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How We Used To Vote
Mr. Slippery writes "Think hanging chads, illegal purges of the voter rolls, and insecure voting machines are bad? The New Yorker looks back at how we used to vote back in the good old days: 'A man carrying a musket rushed at him. Another threw a brick, knocking him off his feet. George Kyle picked himself up and ran. He never did cast his vote. Nor did his brother, who died of his wounds. The Democratic candidate for Congress, William Harrison, lost to the American Party's Henry Winter Davis. Three months later, when the House of Representatives convened hearings into the election, whose result Harrison contested, Davis's victory was upheld on the ground that any "man of ordinary courage" could have made his way to the polls.' Now I feel like a wuss for complaining about the lack of a voter-verified paper trail." The article notes the American penchant for trying to fix voting problems with technology — starting just after the Revolution. This country didn't use secret ballots, an idea imported from Australia, until quite late in the 19th century.
Vote early and often! :)
There'd be no incentive to bribing a Congressman..
..except to make corrupt proposals, which no one would have incentive to vote for.
A man carrying a musket rushed at him. Another threw a brick, knocking him off his feet. George Kyle picked himself up and ran. He never did cast his vote. Nor did his brother, who died of his wounds.
I'd like to see Karl Rove top that.
So the various Congress Critters would all agree to vote "yes" for pay raises ... except for one who would vote "no".
Then, while campaigning, they can ALL claim to have voted against it.
And so on with every important issue.
You know, they really should bring back the scarlet letter and witch trials. I mean, if someone sitting next to you got a promotion that you didn't, you would be able to start the whispering campaign that your rival cut a deal with Satan.
This is my sig.
Republicans in the USA tend to believe that not everyone should be allowed to vote. Specifically, we would ultimately prefer that only people who own property should be allowed to vote in order to prevent the socialist idea of masses voting themselves wealth transfers from upper classes. Therefor, voter registration would be a separate process as it was a different set of people.
However, we lost this debate utterly to the Democrats, and so, more or less, have this idea that everyone should be allowed to vote, but with the vestiges of a separate process until such time that we Republicans can really get back into power and repeal that god-awful Constitutional amendment.
This is my sig.
I think you underestimate the fear of hanging chads, Chep.
Hanging chads are an abomination, and must be thwarted at every turn. And like the God-fearing, proud, patriotic Americans that we are, we turn right to the fanciest gizmos and gadgets we can to make our lives better.
Why buy a jump rope when you can buy a motorized running treadmill with incline, heart-rate sensors, mp3 player, and toaster oven? That's what a communist would do!
[/sad truth]
Do you actually believe it's a good idea to give people who don't even have the power to decide at which time to brush their teeth - or rather the people who do control their lives - a vote? "Vote Sheriff Lobo, and we won't beat you up."
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
but it would be an enormous hassle for little gain (because the voter registration process is already easy).
It's so easy, even a dead person could do it!
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
You, sir, owe me a keyboard
Baseball? - Like the "3 strikes and you're out" thing is the foundation of the judicial system. /ducks.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.