Why Vote ?

But yous are the one tellings people to shuts up, maybes you should relaxes.
Relaxed professor, maybees yous ones of thoses whos donts votes, yets complains abouts everything. Fuh outta hea
 
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Tough.

Support a system you DO like or start your own.

Do you grow your own food too? 

There are more than two candidates and there is more than one stance.

Its not easy. Its not supposed to be. 
there are only two candidates that have a chance of winning though so whats the point? i support enough organizations that dont win (mets, knicks, titans fan) but atleast with sports i can see the results directly.  with politics its the same old corrupt people running the country we just get to choose who we want as the face of the corruption every four years.  that shouldnt be something that people should feel entitled to participate in but people like u wanna make those of us who know how to think for ourselves feel irresponsible for not falling in line and believing everything the media tells us.
More complaining from you.

You don't get what you want so now you get to cry about it.

You're not "thinking for yourself"...you're a complacent sycophant who has been tired by the very process you detest.

By getting you disinterested, you've let them win. Congrats.

You're just throwing your hands up and letting them take victory laps with your complacency.

How does it feel to not even be able to represent yourself? Feels like "thinking for yourself"...right? 

That "thinking for yourself" mentality doesn't do a damn thing if you:

A. still have the same system in place

B. don't try to change the system

C. don't participate in the system to use it against itself.

You have no one to blame for your apathy and fatigue than your own efforts (or lack thereof) to reform the system and fervently pursue the goals you wish to see fulfilled.

You just want to be on the winning team. You don't want to actually have to fight for something. 
 
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Its funny for people who think their votes don't matter that they have no problem bringing light to the money being used in politics.

If votes don't matter, why spend so much to win? 

And don't call it just a "placebo for society" when in fact you all engage in local measures all the time. 

Are there problems with the system? Sure.

But would you rather us resort to using cage-matches again? 

...Or are you all going to grow up and realize that big and difficult problems have big and difficult answers. 

Lets make what we have BETTER.
 
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I dont vote because you dont just vote for the president but also a bunch of other positions and since I dont even know what they are exactly or who is running for them I'm not going to just blindly vote for someone
 
I dont vote because you dont just vote for the president but also a bunch of other positions and since I dont even know what they are exactly or who is running for them I'm not going to just blindly vote for someone
A. You realize local elections are often coupled with national candidates on the ballot, right? So by skipping big elections, you're also giving your LOCAL powers that be the chance to pimp you on measures you didn't get to voice your opinion on. Why do you think Blue Laws are still on the books? Young people don't vote. Its amazing that Atlanta just now got rid of them on things like liquor sales because they had elections that weren't during presidential years but pertained to local elections. 

B. Having a criticism of the electoral college is fine, but this is your time to try and change the notion of how people are elected, not just absolving yourself from the matter as well. Are you saying you NEVER want to have a voice in the matter? Or do you just want to accept things as they are and accept complacency? 

Stop complaining about the system if you're not going to do anything to change it. At that point all you're doing is not only saying that you don't want to change, but also that you're saying you don't ever want to gain the sort of representation you desire.
 
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However...There are some legitimate complaints with the debates that take place in our democracy. They're often planned and executed by back room deals and the participants get softballs to knock out of the park.

Its a sham.

I suggest reading about George Farah's work. He wants to try and make the debates far more open to criticism and less regulated. 

Watch this 



Or just watch these two:



 
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A. You realize local elections are often coupled with national candidates on the ballot, right? So by skipping big elections, you're also giving your LOCAL powers that be the chance to pimp you on measures you didn't get to voice your opinion on. Why do you think Blue Laws are still on the books? Young people don't vote. Its amazing that Atlanta just now got rid of them on things like liquor sales because they had elections that weren't during presidential years but pertained to local elections. 

B. Having a criticism of the electoral college is fine, but this is your time to try and change the notion of how people are elected, not just absolving yourself from the matter as well. Are you saying you NEVER want to have a voice in the matter? Or do you just want to accept things as they are and accept complacency? 

Stop complaining about the system if you're not going to do anything to change it. At that point all you're doing is not only saying that you don't want to change, but also that you're saying you don't ever want to gain the sort of representation you desire.
I wasn't complaining though I just stated why I dont vote
 
A. You realize local elections are often coupled with national candidates on the ballot, right? So by skipping big elections, you're also giving your LOCAL powers that be the chance to pimp you on measures you didn't get to voice your opinion on. Why do you think Blue Laws are still on the books? Young people don't vote. Its amazing that Atlanta just now got rid of them on things like liquor sales because they had elections that weren't during presidential years but pertained to local elections. 

B. Having a criticism of the electoral college is fine, but this is your time to try and change the notion of how people are elected, not just absolving yourself from the matter as well. Are you saying you NEVER want to have a voice in the matter? Or do you just want to accept things as they are and accept complacency? 

Stop complaining about the system if you're not going to do anything to change it. At that point all you're doing is not only saying that you don't want to change, but also that you're saying you don't ever want to gain the sort of representation you desire.
I wasn't complaining though I just stated why I dont vote
So you also don't vote on local measures then. Is that what you're saying?
 
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If you don't vote, don't complain.
I'm not voting because I refuse to choose the better of two evils, therefore I will not complain.
 
If you don't vote, don't complain.
I'm not voting because I refuse to choose the better of two evils, therefore I will not complain.
Are there only two candidates?

Ya'll would rather be on a winning team than try to support something you want at the end of the day. 

I respect those who vote outside of the big two on an ideological level far more than I will those who aren't even aware of lesser candidates. 

By making this statement, you're basically reinforcing the very disdain you have with the original system in the first place. 
 
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iBlink: We share similar sentiments. Agreeable post.

semf: With some very good, appealing questions for non-voters.

I graduated with a Bachelor's in Political Science and understand the voting process thoroughly thanks to all the courses for my major. However, I've recently become jaded with politics. Used to follow the political landscape with more fervor and hope. My viewpoint is that religion and politics are too extreme to be discussed almost anywhere without creating tension or argument.
 
Are there only two candidates?


Ya'll would rather be on a winning team than try to support something you want at the end of the day. 

I respect those who vote outside of the big two on an ideological level far more than I will those who aren't even aware of lesser candidates. 

By making this statement, you're basically reinforcing the very disdain you have with the original system in the first place. 
Lol whut? Of course there are only two candidates. No one outside of the big two has won since the 1800s...
 
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Back in college I was heavily involved in politics even being mocked for it (especially on here) because I was Republican. Since graduating, I've grown to realize that all of it was for nothing seeing that the economy went to the crapper and is still there, people losing their jobs, can't find work, etc.. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will do for me what I can't do for myself.
 
Back in college I was heavily involved in politics even being mocked for it (especially on here) because I was Republican. Since graduating, I've grown to realize that all of it was for nothing seeing that the economy went to the crapper and is still there, people losing their jobs, can't find work, etc.. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will do for me what I can't do for myself.
Thats because POLITICIANS DONT CONTROL THE ECONOMY.

Its one of the things I hate. Politicians love taking credit for something very few of them are responsible for.

They merely create the ENVIRONMENT for creation and change...not the change themselves. 

Its easier to ruin one however, than to improve one. Far, far...FAR easier. 

There have only been three recoveries in the history of the US. You can only merely hope to ride the wave upwards.

This episode of This American Life (theres audio) breaks this down bit by bit:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/435/how-to-create-a-job

Also Mark Cuban posted this thing that I think addresses the problem with politicians and the economy
[h2]The Cure to our Economic Problems[/h2]
Sep 17th 2012 7:34PM

[h2]I  originally wrote this almost 4 years ago. It’s amazing how it still fits.[/h2]
Oct 23rd 2008 7:16PM

I would hate to be the winning Presidential candidate. Both candidates are delusional  in thinking  their economic policies will drag us out of a recession or even improve the economy.  The reality is that the solutions offered by both are the equivalent of shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic. They are meaningless.

You can cut taxes for 95pct of Americans and raise taxes for the rest. You can cut taxes for businesses and retain the Bush Tax Cuts. You can increase or decrease the capital gains tax 5 or 10pct either way.  Under both programs the deficit for the country will increase,  we will borrow and print more money.  5 or 10pct variance either way, given the big hole  our economy is it wont matter.

The cure for what ails us is the Entrepreneurial Spirit of this country.  We are a nation of people who encourage , support and invest in those of any and all age, race and gender who will use their ingenuity and come up with a new idea.

Its always the new idea that re energizes this country.  Industry, manufacturing, transportation, technology, digital communications, etc, each changed how we lived and ignited our economy and standard of living. Tax policy has never done that.  The American People have.

Entrepreneurs who create something out of nothing don’t care what tax rates are. Bill Gates didn’t monitor the marginal tax rate when he dropped out of Harvard and started MicroSoft (btw, it was a ton higher than it is today). Michael Dell didn’t wonder what the capital gains tax was when he started PC’s Limited, and then grew it into Dell Computer.  I doubt that any great business or invention started with a discussion or even a consideration of what the current or projected income or capital gains tax was or would be.

The impact of tax rates on productivity and development is something economists masturbate about,  enterpreneurs don’t waste their time thinking about it. We have business to do.

Entrepreneurs live to be entrepreneurs. I have never had a discussion with anyone about starting a business that included tax rates. Ever. If anyone that wanted an investment from me made a point of discussing tax rates as an impact on their business, I wouldnt invest in them. Ever.

Entrepreneurs live for the juice of making their dreams come true. Of having a vision and fighting to see it come true. The joy of mission accomplished and the scoreboard of the financial rewards.

We are in an economic mess right now. It doesn’t matter who caused it. It’s here. It doesn’t matter what our Presidential candidates and their economic advisors come up with. Its meaningless.

The cure to our economic problems is the Entrepreneurial  Spirit of All Americans. Instead of *****ing at each other, could one Presidential  candidate please show even the least bit of leadership and character and stand up for and encourage the entrepreneurs in this country ?

i dont care who is friends with whom, who preached when you went to church, whether you know the actual role of the Vice President, whether you voted with President Bush. I dont care about any of the mudslinging going back and forth. All it does is waste the time of every potential voter.  All of that is meaningless.

What we need is our candidates to stop yelling at each other and starting looking at the American people and encouraging the best of who we are.  That is who I want to get behind. That is what I would like to see for our country. That is what will energize and motivate people to create companies and invent products that will  turn the economy.

The best time for little guys to start a business  is when the big guys are worrying about surviving in theirs. You dont need to raise money. You need to be smart and be focused.  I had no idea until this current financial crisis that when I started MicroSolutions, my first company, it was in the middle of a very bad recession. I had no idea whatsoever. I didnt know what the tax rates were, and I didnt care. I had an idea, a floor to sleep on and a lot of motivation.

Now is the time for Entrepreneurs to step up and do our part for our country. Its up to us to start businesses and create jobs. That is the cure to this country’s economic problems.
 
Are there only two candidates?


Ya'll would rather be on a winning team than try to support something you want at the end of the day. 

I respect those who vote outside of the big two on an ideological level far more than I will those who aren't even aware of lesser candidates. 

By making this statement, you're basically reinforcing the very disdain you have with the original system in the first place. 
Lol whut? Of course there are only two candidates. No one outside of the big two has won since the 1800s...
Oh really? Then who the hell are these people then?

A third party candidate (Nader) is why Gore lost Florida in 2000. 

Your votes don't matter because you don't want them to matter.

You don't get to complain when all you've done is poke holes in the system without trying to change anything.

Oh...and I don't see anyone mentioning Duvergers Law so even in that case, that doesn't mean the dichotomy must always exist in its present form.

Just call yourself lazy and get it over with. 

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15 Third-Party Presidential Candidates  
by Miss Cellania  - September 4, 2012 - 1:21 PM

   
inShare

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You don’t have to read mental_floss to know that President Obama is running for re-election on the Democratic ticket and that Mitt Romney is opposing him on the Republican ticket. However, you might not know about these other  political parties and their 2012 presidential nominees.
[h4]1. Gary Johnson[/h4]


Gary Johnson, the presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, was Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican. As governor, he earned the nickname “Governor Veto.”  Before politics, he ran his own construction company. Among his personal accomplishments, he lists climbing Mt. Everest and Ironman Triathlons. Johnson is theoretically able to win the presidential election, as he is on the ballot in enough states (43) to achieve 270 electoral votes. Photograph by Flickr user Gage Skidmore.
[h4]2. Jill Stein[/h4]


Dr. Jill Stein  is running on the Green Party ticket. She is the only third-party candidate besides Johnson who can theoretically win 270 electoral votes. A physician and medical school professor, Stein focuses on environmental health issues, and has run for political office in Massachusetts twice for the Green-Rainbow Party, which is that state’s branch of the Green Party. Stein is on the ballot in 32 states.
[h4]3. Virgil Goode[/h4]


Virgil Goode  is the presidential candidate for the Constitution Party. Goode will be on the ballot in 22 states, and can be written in as a candidate in 14 more. He became a Virginia state senator as an independent, then joined the Democratic Party. Goode later represented Virginia in congress from 1997 to 2009, initially as a Democrat. He switched to independent in 2000, and still won re-election. For the 2006 election, he ran as a Republican and was again re-elected — for a sixth term. Goode was defeated in 2008. Selected as the presidential candidate for the Constitution Party, Goode’s campaign  seeks to restrict immigration and reduce the size of the federal government.
[h4]4. Rocky Anderson[/h4]


Rocky Anderson  represents the Justice Party in the 2012 presidential election. A long-time Salt Lake City lawyer, he served two terms as mayor, from 2000 to 2008. Anderson renounced the Democratic Party in August of last year, and accepted the nomination of the new Justice Party in January of 2012. The party’s platform includes the end of war, universal health care, and international cooperation on dealing with climate change. Anderson will be on the ballot in 15 states.  Photograph by Flickr user Jen Wakefield-Dillier.
[h4]5. Peta Lindsay[/h4]
Peta Lindsay  is the candidate from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a political party that formed by splitting off  from the left-wing Workers World Party in 2004. Lindsay is an anti-war activist. She wasborn in 1984, so if elected, she would be ineligible to serve as president. The U.S. Constitution states that presidents must be at least 35 years old. Her name will be on the ballot in ten states.
[h4]6. Tom Hoefling[/h4]
Tom Hoefling  is the national chairman of America’s Party, and is also its 2012 presidential candidate. The party’s platform  seeks to end the income tax, outlaw abortion, beef up the military, and outlaw gay marriage. Hoefling’s presidential campaign does not seek or accept campaign donations. He has achieved ballot access in three states.
[h4]7. Roseanne Barr[/h4]


Roseanne Barr  (yes, that  Roseanne Barr) sought the candidacy of the Green Party, but lost to Jill Stein in July. She gained the attention of the Peace and Freedom Party, which nominated her in August. Barr’s campaign platform includes the legalization of marijuana, an end to war, and forgiveness of student debt. Barr’s candidacy has gained the endorsement of NORML, the Green Party Black Caucus, and 2008 Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney. Barr will be on the ballot in three states.
[h4]8. Stewart Alexander[/h4]


Stewart Alexander  is running on the Socialist Party USA ticket. Alexander is a community and consumer activist and an NAACP member. He ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 1988 and for Lieutenant governor in California in 2006 on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. He was the Socialist Party candidate for vice-president in 2008. Three states will have Alexander on the ballot.
[h4]9. James Harris[/h4]


James Harris  was nominated for president by the far-left Socialist Workers Party. He was also its candidate in 1996 and 2000. Harris rose through the ranks by campaigning for workers’ rights and union organization, particularly in the union-averse state of Georgia. His name will be on the ballot in six states.
[h4]10. Andre Barnett[/h4]


Andre Barnett  is the candidate for the Reform Party USA. Barnett served with the U.S. Army and was wounded in Sarajevo in 2000. Told he would not be able to engage in heavy physical activities again, he rehabilitated himself and became a fitness model. He then founded an information technology business. Barnett’s platform  includes pulling the military out of foreign countries to concentrate on homeland security, implementing tariffs on imports, lowering the corporate tax rate, and regulating the cost of health care. Three states will have Barnett on the ballot.
[h4]11. Tom Stevens[/h4]
Tom Stevens  is running on the Objectivist Party ticket, a party he founded. Stevens is an activist lawyer and is also chairman of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. The Objectivist Party  was formed to promote the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Stevens also publishes a personal blog. His name will be on the presidential ballot in two states.
[h4]12. Merlin Miller[/h4]


Merlin Miller  is the first ever presidential candidate for the Third Position Party. Miller is an independentfilm producer. Miller has been linked to the the Council of Conservative Citizens, which the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a White Nationalist hate group. The Third Position Party platform focuses onlaw enforcement and victim’s rights. Three states will have Miller on the ballot.
[h4]13. Jerry White[/h4]


Jerry White  is the candidate for the Socialist Equality Party, a party that follows the philosophy of Leon Trotsky. His platform  involves issues of jobs, workers’ rights, and quality of life issues like universal healthcare, guaranteed minimum income, an end to foreclosures, and universal pensions. He will be on the ballot in two states.
[h4]14. Jim Carlson[/h4]


Jim Carlson  is running for president for the Grassroots Party. The party shares a philosophy with the Green Party with an added emphasis on the legalization of marijuana. The campaign has no website. Carlson is the owner of a Duluth head shop, Last Place on Earth. Minnesota is the only state that will have Carlson on the ballot.
[h4]15. Will Christensen[/h4]


Will Christensen  represents the Independent American Party. The party is very conservative, and only on the ballot in one state: Oregon.

This information, particularly the states that have these candidates on the ballot, is subject to change. You can check for more information here.



Read the full text here:http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/140634#ixzz26yCBmxaS  
--brought to you by mental_floss!
 
You all love voting for people you think will win instead of voting for people who represent your values.

You've been trained not to "waste your votes" through carefully crafted campaigns designed to make you think that you would be doing so if you didn't vote for a major party candidate.

How the hell do WASTE a vote voting for what YOU WANT? 

You simultaneously inactive non-voters are reinforcing the same problems you have with the system.  
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That article may have just swayed me to vote for someone I never hear of, Jim Carlson.
 
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