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Post by BigPapaJoe on Feb 6, 2016 4:16:46 GMT -5
I listen to a lot of public radio and the elections are a hot topic right now. I tune in and out mentally, but overall I'm still indifferent about it all. Never got into politics. Honestly I don't know much about how our own government structure works other than the basics. And I don't vote. I just never saw huge changes in the USA effect my life dramatically. Growing up I still woke up in poverty. And it's always either Republican or Democrat in this country. No other party ever has a chance of winning. Sometimes I do wonder if this is all one big dog and pony show every four years that really just amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Of course I don't want someone like Donald Trump as president so maybe I should vote. But really, that's more so because it seems like an uncivilized asshole. I'm about to leave the country anyways, so I won't be around as much. However I'm almost 30 and I still don't find the appeal to invest my time into getting involved in regards to all of the local, state, and national problems that effect the country for me to care enough on who "promises" to be the next great leader for the country. So, do you folks vote? And if you've been doing it for years has it greatly changed your life in any significant way? Also do you feel like the people you actually voted for truly have your best interests at heart?
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Post by Cei-U! on Feb 6, 2016 8:34:52 GMT -5
I have never missed an election since I first became eligible in '76. Every vote counts, especially at the local level. I was proud to help Washington State legalize marijuana and gay marriage, which couldn't have happened without all us libruls getting off our asses and making our voices heard. This will probably be the most important election of our lifetimes, on a par with 1860 and 1932 in determining what kind of nation we're going to be. Even if you never vote again, Papa, I urge you to register and do so this year. And don't just for prez. Vote for a Democrat in every race at every level and, if there's a choice between Dems, vote for the one who leans farthest left. America as we know it won't survive if the extreme right gets control of all three branches.
Cei-U!
Here endeth the sales pitch!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 8:56:18 GMT -5
Mr Jez is half-American and we have family in the States. And the State is a Republican stronghold...sorry Cei-U  Maybe I should be on a comic board that's run over by GOP...  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 8:59:05 GMT -5
I listen to a lot of public radio and the elections are a hot topic right now. I tune in and out mentally, but overall I'm still indifferent about it all. Never got into politics. Honestly I don't know much about how our own government structure works other than the basics. And I don't vote. I just never saw huge changes in the USA effect my life dramatically. Growing up I still woke up in poverty. And it's always either Republican or Democrat in this country. No other party ever has a chance of winning. Sometimes I do wonder if this is all one big dog and pony show every four years that really just amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Of course I don't want someone like Donald Trump as president so maybe I should vote. But really, that's more so because it seems like an uncivilized asshole. I'm about to leave the country anyways, so I won't be around as much. However I'm almost 30 and I still don't find the appeal to invest my time into getting involved in regards to all of the local, state, and national problems that effect the country for me to care enough on who "promises" to be the next great leader for the country. So, do you folks vote? And if you've been doing it for years has it greatly changed your life in any significant way? Also do you feel like the people you actually voted for truly have your best interests at heart? You should probably at least give a little bit of a sh!t. At least vote locally.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 9:02:40 GMT -5
I have never missed an election since I first became eligible in '76. Every vote counts, especially at the local level. I was proud to help Washington State legalize marijuana and gay marriage, which couldn't have happened without all us libruls getting off our asses and making our voices heard. This will probably be the most important election of our lifetimes, on a par with 1860 and 1932 in determining what kind of nation we're going to be. Even if you never vote again, Papa, I urge you to register and do so this year. And don't just for prez. Vote for a Democrat in every race at every level and, if there's a choice between Dems, vote for the one who leans farthest left. America as we know it won't survive if the extreme right gets control of all three branches. Cei-U! Here endeth the sales pitch! This. Plus, the republicans are SOOO damn extreme. It scares the piss out of me. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 9:04:57 GMT -5
This. Plus, the republicans are SOOO damn extreme. It scares the piss out of me. Finally we have something to lock horns over....grrrrrrr....... LOL... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 9:24:04 GMT -5
This. Plus, the republicans are SOOO damn extreme. It scares the piss out of me. Finally we have something to lock horns over....grrrrrrr....... LOL... hahaha! This is why I don't normally participate in political threads/conversations. Sorry, Jez. I grew up in house with a father who was a union welder for Illinois Central railroad (now Canadian National RR) who worked mainly on the southside of Chicago. There were two things that we did not talk about in my house when I was growing up: Republicans and The Cubs. I remember, when I was a little girl in the early 80s, I'd ask my dad who he voted for. My dad would never come out and directly say who he voted for, but his answer was "Well, it wasn't Ronald Reagan!". So, I got my answer. And, if you ask my dad, to this day, he will let you know that everything bad can be blamed on Ronald Reagan. LOL. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 6, 2016 10:05:44 GMT -5
I have never missed an election since I first became eligible in '76. Every vote counts, especially at the local level. I was proud to help Washington State legalize marijuana and gay marriage, which couldn't have happened without all us libruls getting off our asses and making our voices heard. This will probably be the most important election of our lifetimes, on a par with 1860 and 1932 in determining what kind of nation we're going to be. Even if you never vote again, Papa, I urge you to register and do so this year. And don't just for prez. Vote for a Democrat in every race at every level and, if there's a choice between Dems, vote for the one who leans farthest left. America as we know it won't survive if the extreme right gets control of all three branches. Cei-U! Here endeth the sales pitch! This. Plus, the republicans are SOOO damn extreme. It scares the piss out of me. That's what scary about the current election. It's fully expected that people will have different views on how a country should be run, and in the US Democrats and Republicans have for the past few decades been leaning a little more to the left of a little more to the right, with one generally more favourable to a bigger role for the state, and the other less so. I don't share the Tea Party's wholesale hatred of the government, but I find the general principle of a smaller and less intrusive state somewhat appealing; surely there is a way, by arguing back and forth, to finally strike a balance that will satisfy a majority of the people. But in recent years that's not the kind of healthy discourse we've seen. I'd like to say that both parties got more extreme, but it is just not so: the Democrats are still a left-leaning conservative group (Bernie notwithstanding, there is no way that party can be called socialist!) while the Republicans... Well, the Republicans currently are entertaining the idea of electing candidates who are openly spouting xenophobic nonsense, who are demanding the end of free choice, who are openly creationist, who refuse to accept the findings of science regarding climate change, who don't care if American citizens end up with no medical coverage at all, who find it acceptable for citizens to be gunned down every week and who seriously believe that it is possible to get rid of terrorism by indiscriminately bombing third world nations. With apologies to the party that gave the country presidents like Eisenhower, the current batch of candidates might as well change the name of its party to "party of evil, ignorance and greed". We're not talking about John McCain or George Bush Sr., here: we're talking about people whose ideology and refusal to understand the real world would make them a threat to the future of the country and of the entire planet (because let's face it: when the US sneeze, the entire world catches a cold). An extreme ideology is always a bad idea, whether it be on the left or on the right, espacially when it uses utterly asinine slogans like "make America great again" or words to that effect. America is great. Unemployment is down. People have better access to medical care. If there are problems that need addressing right now, I'd say that they are the hold Wall Street and Big Lobbies have on the political process, as well as the looming ecological crisis threatening our future, and in both cases the Republicans are very unlikely to be on the right side of the issues. Voters, beware! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 10:10:04 GMT -5
I don't share in the Republican doom and gloom warnings....sorry. Anyone else? I feel so goddamn alone here.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 10:12:09 GMT -5
This. Plus, the republicans are SOOO damn extreme. It scares the piss out of me. That's what scary about the current election. It's fully expected that people will have different views on how a country should be run, and in the US Democrats and Republicans have for the past few decades been leaning a little more to the left of a little more to the right, with one generally more favourable to a bigger role for the state, and the other less so. I don't share the Tea Party's wholesale hatred of the government, but I find the general principle of a smaller and less intrusive state somewhat appealing; surely there is a way, by arguing back and forth, to finally strike a balance that will satisfy a majority of the people. But in recent years that's not the kind of healthy discourse we've seen. I'd like to say that both parties got more extreme, but it is just not so: the Democrats are still a left-leaning conservative group (Bernie notwithstanding, there is no way that party can be called socialist!) while the Republicans... Well, the Republicans currently are entertaining the idea of electing candidates who are openly spouting xenophobic nonsense, who are demanding the end of free choice, who are openly creationist, who refuse to accept the findings of science regarding climate change, who don't care if American citizens end up with no medical coverage at all, who find it acceptable for citizens to be gunned down every week and who seriously believe that it is possible to get rid of terrorism by indiscriminately bombing third world nations. With apologies to the party that gave the country presidents like Eisenhower, the current batch of candidates might as well change the name of its party to "party of evil, ignorance and greed". We're not talking about John McCain or George Bush Sr., here: we're talking about people whose ideology and refusal to understand the real world would make them a threat to the future of the country and of the entire planet (because let's face it: when the US sneeze, the entire world catches a cold). An extreme ideology is always a bad idea, whether it be on the left or on the right, espacially when it uses utterly asinine slogans like "make America great again" or words to that effect. America is great. Unemployment is down. People have better access to medical care. If there are problems that need addressing right now, I'd say that they are the hold Wall Street and Big Lobbies have on the political process, as well as the looming ecological crisis threatening our future, and in both cases the Republicans are very unlikely to be on the right side of the issues. Voters, beware! Well! There's my panic attack for the morning. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 10:14:42 GMT -5
I don't share in the Republican doom and gloom warnings....sorry. Anyone else? I feel so goddamn alone here. I do. Because I see it. With my own eyes. Everyday. It's sooooo close to home. And the scary thing is, I'm just a hop, jump, and a skip away from Chicago. I shouldn't be SEEING this sh!t here. But I do. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 10:46:16 GMT -5
Where I live - I vote by Absentee Ballot(s) and on an average of once a year - I get a ballot that has only 1 item and most of the people vote on direction "Yes" means better schools, services, and what not ... and the sad thing is that I ended up throwing it away because I don't want to bother mailing it and even drive 7 miles to the nearest box that offers free postage. I vote about 75% percent of the time and that's how I see it.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Feb 6, 2016 11:02:38 GMT -5
I listen to a lot of public radio and the elections are a hot topic right now. I tune in and out mentally, but overall I'm still indifferent about it all. Never got into politics. Honestly I don't know much about how our own government structure works other than the basics. And I don't vote. I just never saw huge changes in the USA effect my life dramatically. Growing up I still woke up in poverty. And it's always either Republican or Democrat in this country. No other party ever has a chance of winning. Sometimes I do wonder if this is all one big dog and pony show every four years that really just amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. Of course I don't want someone like Donald Trump as president so maybe I should vote. But really, that's more so because it seems like an uncivilized asshole. I'm about to leave the country anyways, so I won't be around as much. However I'm almost 30 and I still don't find the appeal to invest my time into getting involved in regards to all of the local, state, and national problems that effect the country for me to care enough on who "promises" to be the next great leader for the country. So, do you folks vote? And if you've been doing it for years has it greatly changed your life in any significant way? Also do you feel like the people you actually voted for truly have your best interests at heart? I do vote. I'm the Republican nightmare. I read and watch the news and form my own opinions. I've voted in every presidential election since I was old enough in 1980, and always Democrat. None of the GOP ever came close to my needs or preferences. I don't know that the ones I've voted for always had me and my family's best interests at heart, but because I helped elect Obama, the economy has improved, unemployment is down, and all of my household has health insurance where only half could afford it before. So, yes, as they say in Chicago, Vote Early and Vote Often. |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Feb 6, 2016 11:06:38 GMT -5
Finally we have something to lock horns over....grrrrrrr....... LOL... hahaha! This is why I don't normally participate in political threads/conversations. Sorry, Jez. I grew up in house with a father who was a union welder for Illinois Central railroad (now Canadian National RR) who worked mainly on the southside of Chicago. There were two things that we did not talk about in my house when I was growing up: Republicans and The Cubs. I remember, when I was a little girl in the early 80s, I'd ask my dad who he voted for. My dad would never come out and directly say who he voted for, but his answer was "Well, it wasn't Ronald Reagan!". So, I got my answer. And, if you ask my dad, to this day, he will let you know that everything bad can be blamed on Ronald Reagan. LOL. Clearly your father was a wise man. I lived through the Reagan years and will never understand the deification of the guy. And he didn't win the Cold War. He outspent the USSR on military until they went broke trying to keep up. He even joked once when he thought his microphone was off about nuking Moscow. Yeah, he's a great president. Right. |
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Post by spoon on Feb 6, 2016 11:25:46 GMT -5
I think it would be great if more people who are turned off by politics to vote and get involved in other ways. We have a vicious cycle in which failure to vote exacerbates the conditions that make people disenchanted with politics. A lot of extremists and nutcases are the most dedicated voters who turn out for every minor race. That has repercussions for the big elections.
Take Pennsylvania for example. Pennsylvania has gone for the Democrat in the last 6 Presidential elections (1992 to present). However, right now, in the House of Representatives, Pennsylvania has 13 Republicans reps and 5 Democratic reps. How can that be? In recent years, partisan control of the Congressional delegation has swung due to redistricting. In Pennsylvania, the General Assembly controls drawing Congressional districts. Because not enough Democrats vote for the state legislature, Republicans control it and they get to draw up the Congressional districts to their advantage. They know the partisan distribution of voters geographically, so they essentially rig the process. Voters don't choose their representatives. Elected officials choose their voters.
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