Politics in my little nutshell

[MarkPSkins]

My ramble for the day and then I am leaving.

First off, let me start by saying, I don’t vote, have never voted and probably never will vote. I have a problem with politics.

When voting in political elections one assumes they are voting for a leader but in truth that is not what they are voting for. They are voting for someone who wants to be in charge. Being in charge is not the same thing as being a leader. Republicans don’t want to be leaders; they want to be in charge. Democrats don’t want to be leaders; they want to be in charge.

The whole idea about one “party” “controlling” Congress makes me sick. It should not matter how many Democrats or Republicans are in each seat. It should matter that these politicians keep the best interest of the people in mind. They don’t, they just want to be in charge. Party affiliation is the biggest reason that no government will ever truly succeed in America.

I know people who vote straight down the party list just because. They vote that way knowing the third guy down the list is an idiot, drunk, wife-abusing jack off that just happens to be in that party. I know people who vote just because someone told them it was their “duty” to vote. Vote for who or what? They don’t know. They are voting because they think they are supposed to. Or because they saw one slanderous ad on TV and are thoroughly convinced the opposition is all the things the slanderer suggested. So on one hand you got people voting for idiots just because they are part of their “party”, on the other hand you have people voting for idiots just because they are “supposed” to and have no idea who or what they are voting for and have not bothered to educate themselves. Most people who vote are old and only care about how much money the government can give them because they are old whether they are rich old or poor old. Young people don’t vote because they don’t have a clue about any of the people running for office and will not take time to find out because politics are boring to most young people. Is this really the way to put people into office? It’s selfish system with selfish winners and selfish losers.

The way congress and a lot of other elected positions should work and could work, since there are no real requirements for the job other than being a politician and I have no idea what that means. Go to each State; hold a lottery, and select two random Joes to be congressmen for 6 years. This person will go to Washington, hear all sides of all the stories, take them back to the State and ask the people if they agree or disagree. Tally those votes and then go back to Congress to cast the vote based on the people’s decision. Isn’t that the idea anyway?

Instead we have leaders who vote for or against things just because everybody else in their party is voting one way, whether it is a good idea or not. What we have are people who want to be in charge but not responsible for the decisions they make. What we have are two gangs fighting on the corner for control of turf. While they fight for control of the turf, you have the bystanders cheering them on yelling, “Go Jets,” or “Go Sharks.” Rather childish if you ask me. Meanwhile, the people not in the gangs or not involved with the cheering sit around and wonder when the hell is anything going to get done. When the fighting stops, and it never stops, will these gangs really care about what they did to the neighborhood, or who is going to pay for all the damage? Nope, they are just going to prepare for the next rumble.

When this country decides to let the people actually have a say in the decisions and not just the people “in charge” trying to stay in charge making the decisions will I care who is in office or not. Right now Homer Simpson could be President and it would not matter to me. Why? Even though Homer is in charge and wants many of the things I want, he would get shot down, embarrassed, set-up for a fall, conspired against, ridiculed by the other people whether they want the same things or not all because they want to be in charge. So Homer has to spend all his time trying to stay in charge instead of actually trying to get the things he wants. Everybody wants to be in charge but no one wants to lead.

In a nutshell -- politics are a joke.

[Henry]

Politics are a necessary by-product of any society. Hell, even this board is full of it (politics that is ).

The only way one can wrest himself entirely from politics and it's ugliness is to live under a rock. Otherwise, desicions have to be made. Roads have to be built. Children have to be protected. Now, a democratic republic may not be the perfect utopia, but history bears out that it's the best we've come up with to date.

Our government's not a well-oiled machine, but that's becuse it was designed that way. I'll take the slow-turning wheels of checks and balances over the decisive leadership of history's countless tyrants.

If you wish for fate to decide who the people in charge of the society in which you live will be, that's your privilege, at least in this country. I prefer to make those poeple accountable to me.

[NavyDave]

The voice and opinions of people who don't vote falls on deaf ears.

But the good thing is they don't blindly follow the rest of the sheep on the bus to vote for people and agendas they have a clue about.

[Art]

We are a representative republic, not a true democracy as is reported. Our vote should be attached to people we know something about and who has views closest to our own to take to Washington and help shape. You are right that some people don't educate themselves or participate in the process. One woman at a polling place in Minnesota actually turned and asked the room, "What does incumbant mean? Is that the new guy?" Another election official in Minnesota asked a gentleman his name so she could assure he was registered. This gentleman was followed by four camera crews and had a small security detail and was named Walter Mondale.

People are largely stupid. You can't have a true democracy in a country where the voters are dumb people. The people who involve themselves in the process we have help shape the views we live by. Sometimes it goes better for one side than another and when it goes poorly you have to fight harder to get the right people in office however you can.

I do think voting is a necessity, especially for someone like you Mark who would bother to figure out what he believed in and who was the best person for the job.

[dchogs]

People are largely stupid. You can't have a true democracy in a country where the voters are dumb people.

and this was the basic assumption made by the founding fathers when they set up the system the way they did. they were allowing the ignorant masses to have a say; however, they were also trying to get separation between the ignorance and the vital matters of state. they were attempting to protect people from themselves. if the public cannot be trusted to educate themselves about candidates during election time, how can they be trusted to make informed decisions on issues that hold the heart of our nation in its hands?

the main issue that i have with politics is that it is dominated by a confrontational two party system. third party candidates don't get a sniff (except perot and "the body"). so a voter is faced with a dilemma: does he/she vote for the candidate he/she feels is best suited for the job and run the risk of "throwing the vote away" or does he/she choose the lesser of two evils of the major party candidates and cross his/her fingers? i choose to "throw my vote away," personally, but understand the opposite opinion/dilemma.

i would also like to see more politicians have one term in office. no pressure to follow party line, no pressure of trying to get elected again. just a politician that votes with his/her feelings as to what would be best for the country/state/county etc.

[Art]

dchogs,

To be honest I think another founding principle of this country is that we are not Italy with regard to having multiple parties. One of the blessings of our nation is the fact that we have a two-party system. The rise and fall of a third party will be flirted with for years, but, in the end, it'll always be two parties fighting for our votes and that seems appropriate.

The other fact is that no one in the "third-party" is really a third-party candidate. They are a rejected Republican or Democrat trying to maintain a political life. The reason they are generally so rejected is because they are kind of pathetic. You should have seen Tim Penny, a Democrat in Minnesota, have to reinvent himself to become Independent for the election. It was painful and essentially cost him, though Minnesota has the strongest third-party in the nation.

[dchogs]

not entirely true, although the cases where politicians "reinvent" themselves make me shake my head in disgust. in my opinion, many third party candidates choose "other" parties simply because their political philosophy is not in line with the major parties. their platforms are specific and are in most cases a blend of the major parties' platforms. this holds true in the "extreme" third parties, where the major thrust of the party is an extreme of a major party (green party: environment, libertarian party: smaller government). i personally don't like having to make a choice between a candidate that i agree with and the candidate who is kinda close but has a better shot at winning.