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Author Topic:   Loony Of The Week
xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 241 of 603 (753518)
03-20-2015 12:08 PM
Reply to: Message 240 by Dr Adequate
03-20-2015 11:10 AM


Re: Voting: Make it a carrot instead of manditory?
Well, assuming that we ever restore a fairer taxation on the rich here in the USA, we could offer a carrot rather than stick by giving voters a $50 refund on their taxes. Most of these people who don't vote probably fall into a general group of people who just want to be left alone and not have the "government" mess with them. This is similar to the vaccination thread, in a certain way. These non-voters are basically along for the ride on the backs of the voters.
Perhaps voting in the primaries is more important, so maybe $30 there, then $20 for the nationals. Or some amounts that would work best. It is true that proving you voted on your tax form without revealing how you voted is problematical. Your social security number is never on the ballot.
Another thing - make all balloting done by mail-in sent to all registered voters and give them 2 weeks to mail it in. Each mail-in ballot would have a random serial number that appears on the carbon copy as well. On the website for your ward you could anonymously look up your serial number and see how it was counted. Homeless voters could go to someone who could get them a ballot after careful checks to make sure they were not illegals or had already voted.
The whole concept of voting will always have its flaws with the evils of shrewd expensive advertising propaganda. But that is what the USA is founded on, so we have to accept it.

- xongsmith, 5.7d

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nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 242 of 603 (753564)
03-20-2015 3:03 PM
Reply to: Message 236 by Coyote
03-19-2015 10:02 PM


Re: What a doofus! He earned his place on this thread.
President Obama Just Announced an Election Change That Would Transform the Face of American Politics
That was an opinion, not an announcement.
So who's the doofus?
They have mandatory voting in Australia, and it works quite well. I don't expect it to happen in the USA.
[Just listening to a radio interview. Someone said about mandatory voting -- "you could go into the voting booth and write-in Big Bird". Well sure. "Mandatory voting" is really only "mandatory showing up at the voting center on election day". You could still deliberately spoil your ballot.]

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 243 by New Cat's Eye, posted 03-20-2015 3:15 PM nwr has replied

  
New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 243 of 603 (753567)
03-20-2015 3:15 PM
Reply to: Message 242 by nwr
03-20-2015 3:03 PM


Re: What a doofus! He earned his place on this thread.
They have mandatory voting in Australia, and it works quite well.
What's the penalty for not voting?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 242 by nwr, posted 03-20-2015 3:03 PM nwr has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 244 by nwr, posted 03-20-2015 3:40 PM New Cat's Eye has seen this message but not replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 244 of 603 (753569)
03-20-2015 3:40 PM
Reply to: Message 243 by New Cat's Eye
03-20-2015 3:15 PM


Re: What a doofus! He earned his place on this thread.
A relatively small fine.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

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Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


(1)
Message 245 of 603 (753587)
03-20-2015 9:13 PM
Reply to: Message 236 by Coyote
03-19-2015 10:02 PM


Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Did Obama "Suggest Mandatory Voting?" A: No. - Little Green Footballs. :
quote:
This is one of those media distortions that makes me nuts, as CNN pushes the absolutely false meme that President Obama said anything like, Maybe it’s time for mandatory voting. Notice that the CNN headline attributes these words directly to Obama but he never said them.
Their own video clip shows what a ridiculous distortion this is; Obama is saying we should make voting easier, not make it mandatory. Yes, he mentions Australia where voting is mandatory, but only to make the point that it would be transformative if more people voted in the US. It’s a hypothetical statement. He didn’t advocate, call for, or even suggest making voting mandatory in the US.
But if the President was trolling the right with this statement, it worked. They’re all foaming at the mouth about this today.
The link in the above quote is:
Obama: Maybe it's time for mandatory voting | CNN Politics
The CNN supplied video:
Foam on, Coyote.
Moose

Professor, geology, Whatsamatta U
Evolution - Changes in the environment, caused by the interactions of the components of the environment.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." - Bruce Graham
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - John Kenneth Galbraith
"Yesterday on Fox News, commentator Glenn Beck said that he believes President Obama is a racist. To be fair, every time you watch Glenn Beck, it does get a little easier to hate white people." - Conan O'Brien
"I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things, but I'm highly ignorant about everything." - Moose

This message is a reply to:
 Message 236 by Coyote, posted 03-19-2015 10:02 PM Coyote has replied

Replies to this message:
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Coyote
Member (Idle past 2106 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 246 of 603 (753588)
03-20-2015 9:29 PM
Reply to: Message 245 by Minnemooseus
03-20-2015 9:13 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Foam on, Coyote.
Why did he bring the subject up?
He does not have the power as the president to mandate it. Was it a trial balloon? Was it to distract attention from something else?

Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.
Belief gets in the way of learning--Robert A. Heinlein
How can I possibly put a new idea into your heads, if I do not first remove your delusions?--Robert A. Heinlein
It's not what we don't know that hurts, it's what we know that ain't so--Will Rogers
If I am entitled to something, someone else is obliged to pay--Jerry Pournelle
If a religion's teachings are true, then it should have nothing to fear from science...--dwise1
"Multiculturalism" demands that the US be tolerant of everything except its own past, culture, traditions, and identity.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 245 by Minnemooseus, posted 03-20-2015 9:13 PM Minnemooseus has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 247 by Dr Adequate, posted 03-20-2015 9:39 PM Coyote has replied
 Message 249 by Minnemooseus, posted 03-20-2015 10:48 PM Coyote has not replied
 Message 250 by nwr, posted 03-21-2015 1:06 AM Coyote has not replied
 Message 251 by subbie, posted 03-21-2015 8:31 AM Coyote has not replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 247 of 603 (753589)
03-20-2015 9:39 PM
Reply to: Message 246 by Coyote
03-20-2015 9:29 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Was it a trial balloon? Was it to distract attention from something else?
Is he a hitler?
We're just asking questions.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 246 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 9:29 PM Coyote has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 248 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 10:31 PM Dr Adequate has replied

  
Coyote
Member (Idle past 2106 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 248 of 603 (753597)
03-20-2015 10:31 PM
Reply to: Message 247 by Dr Adequate
03-20-2015 9:39 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Is he a hitler?
We're just asking questions.
A Hitler?
You're being a f****** troll.

Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.
Belief gets in the way of learning--Robert A. Heinlein
How can I possibly put a new idea into your heads, if I do not first remove your delusions?--Robert A. Heinlein
It's not what we don't know that hurts, it's what we know that ain't so--Will Rogers
If I am entitled to something, someone else is obliged to pay--Jerry Pournelle
If a religion's teachings are true, then it should have nothing to fear from science...--dwise1
"Multiculturalism" demands that the US be tolerant of everything except its own past, culture, traditions, and identity.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 247 by Dr Adequate, posted 03-20-2015 9:39 PM Dr Adequate has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 253 by Dr Adequate, posted 03-21-2015 12:16 PM Coyote has not replied
 Message 254 by Theodoric, posted 03-21-2015 7:45 PM Coyote has not replied

  
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


(2)
Message 249 of 603 (753600)
03-20-2015 10:48 PM
Reply to: Message 246 by Coyote
03-20-2015 9:29 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Why did he bring the subject up?
I don't know the larger context of the speech, but I think he wished to promote voter turnout. And doing such is indeed to be to the Democrats benefit.
The Democratic party has the problem of getting their base to go to the polls and vote. And the Republicans are making efforts to further suppress this turnout.
why shouldn't he bring it up?
Moose

This message is a reply to:
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nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


(1)
Message 250 of 603 (753621)
03-21-2015 1:06 AM
Reply to: Message 246 by Coyote
03-20-2015 9:29 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Why did he bring the subject up?
Did it ever occur to you that maybe he has an opinion, and maybe he likes to mention it -- just like all of the posters at evcforum.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

This message is a reply to:
 Message 246 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 9:29 PM Coyote has not replied

  
subbie
Member (Idle past 1254 days)
Posts: 3509
Joined: 02-26-2006


(2)
Message 251 of 603 (753628)
03-21-2015 8:31 AM
Reply to: Message 246 by Coyote
03-20-2015 9:29 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Coyote writes:
Why did he bring the subject up?
He does not have the power as the president to mandate it. Was it a trial balloon? Was it to distract attention from something else?
Is this a tacit acknowledgement that you were wrong and that Obama didn't actually announce an election change as you alleged?

Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. -- Thomas Jefferson
We see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat
It has always struck me as odd that fundies devote so much time and effort into trying to find a naturalistic explanation for their mythical flood, while looking for magical explanations for things that actually happened. -- Dr. Adequate
Howling about evidence is a conversation stopper, and it never stops to think if the claim could possibly be true -- foreveryoung

This message is a reply to:
 Message 246 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 9:29 PM Coyote has not replied

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(2)
Message 252 of 603 (753643)
03-21-2015 11:26 AM


Needs clarification
If Charleston and Savannah both get the presidential nuke then does that mean they would be exempt from the Presidential Edict on mandatory voting? I mean the voters would be dead and neither of these places are even close to Chicago. Can someone clarify for me, please?

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


(2)
Message 253 of 603 (753651)
03-21-2015 12:16 PM
Reply to: Message 248 by Coyote
03-20-2015 10:31 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Well, it's just a question. Like "Was it to distract attention from something else?" and "was that a terrorist fist jab?" and "why hasnt he come round to my house to show me his birth certificate in person, does he have something to hide?"
Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 248 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 10:31 PM Coyote has not replied

  
Theodoric
Member
Posts: 9076
From: Northwest, WI, USA
Joined: 08-15-2005
Member Rating: 3.7


Message 254 of 603 (753731)
03-21-2015 7:45 PM
Reply to: Message 248 by Coyote
03-20-2015 10:31 PM


Re: Did Obama Suggest Mandatory Voting? A: No.
Self-awareness not a strong suit?

Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts
"God did it" is not an argument. It is an excuse for intellectual laziness.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 248 by Coyote, posted 03-20-2015 10:31 PM Coyote has not replied

  
saab93f
Member (Idle past 1394 days)
Posts: 265
From: Finland
Joined: 12-17-2009


Message 255 of 603 (754047)
03-24-2015 8:22 AM


Another shot at the LOTW (pun intended)
How about a devout xian who wishes that gays were exterminated with a shot in the head or another convenient method. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Matt McLaughlin.
California can’t kill its "Kill the Gays" ballot measure.

  
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