What are you thinking? (Part 2)
- Thread starter Romero
- Start date
La Femme Fatale
The Queen
Same here with the Canadian elections. I can't believe Canadians gave a majority government to someone who dissolved Parliament twice, was found in contempt of Parliament for withholding program finances, and refused to answer media questions. Who cares about democracy? Obviously not 40% of Canadians. Ugh.
Angel
I make good toast
Just 46% of voters in the country bothered to drag their backsides out of the house for two minutes to exercise their right to vote. Absolutely shocking. And you can bet the 54% who couldn't care less about voting will be the most vocal when it comes to complaining how things have panned out.
If you couldn't be bothered to vote, what gives you the right to complain about the choices made by those who could? And the new reform could have been so good but people are just too scared or misinformed to go for it.
If you couldn't be bothered to vote, what gives you the right to complain about the choices made by those who could? And the new reform could have been so good but people are just too scared or misinformed to go for it.
La Femme Fatale
The Queen
EXACTLY. Thank you! I'd even take it further to say that if you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain about anything the government does. Period. It's like - sit down and shut up, you didn't participate in this democracy when yo had the chance to. It's not hard - all you have to do is turn off the porno and spend 20 minutes looking at the party platforms and decide which one works for you. It baffles me as to why so many people just don't give a ****.
Angel
I make good toast
I only started voting in recent years because now I'm attempting to be a grown-up and I have to do grown-up stuff that voting actually affects, it's important. To take it to the extreme, in this country people died so that I, as a female, could even vote at all. It's such an important right that many in other countries would give their right arm for and like with so many privileges we have in the West, we fritter it away as nothing that matters. Well it does matter - I've got kids who are growing up in this country and the choices my generation make will directly affect them. Can I honestly be so selfish as to not care enough to vote about things that can and will change their lives for better or worse?
La Femme Fatale
The Queen
And the thing is, people are sometimes under this impression that their vote won't count. Every vote counts. In Canada, MANY ridings have been lost by only hundreds and in a few circumstances, tens of votes. Not to mention, at least in Canada, they make it SO accessible. My friend said she wasn't going to vote this year because she was registered somewhere else, I was like 'do you know they have registration booths at every station for that very purpose'? Doesn't matter where you are - if you're Canadian get yo azz there. That's my very white attempt at being gangsta.
Angel
I make good toast
In my town there's a polling station pretty much everywhere you turn - there's literally no excuse whatsoever for not turning out, giving your name to the clerk, and sticking a big shaky cross next to the candidates you want.
I mean, I appreciate that the No campaign for the referendum was better run than the Yes, but all people had to do was attempt a little personal research into it and they would have seen the wisdom of the Alternative Voting system. Now we're stuck, once again, with no reform for goodness knows how long. Even worse? The No campaign admitted to making up a bunch of statistics which were central to making people believe the Alternative Vote was a bad idea. I know this sort of thing goes on in politics but on such an important issue, they could have backed off just for once.
And our local elections were just as bad - hardly anyone voted and now we're stuck with the Conservative party who have never done a damn good thing for our area and want to hike up all our taxes and cut all our essential services. I sometimes wonder just how stupid people are...
I mean, I appreciate that the No campaign for the referendum was better run than the Yes, but all people had to do was attempt a little personal research into it and they would have seen the wisdom of the Alternative Voting system. Now we're stuck, once again, with no reform for goodness knows how long. Even worse? The No campaign admitted to making up a bunch of statistics which were central to making people believe the Alternative Vote was a bad idea. I know this sort of thing goes on in politics but on such an important issue, they could have backed off just for once.
And our local elections were just as bad - hardly anyone voted and now we're stuck with the Conservative party who have never done a damn good thing for our area and want to hike up all our taxes and cut all our essential services. I sometimes wonder just how stupid people are...
La Femme Fatale
The Queen
Same deal here. It's the same Conservative government, but this time they have a majority instead of a minority, so there's virtually no checks and balances on what they can do since Parliament has been all but dissolved. And that's scary. Canada is relatively progressive, and now it's going to go so backwards with all the tax cuts to big businesses. And they're getting rid of the gun registry... ugh...
Sorry, I'm not all too familiar with your voting practises, what is this no campaign thing you're talking about?
Sorry, I'm not all too familiar with your voting practises, what is this no campaign thing you're talking about?
LordGolbez
Well-Known Member
Hey At Least You Guys Get Something Done Either Way. Our Local Politics Are Ridiculous. It Has Pretty Much Become A Stalemate And We Have Become The Laughing Stock Of The State Of Virginia.
Rusty
Kickass Stranger
The U.S. Political system is its own worst enemy. It's overbearingly slow, inefficienct, and doesn't always reflect the majority view or even what needs to be done regardless. Other countries show their ignorance when they're thinking we should pull our heads out our asses, but we're showing our age when we shout profanity over the fact that we can't because our government is chronically chaotic and shifting without efficient focus.
Anyway... I was just thinking about Anne Hathaway as the next Catwoman... huh.... I'm not so sure about this one, but Nolan hasn't dissapointed yet so I'll roll with it.
Anyway... I was just thinking about Anne Hathaway as the next Catwoman... huh.... I'm not so sure about this one, but Nolan hasn't dissapointed yet so I'll roll with it.
Springhosen
Kahnum of Outworld
Has it really been confirmed that she'll be Catwoman or is this still just speculation?
Elochai
Tiger Army Never Dies!
Er... Virginia? Where abouts in Va are you talking?
LordGolbez
Well-Known Member
Southwest VA. It's All About School Consolidation Here.
Angel
I make good toast
We were offered the chance to change how elections were done with the Alternative Vote which is currently used by Australia and two other places. At the moment we have what everywhere else has: first past the post. But under the new voting system, a candidate would have had to get 50% of the overall vote to win - currently, they just have to do better than anyone else which can mean the combined votes of other parties would be more than the winner. This means potentially a huge proportion of the country could wind up not getting what they voted for because their votes were for other parties which did not receive enough support. With less than 50% of the country turning out to vote as it is on average, the minority get what they want every time but under the proposed new system, unless the winner gets 50% of the vote straight off, they don't get in just because they have the most votes - there is another round of vote counting whereby all the votes are recounted until a clear winner is found, meaning every choice and every vote actually makes a difference. The full info, for those who are at all interested, can be found HERE
There's more to it than that but basically, the campaign for people to vote YES to this reform was, in truth, poorly handled and the NO campaign was done better. People being what they are just swallowed up one side and voted accordingly which the current excuse for a government took to mean no one wants political reform and therefore they are unlikely to offer it again any time soon, if at all. The benefits of the alternative vote were there to be found if people bothered to take a look but of course no one does these days. There was a lot of scaremongering amongst the NO campaign concerning parties like the British National Party (basically neo-nazis) getting into power under the proposed system but the chances of that actually happening are so ridiculously slim it's not even worth getting into. Even under the current system they get hardly any votes and if the average percentage of voters that turn out at the moment is anything to go by, they're not interested in the BNP's politics anyway.
Sorry, rambling - I'm just really disappointed about how people are so afraid of change and so easily swayed by propaganda that they won't even try to make an effort to think for themselves. The opportunity for major reform in politics should never be taken lightly but it feels like the majority of people just didn't care.
Meg
So bin ich eben
I know I'm kinda butting in, but let me just say this. I'm not registered to vote not because I don't care (except local elections. Honestly, what do those people do anyway?), but because I don't see the point in voting if I like none of the candidates. Unfortunately, there has yet to be a candidate for any election that I sincerely liked. I figure there's no sense in registering if chances are I'm not gonna vote anyway. Of course if someone comes along that I do really like then I will most certainly register. ^^
However, while I still don't complain to much about what the gov does I still think even people who don't vote have the right to whine and complain about something. Although, just because its your "right" doesn't me you should do it.
Oh yeah. I was also to young to vote for the 2008 elections. XD
Mr Sunshine
Well-Known Member
I see were you're coming from. Seeing how the two major parties have ****ed up here in the last twenty years and that all the minor parties do is to complain about everything in order to get more votes there's noone that I like too much.
Now, I could vote the one that I believe that he is the least bad, but that's only what I believe. Because, I don't think i have access to enough information in order to make a proper decision. I mean they never keep the promises of their election campaigns and what they say in their speaches is never the truth. I'm sure that in the end i'll regret my vote just like my parents did in the last national elections! *Evil Smile*
For this my vote is blank most of the time. I know that practically it is the same with not going to vote at all, but ideologically there's a difference for me. They can both be interpreted as "I don't support anyone", but not voting at all can be also interpreted as "I don't care at all".
Meg
So bin ich eben
That's a good point actually. I think I might vote for the next election for state governor because our current one hates education, but I want to wait until it gets closer to the time. I want to know who's running against him first. I just want to make sure if I register its because I'm actually gonna vote. I don't want to risk jury duty for the sake of being able to vote, but not doing it. XD
CT: Well. I made myself look like a fool today.
Rusty
Kickass Stranger
It's been confirmed. Type in Hathaway and Catwoman on Google. You're bound to find numerous sources covering this. Tom Hardy will also be in the movie as Bane. That'll be interesting for sure. I still wish the Catwoman role was swapped out for the Phantasm though... that'd have been much better I think. Catwoman is a worn out character in movies. She never actually does anything. The Phantasm was instrumental in Batman's development. Marion Cotillard would've been an amazing Andrea Beaumont. Nolan probably hasn't heard of the Phantasm -most haven't unfortunately. The movie had nothing but positive reviews and it was recieved well, but it never reached the masses. People likely assumed it was just another animated camp action cartoon and never bothered to give it a well-deserved viewing.
La Femme Fatale
The Queen
I know I'm kinda butting in, but let me just say this. I'm not registered to vote not because I don't care (except local elections. Honestly, what do those people do anyway?), but because I don't see the point in voting if I like none of the candidates. Unfortunately, there has yet to be a candidate for any election that I sincerely liked. I figure there's no sense in registering if chances are I'm not gonna vote anyway. Of course if someone comes along that I do really like then I will most certainly register. ^^
However, while I still don't complain to much about what the gov does I still think even people who don't vote have the right to whine and complain about something. Although, just because its your "right" doesn't me you should do it.
Oh yeah. I was also to young to vote for the 2008 elections. XD
Well, Fallen has already explained what would have been my primary rebuttal to this. I haven't liked a single Canadian politician since Pierre Trudeau. But just not liking the candidates is in my opinion, not a justifiable enough reason NOT to vote. There are other wasy to do it. You mentioned education - what other social, economical issues are important you? For me, it's education and healthcare. We have four major political parties, and there is one party in particular which is far more attentive to these issues than the others. Don't rely solely on the leaders, look at the policies they are proposing, and decide which ones you can get behind. Furthermore, if you really don't like any of the parties, do what Fallen says and spoil the ballot. Spoiled ballots tells officers that you're not in favour of any of the candidates. Not voting says you don't care.
And here's the thing - we are so fortunate to live in countries where WE can choose who we want in government. Unless you're wiping your ass with $100 bills, there's usually only one way in which to directly influence the government - and it's by voting. There are SO many millions of people who don't have this right. Like Angel said, people have died for our right to vote and live in a democracy, and there are millions who are still dying for that right around the world. Don't take that priviledge for granted. I understand not wanting to get a summons, but voting is way too important.
Besides, it's not difficult to talk your way out of jury duty if you really need to.