Vote!

[habernac]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

Rough day today, Hakan ?

today?

[Inferno]

Hmm...

Obvouisly you dont get what I mean so lets just leave it at that.

Nice obfuscation. So tell me, who is responsible for selecting the next government in an election?

The people who choose to vote since it's their votes that determine it. But that doesnt mean it's the responsibility of every single Canadian to vote.

Would you rather me and every other non-voter vote and vote for the worst candidate or not vote and leave it for the people who know politics well and vote for the right person?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Hakan

Sorry for the cynicism. It just chaps my ass when we have millions of people who do basically jack all in terms of civil duty for four years and then they get all high and mighty about voting as if that's the ultimate thing you can do for your country. It stinks.

Voting is the LEAST you could do if you really cared about democracy in your country or your nation's health. Apathy comes in all forms, and just because you've cast a probably uneducated ballot for some party you probably know nothing about or how their policies will likely affect you doesn't mean you're a concerned passionate Canadian who cares about their country.

edit: I've been studying electoral politics way too much. Oh well, I still voted and I'll vote in every election until the day I die. But I will passionately endorse someone's right NOT to vote.

I agree that simply voting every 4 years doesn't prove a lot, but don't you think it's at least a step better then not voting at all? IMO, caring once in 4 years is still better then never caring at all. Maybe those people who only care every 4 years will start to care more and become more exposed by becoming part of the process.

It seems that you are complaining about apethy, and defending the most apethetic of us at the same time.
You're on a high horse complaining about the average voter, at the same time as telling them they shouldn't be on a high horse and complain about the average non-voter.
Doesn't add up.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Okay, everything I've heard from the "I'm not gonna vote" crowd has more or less been along the lines of "I don't want to vote because i don't beleive the same things as the other parties" or "I don't vote because I don't believe any of the promises made by the parties"

Okay, so what exactly are you doing to change that?
If you don't like the system you can try to change it. That is the freeedom that was fought for. Not the freedom to sit around and say everything sucks, I hope someone else does something to fix it all for me.

You don't like any of the parties, fine why not try to organize all of the rest of the non voters to form another party.There seems to be a whole lot of you, you could probaly do a lot better than say the greens.

You've got two choices, lazy, or apathetic
You either don't want to put the effort into trying to change anything, or you don't care enought to try to do something about being represented year after year by a government that you don't beleive in.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Obvouisly you dont get what I mean so lets just leave it at that.



The people who choose to vote since it's their votes that determine it. But that doesnt mean it's the responsibility of every single Canadian to vote.

Would you rather me and every other non-voter vote and vote for the worst candidate or not vote and leave it for the people who know politics well and vote for the right person?

The point is that you should take a little responsibility and learn what is going on in your own country. Seems to me that paying almost 50% of your wages to a goverment that by choice you know nothing about and have no say in is kinda stupid.

If you were going to buy a new TV would you do any research, or would you just run into the store throw down your credit and let the salesman decide what kind of TV you get and how much you're going to pay for it? I doubt it. So why would you do the exact same thing with half of your hard earned dollars?

People talk about the government like it is some sort of far away entity that doesnt affect them, but if you can't see how stupid of a notion that is, then perhaps you shouldn't be voting afterall.

[Jayems]

Did anyone else vote... then as soon as you put the ballot in, start second guessing if you X'd the right one?

Its killing me.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

The point is that you should take a little responsibility and learn what is going on in your own country. Seems to me that paying almost 50% of your wages to a goverment that by choice you know nothing about and have no say in is kinda stupid.

If you were going to buy a new TV would you do any research, or would you just run into the store throw down your credit and let the salesman decide what kind of TV you get and how much you're going to pay for it? I doubt it. So why would you do the exact same thing with half of your hard earned dollars?

People talk about the government like it is some sort of far away entity that doesnt affect them, but if you can't see how stupid of a notion that is, then perhaps you shouldn't be voting afterall.

Well said BBS... I don't really understand how people can't know anything about party platforms at this point. You're innundated with it constantly.

It doesn't take too much time to find the platforms of all the parties. Make the decision of what party is best going to represent your beliefs.

[transplant99]

Okay, everything I've heard from the "I'm not gonna vote" crowd has more or less been along the lines of "I don't want to vote because i don't beleive the same things as the other parties" or "I don't vote because I don't believe any of the promises made by the parties"

Yup...and the thing is, there is two parties that have government reform as part of their platforms...why not at least vote for one of them if you dont like the way gov. works now?

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Jayems

Did anyone else vote... then as soon as you put the ballot in, start second guessing if you X'd the right one?

Its killing me.

If you put the X beside the [Rob Anders] one then you did it wrong. Go back and complain that you forgot to change his name to Asshat.

[Jayems]

Originally Posted by kermitology

If you put the X beside the [Rob Anders] one then you did it wrong. Go back and complain that you forgot to change his name to Asshat.

It kills me I have to vote for him.

I heard on the radio, that tampering with the ballot is like a $500 fine, but almost impossible to "trace". Either way... i want it to count...

But it should have said "guy who knows he's going to win, so doesn't both to show up during an election and goes on a BC vacation with some slapper"

I hope someone from the party tries to get him out.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Well said BBS... I don't really understand how people can't know anything about party platforms at this point. You're innundated with it constantly.

It doesn't take too much time to find the platforms of all the parties. Make the decision of what party is best going to represent your beliefs.

That's a good point. In the ammount of time Inferno has spent arguing this, he could probalby have read the party platforms (the abreviated versions anyway) and informed himself a little. Intstead he insisted on trying to convince us why he shouldn't vote.

[Freeway]

Originally Posted by Jayems

It kills me I have to vote for him.

I heard on the radio, that tampering with the ballot is like a $500 fine, but almost impossible to "trace". Either way... i want it to count...

But it should have said "guy who knows he's going to win, so doesn't both to show up during an election and goes on a BC vacation with some slapper"

I hope someone from the party tries to get him out.

Also a Calgary West-er, and also voted for the Conservative Party...and that guy who's the MP.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

The point is that you should take a little responsibility and learn what is going on in your own country. Seems to me that paying almost 50% of your wages to a goverment that by choice you know nothing about and have no say in is kinda stupid.

That's mine and other people's choice though and it should be of no concern to anyone who votes.

The thing that got me into this debate after posting that I never complain about the government was I felt offended because to me some people were giving off the vibe of "I'm more of a Canadian than you because I vote". I shouldnt have to vote to feel like I'm truly a Canadian.

[transplant99]

I shouldnt have to vote to feel like I'm truly a Canadian.

Yes you should...its a privelidge that you receive BECAUSE your Canadian.

[Jayems]

Originally Posted by Inferno

That's mine and other people's choice though and it should be of no concern to anyone who votes.

The thing that got me into this debate after posting that I never complain about the government was I felt offended because to me some people were giving off the vibe of "I'm more of a Canadian than you because I vote". I shouldnt have to vote to feel like I'm truly a Canadian.

Is it that... or do they even have polling stations in the pas?

I had a bunch of buddies who went out there to work at the jail... I dont think they had too much fun there... lol...

The way i figure, is if someone doesn't vote, at the very least, its one less potential vote for the other guys.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Yes you should...its a privelidge that you receive BECAUSE your Canadian.

It's one of the priviliges of being a Canadian that I choose not to take advantage of. I shouldnt look at myself as any less of a Canadian though because I choose not to.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Jayems

I had a bunch of buddies who went out there to work at the jail... I dont think they had too much fun there... lol...

lol, yep. Not alot to do here besides go to OCN Blizzard games and to the bar unless you're the fishing and hunting type. I definately dont want to live here my whole life but right now I dont have the opportunity to leave.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Jayems

It kills me I have to vote for him.

I heard on the radio, that tampering with the ballot is like a $500 fine, but almost impossible to "trace". Either way... i want it to count...

But it should have said "guy who knows he's going to win, so doesn't both to show up during an election and goes on a BC vacation with some slapper"

I hope someone from the party tries to get him out.

Pay $10 and join the party to have your say in the next nomination then.

[Canada 02]

only 65% of ~24M eligible voters cast their ballot. Better than 2004, but pretty low %