Obama For President!
Just to get my political leanings clear straight off the bat. ^^
Anyway, I woke up from a nightmare that McCain had won. Somehow. Someway. *shudders* Rigging may have been involved.
However, this got me up and awake and (sort of) moving about, and that led me to this post on cleolinda's lj, which led me to this comment:
goonie_freak: Ugh it will only get worse as the day drags on...
kinda makes me glad I lost my voters registration card in my move a few weeks ago... Eh I didn't like either candidate anyway...
What? What???
A number of other people agreed with that sentiment, which was fine and dandy, but I did jump on board one little exchange.
venusad: Dude, I busted my ass to get my registration changed over. Hell, if more than a measely 30% of registered voters would've actually stepped up last election we may not have been in this mess in the first place.
Seriously, we should tax non-voters just like Australia does.
teirkin: Australia taxes non-voters? Really?
::ponders this::
highlystrung: Yes we do! *is fiercely, fiercely proud of this*
... actually, it's not a tax, its more of a fine if you don't vote. It's only like $50, but it's there to remind everyone that, hey, actually, you should vote. And here? You have to vote.
Honestly, all the people who propound the theory that 'true freedom' is the freedom not to vote? Are the white, rich, often male, middle to upper-class people who always have had power and who, oh hey, always always vote. Why this incongruity? Because they would be royally assfucked if all the people excercising their 'freedom' not to vote ever became educated enough and did.
Erm.
Sorry to rant. ^^
But all the people who've posted above? Have gotten it slightly wrong. Voting? Not a right. Not a privelige. A responsibility. One we should all live up to.
Why am I reposting this? Because I finally (when half-awake, yay!) summed up a lot of my feelings about the voting process, and why compulsory voting is good, and why I'm proud to live in a nation that enforces it. (And hey? I know you can donkey vote, I know you don't have to register to vote, but the thing is if you do register you have to live up to that responsibility, and that's the way it damn well should be. Living in England gave me chills, y'all. And I don't care what you say, you live in a community, you partake in the advantages of that community, then you damn well take care of that community. You vote. It's not that hard.)
Oh, and why am I reposting the whole exchange? Well, that way it looks like I've actually made a real entry. ^^ Like whoah.
So if you're in the US or any other nation holding elections today, please vote. If you are in a nation where you are give the 'option', please go out and register to vote.
And in final thoughts?
Please, America. Don't fuck this one up.
Anyway, I woke up from a nightmare that McCain had won. Somehow. Someway. *shudders* Rigging may have been involved.
However, this got me up and awake and (sort of) moving about, and that led me to this post on cleolinda's lj, which led me to this comment:
goonie_freak: Ugh it will only get worse as the day drags on...
kinda makes me glad I lost my voters registration card in my move a few weeks ago... Eh I didn't like either candidate anyway...
What? What???
A number of other people agreed with that sentiment, which was fine and dandy, but I did jump on board one little exchange.
venusad: Dude, I busted my ass to get my registration changed over. Hell, if more than a measely 30% of registered voters would've actually stepped up last election we may not have been in this mess in the first place.
Seriously, we should tax non-voters just like Australia does.
teirkin: Australia taxes non-voters? Really?
::ponders this::
highlystrung: Yes we do! *is fiercely, fiercely proud of this*
... actually, it's not a tax, its more of a fine if you don't vote. It's only like $50, but it's there to remind everyone that, hey, actually, you should vote. And here? You have to vote.
Honestly, all the people who propound the theory that 'true freedom' is the freedom not to vote? Are the white, rich, often male, middle to upper-class people who always have had power and who, oh hey, always always vote. Why this incongruity? Because they would be royally assfucked if all the people excercising their 'freedom' not to vote ever became educated enough and did.
Erm.
Sorry to rant. ^^
But all the people who've posted above? Have gotten it slightly wrong. Voting? Not a right. Not a privelige. A responsibility. One we should all live up to.
Why am I reposting this? Because I finally (when half-awake, yay!) summed up a lot of my feelings about the voting process, and why compulsory voting is good, and why I'm proud to live in a nation that enforces it. (And hey? I know you can donkey vote, I know you don't have to register to vote, but the thing is if you do register you have to live up to that responsibility, and that's the way it damn well should be. Living in England gave me chills, y'all. And I don't care what you say, you live in a community, you partake in the advantages of that community, then you damn well take care of that community. You vote. It's not that hard.)
Oh, and why am I reposting the whole exchange? Well, that way it looks like I've actually made a real entry. ^^ Like whoah.
So if you're in the US or any other nation holding elections today, please vote. If you are in a nation where you are give the 'option', please go out and register to vote.
And in final thoughts?
Please, America. Don't fuck this one up.