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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
Live free or die!
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November 02, 2002
There are too many damned voters
Supposedly low voter turnout is a top complaint of seemingly nearly everyone in the political class. Politicians especially, but also journalists and all sorts of assorted do-gooder civics groups constantly bitch about it. Low voter turnout threatens the survival of democracy! Low voter turnout's going to kidnap your children, rot your teeth, and give you cellulite!
These folks mostly seem to be concerned with getting as many warm bodies to pull a lever in the voting booth as possible. It doesn't seem to matter that much to them which jacklegs they vote for or what kind of public policy they actually pursue once they get in. The main important thing is that everybody voted for somebody, anybody.
Now I don't understand this. Surely they don't think that mere random voting by uninformed voters can produce good results.
For example, a Barger family gathering a couple of years ago turned conversationally to politics, specifically the presidential election. Some of the family follows politics, some don't have that much interest, which is fine. However, one of my cousins suggested that she really liked Al Gore, and she was thinking about voting for him. She didn't know much one way or the other about his policies, but he was apparently considered quite handsome, all buff looking and in shape for the campaign. Apparently she was serious.
Now here's what's messed up: She gets to vote. Not only that, but her vote counts as much as mine. Now I'm asking you, is that right? Hint: the correct answer is NO.
Estimates say some 49% of eligible Americans cast ballots in 1996. I figure that's too high by about a factor of three. My experience suggests that nowhere near 49% of the public knows a damned thing about politics.
Now it's alright to disagree with me about public policy issues. Hey, everybody's got a right to be wrong. Once in a great while, someone even manages to change my mind about an issue.
However, if you can't at least name four or five guarantees from the Bill of Rights, then you probably don't have an opinion about American politics worth considering. If you can't name the three branches of the federal government, or have no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "separation of powers," then I'm not going to be interested in any opinions you have about foreign policy or what to do with Hussein.
Having the RIGHT to vote is pretty important. It gives you at least some way to partway fight back if the governmental machine starts sticking it to you too hard. Otherwise, you basically don't have much way to resist other than to start shooting the bastards.
However, you shouldn't vote just because you can. If you don't know anything about politics or issues DON'T VOTE. You're only going to contribute to electing a bunch of schmucks who are going to make things worse. Americans, if you have not read the constitution -which is supposed to be the basic social contract- then you have no business voting. None.
If you don't follow politics or read the news, then you're ignorant. That's ok. Some people have lives. Your children's Little League games may quite legitimately be more important to you than, say, studying China's human rights records.
If there are issues in the political realm that concern you, however, by all means study up and vote away. The internet makes it real easy to do a lot of research right quick like and in a hurry. More power to you, and I look forward to seeing you at the voting booth.
On the other hand, if you don't know or care about politics and you're voting out of some sense of duty, please don't. You're not helping. Leave it to those what know something about it.
Just go right about your regular Tuesday rounds drinking beer and watching Jackass and Everybody Loves Raymond. You'll be doing the whole country a much bigger favor.
posted by Al at 11/02/2002 10:24:00 PM
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