Don't vote? Don't complain: Not a political thread

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This past Tuesday, we had elections throughout our country.
In Ohio, only about a quarter of those eligible to vote bothered to cast ballots.
Complaining about voted tax levies, ballot initiatives and elected officials is universal.
Voting never is and even contentious presidential races barely attract more than half of those who could vote.
I don't think that we have the privilege of complaining while not bothering to exercise the franchise.
I'd like to have a bumper sticker reading "Don't vote? Don't complain."
I intend this thread as an observation of apathetic behavior and not to be political.
I find it sad that rights many fought and died for mean so little to so many of us.
 
I did not vote in the last Presidential Election. Very much wanted to. I had my ballot ready. My lower back went out that morning and I was laid up for a couple of days. My wife voted. I still have a right to complain even if I didn't vote. No way I could have dragged myself into the car. Do any towns do door-to-door absentee ballots on short notice?

Voted in our town election on Tuesday. Out of a dozen or so "races," only 2 of them required a choice on your part. In the other 10 "races" there was no opposition...or there were 3 people running for 3 slots. They could have just shortened the ballot to 2 things.
 
I am sorry but when both sides are corrupt, self serving, and not worthy of voting for it makes it all too easy to say, "to you know what with them all." There are times where this is the case and people know it is a non winning game at the end of the day. A great founder of this republic talked about the danger of "parties". He was more than correct in his assessment of that circumstance.
We are living in a propped up "Gilded Age" where eventually it will all come crashing down. A time not to long ago people "in the know" knew full well things were not as they appeared. When Bear Sterns went bankrupt seemingly overnight was just the first inkling something was not just right. However, even a yr before there was yet another sign "something" was greatly amiss. Receiving a government check to "stimulate" the economy troubled me greatly. That told me.... Those crooked people in the capital of this republic knew things were not right or what they had tried to make it appear to be. BOTH sides had their HAND PRINTS all over what was to come and what happened. Good, bad or indifferent things the last 8 years have been handled in a similar fashion. We have been lied to the ENTIRE time. And we are continuing to be lied to. Doesn't matter if it's a big eared, non basketball playing fool or it's a fake tanned, hair combed over fool.... We the people in this republic are being lied to. Those people who have been "elected" to office live by a separate set of rules and laws than the people they supposedly "represent". They also profit from being in their positions, are fully aware of what's really going on and can inoculate themselves from their stupid laws and regulations they enact. This phenomenon is nothing new because it has been progressively getting worse for the last 5 plus decades. It is starting to get to the point where enough damage has been done that people are starting to realize that their nation has been hollowed out, sold to the lowest bidder, and that no one truly has been "representing" the people's true interest.

Having stated all of that, I can understand why a good percentage of people are apathetic about voting. I am not saying it is right or good. It is not. But it sure is understandable to a large degree as well. There have been a number of times where I have voted in a "protest" manner. Where I cannot and will not support either main party's extremely poor "choice". This republic is a wooden structure that is rotting with a gold covering on the outside. It is a matter of time before it finally breaks apart. Unless there are massive changes made that have substantiative and meaningful results for the people of this republic. I really wonder if that will happen.
 
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I have always voted but people have a right to gripe and complain whether they vote or not. I have always heard that phrase of if you don't vote you don't have the right to complain. Don't buy into that [censored]. It is called freedom to voice your opinion.
 
Policy matters, whether one is considering a candidate, a ballot initiative or a tax levy.
I can give numerous examples of exactly how any of the above choices had serious policy implications, for good or for ill.
If anyone would like to see a few clear examples of each, PM me since I don't intend to turn this into a political thread.
It is the apathy of voters that brings uncontested races for elected positions as well as what may appear to be a lack of any real distinction between any two candidates.
If voters were more engaged, elections would be more competitive.
Never forget that elections do matter. If they didn't, then money wouldn't be the mother's milk of politics, as was so famously said so many decades ago.
 
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Not that I can vote in your great country but in general... When the choices are better and not a scam on both sides of the leading parties then maybe I will bother devoting my time. Nothing changes but the debt and the amount they take from me and it seems to be that way in every developed country on the planet and it's all because of turkeys that keep voting the same leading parties back in and flip-flopping between them thinking that this time it will be different and these parties know this! I'm waiting for the general populous to either wake up or for things to get so bad a massive reset happens. Unfortunately I think it will be the latter. In the meantime I will continue to get ahead living below my means and multiplying my wealth with smart investments and planning ahead in case a massive collapse is around the corner.
 
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The logic is this.. if you vote and they do a bad job you should complain to them to hold them to their word. If you dont vote, why complain? Unless you plan to run yourself, I think you should. Obviously having to get to a polling station might be a challenge for some, but if you are able bodied, why not vote? Okay sure, both sides are corrupt, well still not a reason not to vote.. but to each their own I guess.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I did not vote in the last Presidential Election. Very much wanted to. I had my ballot ready. My lower back went out that morning and I was laid up for a couple of days. My wife voted. I still have a right to complain even if I didn't vote. No way I could have dragged myself into the car. Do any towns do door-to-door absentee ballots on short notice?


They should have a "voting holiday/ weekend" where the polls all stop simultaneously across all time zones. Let the working man get in, and without the stigma (?) of an absentee ballot.

These "off season" elections are strategically targeted by those who want low voter turnout, as "their guys" still crawl through fire to come in regardless. You see some interesting stuff come out, and I still make sure to make it.
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To be perfectly honest with you fdcg27... I do agree with your thinking and analysis here. I agree with your first post here.

I just think there are rationales why people are not involved with it all. And that I see and can understand why they may not do what they should do.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I did not vote in the last Presidential Election. Very much wanted to. I had my ballot ready. My lower back went out that morning and I was laid up for a couple of days. My wife voted. I still have a right to complain even if I didn't vote. No way I could have dragged myself into the car. Do any towns do door-to-door absentee ballots on short notice?

Voted in our town election on Tuesday. Out of a dozen or so "races," only 2 of them required a choice on your part. In the other 10 "races" there was no opposition...or there were 3 people running for 3 slots. They could have just shortened the ballot to 2 things.


Back pain is the worst. Got 3 blown discs, a 1/2 smashed vertebrae, spinal stenosis and osteo-arthritis. I live with chronic pain everyday but I'm glad I was able to walk after an injury 5 years ago where they told me I would be pushing a walker forever at best. NOPE!
 
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Blockchain based online voting would bring voting up to 21st century standards. Public ledger, vote from a mobile device or a PC, and 1 citizen = 1 vote.
 
In our last election, because it was young people against old farts, they were hoping for a ''youthquake'', get all those young people voting. A lot more young voters got out to vote, but not the numbers they were hoping for. When I was young in the '60's and '70's, it was all about revolution and change, and we voted to help bring about change. Young people are so apathetic now, they have even lost hope.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Blockchain based online voting would bring voting up to 21st century standards. Public ledger, vote from a mobile device or a PC, and 1 citizen = 1 vote.


If by 21st century standards, you mean network outages, corrupted networks and lost information (votes), then you're right.
Voting in most states is just so darn easy these days, with no-fault absentee ballots and early voting that I see little reason for anyone not to exercise their right to vote.
When I voted Tuesday morning before heading to work, there were more poll workers on site than voters and there was a vast array of barely used voting machines.
No hardship for anyone responsible enough to vote, and it is a matter of personal responsibility.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Young folks voting for hope and change are in for a rude awakening...


I seen a poll recently that showed that young Americans admire Mao and Stalin....the school system is really doing a good job at brainwashing our youth....
 
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