit it was a wasted vote, and I'd do it again, just as I did in 2000. :P

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There's no such thing as a wasted vote.  The third party candidates in Minnesota have brayed the "There's no difference between Democrats and Republican" line this year at every opportunity.  The problem is they haven't put that energy into defining what's their own party is about.
The scary thing is that a charismatic third-party candidate, like a Ross Perot or a Jesse Ventura, has a disproportionate impact on elections.  Perot is completely unqualified for elective office, and Jesse won because he's articulate and charismatic.  Senators and representatives loath him, so the state has undergone four years of gridlock.  
Personally, I don't see the pressing need for a third party.  

Quoting:


There's no such thing as a wasted vote.  The third party candidates in Minnesota have brayed the "There's no difference between Democrats and Republican" line this year at every opportunity.  The problem is they haven't put that energy into defining what's their own party is about.
The scary thing is that a charismatic third-party candidate, like a Ross Perot or a Jesse Ventura, has a disproportionate impact on elections.  Perot is completely unqualified for elective office, and Jesse won because he's articulate and charismatic.  Senators and representatives loath him, so the state has undergone four years of gridlock.  
Personally, I don't see the pressing need for a third party.  
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Quoting:
Hey Steve, you got me thinking on your opinion that there is not a need for 3rd party.  Of course you know that there is many parties, just the Independant is the only one to get much press besides the biggies.  I'm curious towards your thoughts though since your state has really the only one that has had a succesful bid towards filling a major seat with independant party.  It's to bad it was someone who made a buffoon out of himself so quickly.

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My opinion?  I think Venura's a great communicator.  I don't know about you, Race, but I get really tired of listening to politicians hitting their marks every time they speak.  It's like they won't say anything their handlers don't tell them to say.  

Jesse ran against a couple of politicians in 1998.  Hubert Humphrey III and Norm Coleman.  Humphrey and Coleman are slick politicians, but Ventura isn't someone a handler can handle.  He was refreshing, big time.  He pulled a ton of people to the polls.

This year Tim Penny was running for governor as the Independence candidate.  I voted for him, and he came in a distance third.  Penny was the best candidate out there, leagues better than any of them, but he has the charisma of a lump of clay.  And he sounds like a politician, so his drone wasn't much different than a Republican or a Democrat drone.  

I don't know.  It seems like the only third party candidates to make a mark are the wackos like Ventura and Perot... mainly cause they make good quotes.  

Quoting:


My opinion?  I think Venura's a great communicator.  I don't know about you, Race, but I get really tired of listening to politicians hitting their marks every time they speak.  It's like they won't say anything their handlers don't tell them to say.  

Jesse ran against a couple of politicians in 1998.  Hubert Humphrey III and Norm Coleman.  Humphrey and Coleman are slick politicians, but Ventura isn't someone a handler can handle.  He was refreshing, big time.  He pulled a ton of people to the polls.

This year Tim Penny was running for governor as the Independence candidate.  I voted for him, and he came in a distance third.  Penny was the best candidate out there, leagues better than any of them, but he has the charisma of a lump of clay.  And he sounds like a politician, so his drone wasn't much different than a Republican or a Democrat drone.  

I don't know.  It seems like the only third party candidates to make a mark are the wackos like Ventura and Perot... mainly cause they make good quotes.  
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Quoting:
Yes, career politicians can be an ugly choice, not all are bad and I think it would be a great thing to limit terms, we as voters have that choice every election by voting them out.


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This is true as long as you have an informed electorate. However, a vast majority of voters don't understand the issues and don't make an effort to understand them, they simply vote for the incumbent because the name is familiar.

Quoting:


This is true as long as you have an informed electorate. However, a vast majority of voters don't understand the issues and don't make an effort to understand them, they simply vote for the incumbent because the name is familiar.
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We have a perfect example of that here in Utah.  His name is Orrin Hatch.  When he first ran almost 30 yrs ago his platform was that the previous senator had been in too long.  Term Limits.  He seems to have conveniently forgotten that.  People here just vote for him because they know his name.  It drives me nuts.

Quoting:


We have a perfect example of that here in Utah.  His name is Orrin Hatch.  When he first ran almost 30 yrs ago his platform was that the previous senator had been in too long.  Term Limits.  He seems to have conveniently forgotten that.  People here just vote for him because they know his name.  It drives me nuts.
End Quote

It's the same with Teddy "Killer" Kennedy out in Mass. >:(

Quoting:



 That to me is scary.  I hope that her view is not how most kids her age see it now and when they can vote.  

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Sorry but after just reading this part I have to tell you a lot of people at my school think this way, hope your not mad are you? I like doing this...you know arguing in what you believe and we are handling it quit well and not fighting this time. don't you think that is good? and sorry for being scary but thats just my nature  :P

Quoting:
What do you guys thinks about this one?

http://www.fairvote.org/turnout/psa.rm
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Quoting:
I stand corrected.  Voter turnout has slowly, but steadily, been declining.  Here's a breakdown of the percent turnout of voting age population for presidential elections from 1960 to 1996:


1960 -- 63.06%
1964 -- 61.92%
1968 -- 60.84%
1972 -- 55.21%
1976 -- 53.55%
1980 -- 52.56%
1984 -- 53.11%
1988 -- 50.11%
1992 -- 55.09%
1996 -- 49.08%
End Quote

Quoting:

Sorry but after just reading this part I have to tell you a lot of people at my school think this way, hope your not mad are you? I like doing this...you know arguing in what you believe and we are handling it quit well and not fighting this time. don't you think that is good? and sorry for being scary but thats just my nature  :P

End Quote

Nothing wrong with that...if everyone agreed one things then this wouldn't be as interesting a world as it is...then again it would prevent a lot of wars and bad sh*t from happening.  I like it just the way it is (minus the suicide bombers, of course).  Stay strong in what you believe in, but always remain open-minded.

Did one of you guys mention internet voting?  I think that's a horrible idea.  The opportunity to fake a vote is just too great.  Besides, it's ONE day every two years that you have to trudge out to the polls, are we really getting so lazy that we can't do this?  This is why I think Election Day should be a national holiday so people stop their excuses.

Quoting:  I'd like to be able to vote over the internet.      End Quote

Sounds great in theory, but its has "potential voter fraud" written all over it.

I've thought this for years, but I don't expect it to ever happen.

Quoting:


Sounds great in theory, but its has "potential voter fraud" written all over it.

I've thought this for years, but I don't expect it to ever happen.
End Quote

Quoting:
Thanks for the support with the internet thing :)


End Quote

Quoting:
For the sake of argument, there are potential voter fraud issues with absentee balloting, too, but every state has absentee balloting in one form or another.  

I predict we'll have internet voting, in one form or another, by 2010.
End Quote

Quoting:
Like I said, I'd like to vote over the internet, but I sure don't have to.  The polling place is only a half-block away from me, and even this year, with a 70% voter turnout in our precinct, having to register as a  new resident, and the confusion with the Senate ballot, I was in and out in a half-hour.  

I think we'll have internet voter because the powers that be want to increase participation, but I don't think people aren't voting because it's inconvenient.
End Quote

Quoting:
No excuse for me not to vote either, I could throw a rock and hat my last two voting places, I do try to refrain from doing so though, one is a church and the other a retirement home.

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Heeheehee..... good one, Race  ;D

Quoting:
I stand corrected.  Voter turnout has slowly, but steadily, been declining.  Here's a breakdown of the percent turnout of voting age population for presidential elections from 1960 to 1996:


1960 -- 63.06%
1964 -- 61.92%
1968 -- 60.84%
1972 -- 55.21%
1976 -- 53.55%
1980 -- 52.56%
1984 -- 53.11%
1988 -- 50.11%
1992 -- 55.09%
1996 -- 49.08%
End Quote