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Thread: I'm so sick of political ads!!!!!

  1. #21
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Here's an analogy that might sound like misguided reasoning, but bear with me.

    Way back when, after The Population Bomb was popular,I was talking with a friend about people who limit families for environmental reasons. She said something along the lines of "People with a social conscience are exactly the people who SHOULD have more kids." Yes, that's faulty logic, but...

    Maybe people who don't vote because of angst over the current system are exactly the ones who SHOULD vote.

    Just sayin'. Consider Kant's Universal Law.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
    www.silententry.wordpress.com

  2. #22
    Williamsmith
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    Terry and Catherine,

    I don’t think it’s either appropriate or useful to try to shame people into voting. What if a voter finds all his/her choices objectionable? What makes a person who is completely uniformed but goes to the polls and votes ignorantly better than a conscientious non voter? Or how about a spouse or SO accompanying another to the polls and on the way there says, “Okay, so who are we voting for?” Oh yeah, it happens doesn’t it?

    The right to abstain from voting should not carry with it a scarlet letter. You have a right to bear arms! Many people have fought and died for that right, yet I do not expect you to have a concealed carry permit and carry a gun with which to protect me and my family should a nut pull out a gun at the grocery. That’s because it is a right, not a duty. You may opt to not exercise that right without being called out for it. Oprah was wrong for shaming people who do not vote.

    Perhaps you would be in favor of a law requiring that every citizen vote no matter how ignorant, uneducated, disinterested they are or objectionable they think the system is? Isn’t abstaining from voting a free speech action?

    Its perfectly fine to have your own convictions. But I’m not throwing my vote away. Nobody can take my vote. It is mine to cast....or not as I choose.

  3. #23
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    Definitely not in favor of making voting mandatory. Australia does this and I think it’s a very bad idea. Oprah’s speech was inspiring. I don’t think she was shaming people but rather encouraging them. Yes it is your right to cast or not.

  4. #24
    Williamsmith
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    Definitely not in favor of making voting mandatory. Australia does this and I think it’s a very bad idea. Oprah’s speech was inspiring. I don’t think she was shaming people but rather encouraging them. Yes it is your right to cast or not.
    Terry, all you have to do is listen to the first 16 seconds......To paraphrase....”anyone who has an ancestor who didn’t have the right to vote and does not vote is dishonoring their family.”


  5. #25
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Williamsmith View Post
    Terry, all you have to do is listen to the first 16 seconds......
    What's the significance of the phrase "women people"?
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

  6. #26
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    I didn’t see the first part of her speech so missed that but I agree. When my 89 yo mom was dying from cancer she went to vote with her walker that had a seat so she could rest while she voted. So it’s pretty important in my family.

  7. #27
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Williamsmith, feel shamed or branded if you choose to. I'm simply stating my opinion, as others here state theirs.

    Many years ago I read a comment that resonated deeply with me: "Democracy quits working when the citizens quit working at it. Then they become subjects."

    Voting is a critical element of how our republic runs, whether one calls it a "right" or "duty" or a "PITA". The choices stink? There must be one candidate you feel better represents you and your interests better than another candidate. Feel your vote is fungible because of the Electoral College or Citizens United or because two parties much like each other pretty much run the show in the U.S.? Understandable. There's plenty I don't like in our current political system (that goes well beyond individuals and party platforms). Certainly someone who has considered this course of action has pondered just why they believe the system is broken.

    But I believe citizens have a responsibility to participate in improving how things work for all of us. No, it's not a Constitutionally-delineated right or responsibility. Lots of things people do to make things better are not spelled out anywhere. In my opinion, opting out of voting in the belief it will make a provocative statement on the current political climate won't be any more visible to the process than the statement someone else will make by choosing to stay home and watch reruns on TV rather than vote. If your intent is to make voting more meaningful, I don't believe abandoning the process registers as working to improve it. Again, my opinion.


    Just as an aside, we're out of town this weekend, so I may not be able to participate on this board again till Monday. Not ignoring anyone...
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  8. #28
    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    Definitely not in favor of making voting mandatory. Australia does this and I think it’s a very bad idea. Oprah’s speech was inspiring. I don’t think she was shaming people but rather encouraging them. Yes it is your right to cast or not.
    After reading both your and WS's comments I'm interested in why you thing mandatory voting is a bad thing. I haven't spent any time thinking about it but honestly I'd rather have everyone express their opinion than the current alternative where the republicans try to make it tough for people to vote if tehy are likely to vote the "wrong" way. Neither alternative is ideal but one is certainly better than the other.

  9. #29
    Senior Member flowerseverywhere's Avatar
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    I love all the energy I am seeing from young voters. The Parkland high school activists are doing a great job, and all over the country early voting is very high. I have always voted and I hope this early introduction will spur the young to become more involved and continue to vote in every election. Despite its flaws, the more people that go to the polls, the better and more representative our officials are.

  10. #30
    Senior Member Tradd's Avatar
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    The ads here in IL are awful and constant, especially with a hard fought race for governor and atty general. When I watxh the evening news on WGN, I think all I see are political ads. Same on the radio. I’ve taken up NPR and BBC Radio (online) just to avoid the ads. Can’t even watch a YouTube video without the political ads!

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