[worry]

Well, Dems are open about their beliefs, and Reps do consistently claim fraud as the excuse, but generally emphasize it's in a purely non-political way -- this serves democracy, protects legal voters, etc. -- meanwhile the actual stats on voter fraud are 0.0004% of votes cast, while these measures to curb that daunting figure disenfranchise thousands of legal voters. Point being, it's certainly not lost on Dems that these efforts are blatantly partisan, you're right about that, but it's rare for a Republican (politician) to state it outright.

[Terez]

To hear most of them tell it, they're not convinced the statistics are accurate. Many are convinced that we take busloads of black people to every precinct in the county on election day.

[McLovin]

And the final nail in Mitt Romney's coffin is driven in by...John Roberts???

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

[Tapper]

Ceda Cicero, on 29 May 2012 - 04:20 PM, said:

Only slightly on topic, but still exceedingly true:

http://www.guardian....ome-us-election

[Brujah]

Aptorius, on 21 February 2012 - 07:27 AM, said:

H.D., on 21 February 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Well, first of all don't pull the "nobody good enough to vote for so I'll sit home" crap that people think is a viable reason. Find a candidate that you can live with and vote for them. They won't have all your beliefs but find the one closest to do them. Picking the person who'll do less harm is not an optimistic reason, but it's a pragmatic one.

And isn't that just a horrible way to run a society?

Here in Denmark we have... 9? or so parties to chose between and I still don't want to vote for a single one of them. I hate the idea that you have to compromise your own idea of standards and morals to vote for the least awful party.

Out of the last 3 elections I've voted blank twice. This last time, because I was so overwhelmingly fed up with the right, I voted for the most aggressively socialist party I could pick just because I wanted the left to win this election. And they did! Then they made an alliance with one of the parties from the right and went back on every single major promise that I supported them for. Fuck them to what every circle of hell lying politicians go to when they die.

I would like a voting option besides Blank that states "I am too disgusted with the current political system to take part in it".

Pick a candidate you can live with? I don't think I could live with myself if I did.

Party Politics is the root of our problem in the states. They make it extremely hard for anyone outside of the 'powers that be' to get anyone elected. They dangle two bad choices in our face each term and say, "Look, democracy."
It's two sides of the same corrupt coin.
Combine party politics of today, party politics that even Thomas Jefferson warned us about over 200 fn years ago, with Corporate Greed and their consolidation of power through money contributions, and the buying of laws and you have our shit excuse for what use to be a government of Capitalism, but is now a Dollaracracy. Huge companies commanding too much power and influence that Re too big to fail.
Constant, or at least cyclical change, is needed. But what happens when the sick, corrupt policy makers gain so much power that nothing is able to remove them or their greedy structure. Take for example the average group of politicians and lawmakers who pass laws and business guidelines that favor one company over all the others, even if THAT company is going to sell to the consumers their NEEDED product or service but at ridiculous prices that, now that the new laws are in place, have no competition. And when someone catches wind of these politicians and lawmakers actions, they aren't reelected. So what. They never planned on reelection. They all now have jobs on the board of directors at the very company they helped prop up and funnel funds to. This of course has hAppened already with large pharmaceutical companies.

Don't even get me started on Big Oil. We put a man on the moon 40+ years ago with computers that have less computing power than my alarm clock, but we can't build a car that will last of get more than 30 or 40 mpg.(miles per gallon - kms per litre in Europe I would guess). We can build cars that get 100 MPG or cars that run off water and solar power, but Big Oil won't allow it.

True Health Care? True Health Care is the fact that we could institute a universal health care system where every citizen paid an extremely low amount per year, and this money went into a pool earning interest and went towards paying all health cFs costs for everyone. They say this won't work by stating the potential for abuse from false claims and say how the care we received would be poor. Yet Canada and half of Europe have already solved these problems. Canadians buy EXTRA healthcare packets when they travel here for prolonged visits because our system pales in comparison.

I'm quite unhappy with the bulk of our system. The United States. Rome II.

I'll stop my rant there. Apologies for horrible spelling, typos, grammar, etc.
Posting from phone.

[Nicodimas]

Quote

If Congress can constitutionally create a mandate for individuals to purchase healthcare, then Congress can create a mandate for individuals to purchase financial securities. Which — given the fiscal cliff that we are about to run off, and the reality that more and more sovereigns are dumping dollars and treasuries — could well be a useful weapon in keeping the Treasury’s borrowing costs low and the bread and circuses flowing.

One day, Atlas may shrug. Until that day, Congress just acquired a powerful new funding tool.

Sleep well.

[HoosierDaddy]

I'll sleep tight knowing I can afford healthcare.

[Shinrei]

Daily show did a good job.

Attached File(s)

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[amphibian]

Nicodimas, on 29 June 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

Quote

If Congress can constitutionally create a mandate for individuals to purchase healthcare, then Congress can create a mandate for individuals to purchase financial securities. Which — given the fiscal cliff that we are about to run off, and the reality that more and more sovereigns are dumping dollars and treasuries — could well be a useful weapon in keeping the Treasury’s borrowing costs low and the bread and circuses flowing.

One day, Atlas may shrug. Until that day, Congress just acquired a powerful new funding tool.

Sleep well.

Do you own a car and thus have car insurance?

[Z'ress]

we all need to remember its a multi party system. lets vote green.

[worry]

Nah. I'd sooner avoid the apocalypse all together, rather than simply watch it happen and be able to say "I told you so."

[Primateus]

Shinrei, on 16 May 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

If 3rd parties were allowed,

Are they "not" allowed? A third party in the US would be illegal? What the hell kind of democracy are you?

[Obdigore]

Primateus, on 04 July 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Shinrei, on 16 May 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

If 3rd parties were allowed,

Are they "not" allowed? A third party in the US would be illegal? What the hell kind of democracy are you?

It is a Representative Democracy with an Electoral College and idiotic state laws that indicate that all electoral votes must go to whichever candidate gets the most in the state.

[Primateus]

Obdigore, on 05 July 2012 - 04:14 AM, said:

Primateus, on 04 July 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Shinrei, on 16 May 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

If 3rd parties were allowed,

Are they "not" allowed? A third party in the US would be illegal? What the hell kind of democracy are you?

It is a Representative Democracy with an Electoral College and idiotic state laws that indicate that all electoral votes must go to whichever candidate gets the most in the state.

Well yeah, I knew that. But how would that go about outlawing a third party?

[Terez]

Primateus, on 05 July 2012 - 07:47 AM, said:

Obdigore, on 05 July 2012 - 04:14 AM, said:

Primateus, on 04 July 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Shinrei, on 16 May 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

If 3rd parties were allowed,

Are they "not" allowed? A third party in the US would be illegal? What the hell kind of democracy are you?

It is a Representative Democracy with an Electoral College and idiotic state laws that indicate that all electoral votes must go to whichever candidate gets the most in the state.

Well yeah, I knew that. But how would that go about outlawing a third party?

Effectively.

[Obdigore]

Third Parties are not outlawed. Theoretically.

Good luck getting anything like needed number of votes to win a state, much less numerous states. You would also need a ton of money and corporate backing to beat the current parties, and if you got that you would end up just like them.

[worry]

The eminently wonderful Senator Bernie Sanders is an independent (democratic socialist) though. Likewise, the eminently despicable Joe Lieberman is an independent. But that might suggest even generic "independent" is more likely to succeed than an actual third party.

[Obdigore]

I'm sorry, I thought we were talking about the Presidential Election, not Congress?

[worry]

I'm addressing third party viability in general, as a contrast (and precursor) to presidential elections. Further info for Primaetus, not back and forth with you. Those two independents are currently the only two non-Dems/Reps in either chamber of congress, and neither technically belongs to a third party.

This post has been edited by worrywort: 05 July 2012 - 10:40 AM

[Primateus]

So a potential third party is "barred" on mere economic grounds then? Seeing as how it looks like it requires more and more funds to run for office each time you have an election?