elections... anyone vote?

[Dorrinal Blackmantle]

Forced voting is bullshit. Mandating such a thing spits in the face of the institution it is trying to promote (namely Democracy).

[Monocromatico]

Benoit is right. I live too in a country where we have to vote. This is a right that was denied to us for 24 years, so when I see someone justifying the no-voting, it kinda pisses me off. And I know that, if we didn´t have to vote (as if voting was optional), the manipulable masses would do it under false promises of bad politicians, as well as extremists. Disasters can happen from that, and that´s what I fight against every election with my "ballot" (actually, it´s an electronic system where you type the number of your candidate on a computer-like machine not connected to a network, which makes it quite safe)<p>Mandatory voting isn´t a pain like Alis in Wonderland thinks, because there are posts in every village of every town. You don´t really *have* to vote, you can go to a post office and justify why you didn´t vote. Also, voting, even blank, IS an expression of what you and your society think of the current candidates, and it CAN change something if your society realizes what is happening. But if you don´t express yourself, what will change? The final count will only show that a parcel of your society wanted this candidate, but what it can tell about the rest of it? Only that they didn´t express themselves. And so the system continues inaltered forever, and politicians and their parties will always suck.<p>I can´t understand how someone can deffend something in their own prejudice.<p>And Gipper: answering what you see as an offense with another offense will lead to a war. Drop it while you can.<p>Edit: added the post office line :^P<p>[size=small][Edit by Monocromatico on [TIME]1115580614[/TIME]][/size]

[Gipper]

<blockquote> the manipulable masses would do it under false promises of bad politicians, as well as extremists</blockquote> <p>And forcing you to vote changes that? All it does is make the masses who wouldn't vote come out, waste an hour, and leave a blank piece of paper in a box.

[Monocromatico]

You have 10 people.<p>3 of them are starving.<p>Promise the 10 a plate with food.<p>You get 3 votes.<p>7 didn´t vote on you.<p>You get ellected.<p>You don´t have any food.<p>The end.<br><p>[size=small][Edit by Monocromatico on [TIME]1115581264[/TIME]][/size]

[Gipper]

<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Monocromatico</i><p>You have 10 people.<p>3 of them are starving.<p>Promise the 10 a plate with food.<p>You get 3 votes.<p>7 didn´t vote on you.<p>You get ellected.<p>You don´t have any food.<p>The end.<p>[size=small][Edit by Monocromatico on [TIME]1115581264[/TIME]][/size]<br></blockquote><p>And adding the other 7 changes the outcome how? Winning 3-0 and 10-0 is the same thing.

[Monocromatico]

And if you care, the amount of blank and null votes in every ellection is very much smaller than vallid votes, showing that, if you make them wake up in the morning to vote, they will end up choosing the best candidates for them, and not waste their time like you said. <p>It happens and it works.

[Monocromatico]

<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Monocromatico</i><p>You have 10 people.<p>3 of them are starving.<p>Promise the 10 a plate with food.<p>You get 3 votes.<p>7 didn´t vote on you.<p>You get ellected.<p>You don´t have any food.<p>The end.<p>[size=small][Edit by Monocromatico on [TIME]1115581264[/TIME]][/size]<br></blockquote><p><blockquote><i>Originally posted by Gipper</i><p>And adding the other 7 changes the outcome how? Winning 3-0 and 10-0 is the same thing.<br></blockquote><p>Or 3-7? You are assuming that they would just vote blank? You don´t seem to be much of a voter. Chick my post below and imagine yourself in such situation. What would you do?

[Gipper]

Because us Americans don't care, we always choose the worst candidates, right? Funny, but more people voted in 2000 in the US than in 1992, and we had a better president in 1992.

[Benoit]

<blockquote>So now we're going to insult the United States, huh?</blockquote><br>It wasn't meant as an insult, actually.<br> <blockquote>Belgium can rot for all I care; the greatest acomplishment your country can lay claim to is the French Fry.</blockquote><br>You do realize that you're contradicting yourself in the same sentence, right?<br> <blockquote>Forced voting is bullshit. Mandating such a thing spits in the face of the institution it is trying to promote (namely Democracy).</blockquote><br>Quite the contrary. In a real democracy, everyone gets a voice. So everyone should vote.<br> <blockquote>And forcing you to vote changes that? All it does is make the masses who wouldn't vote come out, waste an hour, and leave a blank piece of paper in a box.</blockquote><br>Which would show the discontent of those masses. They will have achieved what they wanted.<p>Monocromatico, I'll admit that I don't understand your example either. ^_^;

[Gipper]

<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Benoit</i><br>It wasn't meant as an insult, actually.</blockquote><br>Then what does calling us lazy amount to?<p><blockquote><br>You do realize that you're contradicting yourself in the same sentence, right?<br></blockquote><br>They don't contradict at all. The term "French Fry" is a misnomer. During WWII, Americans in Belgium were given b the locals deep fried potatoes. The Belgians in that area spoke French, and the soldiers mistakenly thought they were in France, hence, "French Fries".<br><p>[size=small][Edit by Gipper on [TIME]1115583964[/TIME]][/size]

[Siren]

Sorry, this is of unprecedented need...<br>Gipper, you are ignorant of the world around you and your country. You have blind patriostism, which is called stupidity anywhere else. You are also over-reacting, which is never good when mixed with ignorance. Like this...<p> <blockquote>So now we're going to insult the United States, huh? That's fine. Belgium can rot for all I care; the greatest acomplishment your country can lay claim to is the French Fry.</blockquote> <p>Er...what? That was very stupid. Are you as petty as to compare a a country's <b>inventions</b>? Oh, and don't you remember? It's now the "Freedom Fry" since the United States decided that they were angry at the French.<p> <blockquote>Because us Americans don't care, we always choose the worst candidates, right? Funny, but more people voted in 2000 in the US than in 1992, and we had a better president in 1992.</blockquote> <p>True, but you still have 39% of you country not voting. Your "statistic" means absolutely nothing, because your oppinion of the "better President" is subjective. At the time, there were the values presented to the voters, but they had no idea who would be the better president. Besides, Clinton and Bush were seperated by <b>1%</b>. <p>Edit:<p> <blockquote>Then what does calling us lazy amount to?</blockquote> <p>An accurate observation. North America has become decadent...there are still alot of Canadians who don't vote either.<p>[size=small][Edit by Siren on [TIME]1115584360[/TIME]][/size]

[Gipper]

<blockquote>Oh, and don't you remember? It's now the "Freedom Fry" since the United States decided that they were angry at the French. </blockquote> <p>Read my above post on how the French Fry got it's name.<p> <blockquote>because your oppinion of the "better President" is subjective.</blockquote> <p>But then isn't the whole idea of forcing a vote so that there are better candidates subjective too?<p>DB was head on when he made his statement:<blockquote>Forced voting is bullshit. Mandating such a thing spits in the face of the institution it is trying to promote (namely Democracy).</blockquote>

[Siren]

*cough*<p>...and all of that was out of context. The French Fry comment really has nothing to do with the origin of the French Fry.<p> <blockquote>But then isn't the whole idea of forcing a vote so that there are better candidates subjective too?</blockquote> <p>What I said was in context to proving your little "statistic" <b>invalid</b>. That went over the head too, I see...<p>And of course it's subjective. There are few things in the world that are objectively right or wrong. An objective truth is rare.

[ThePeaGuy]

<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Gipper</i><p>Then what does calling us lazy amount to?<p></blockquote><p>He wasn't insulting the United States, he was complaining about the people that can't be arsed to use their voting papers to make a difference. <br><p>[size=small][Edit by ThePeaGuy on [TIME]1115586240[/TIME]][/size]

[Alis in Wonderland]

<blockquote>You have 10 people. <br>3 of them are starving. <br>Promise the 10 a plate with food. <br>You get 3 votes. <br>7 didn´t vote on you. <br>You get ellected. <br>You don´t have any food. <br>The end. </blockquote> <p>if i got free food i might vote.<br>