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Melissia wrote:

Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:

ShumaGorath wrote:I love the teaparty because it exposes the republican party for what it is. I also like how the landowner clause significantly reduces the voting power of elitest city dwellers while giving disproportionate voting power to farmers and backwoods isolationists.

Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:I am British and WHAT IS THIS

Shouldn't you be rioting?

I think you yanks probably would laugh heartily at what the British class as a "riot," just as you chuckle when we claim to be suffering from "snowstorms."

What you calla riot, we'd probably call a peaceful demonstration

Unless, of course, there's miners involved. Then things go nuts. I'm talking actual battles here.

ShumaGorath wrote:

Melissia wrote:

ShumaGorath wrote:

Melissia wrote:They should make it so that only those who serve in the U.S. military and veterans who have done so should be able to vote.

Yes, vets only, none of the other civil servants or college educated. Just the dudes that failed the entrance tests then went to the fallback of military service. As a disclaimer I know that there are plenty of smart people in the military, but having lived next to the largest NAS in the northeast for 23 years (it just closed down) I can tell you there are a lot of really fething stupid people in there too. A disproportionate number of them. As if going straight from highschool to a job where you do nothing but physically train and perform mundane repetitive tasks for several years doesn't build a high level of civic or cultural knowledge.

You're ruining the joke.

Your post history made me think it wasn't a joke. I apologize. Also I love that movie.

Meh. The book was better. It had nukes as a infantry-men's primary weapon

Stormrider wrote:As for repealing the 16th Amendment, didn't the 18th Amendment get repealed? Wasn't it bad policy? The 16th Amendment is worse. It's Marxsist.

Hahahahahaha!

That's just a great internet moment right there.

dogma wrote:Taxation is Marxist? What?

Actually, Stormrider said it was Marxsist. Which is probably what tipped it from being just another moment of internet craziness, and into great comedy.

I think everything would be better if the only people allowed to vote were female FPS gamers.

ShumaGorath wrote:Yes, vets only, none of the other civil servants or college educated. Just the dudes that failed the entrance tests then went to the fallback of military service. As a disclaimer I know that there are plenty of smart people in the military, but having lived next to the largest NAS in the northeast for 23 years (it just closed down) I can tell you there are a lot of really fething stupid people in there too. A disproportionate number of them. As if going straight from highschool to a job where you do nothing but physically train and perform mundane repetitive tasks for several years doesn't build a high level of civic or cultural knowledge.

As a veteran I really can't help but agree with the man.

Not that it applies to me though. I'm awesome.


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rubiksnoob wrote:I think everything would be better if the only people allowed to vote were female FPS gamers.

Why would she be out of the house?

The roast might burn.

Oh, I thought only veterinarians would be allowed to vote.

If I had my way it would be a felony to rob people the way veterinarians do, so they wouldn't be allowed to vote at all.

Monster Rain wrote:If I had my way it would be a felony to rob people the way veterinarians do, so they wouldn't be allowed to vote at all.

Get pet insurance, it's a crazy good bargain.

You have to have a 70's porn or super mario facial hair to vote. or be hung like a bull moose.

sexiest_hero wrote:You have to have a 70's porn or super mario facial hair to vote. or be hung like a bull moose.

I'm in on both counts.

The system works!

rubiksnoob wrote:I think everything would be better if the only people allowed to vote were female FPS gamers.

I for one welcome our new female FPS gamer overlords.

yeenoghu wrote:land = votes
but guns = land
so...
guns = votes! JOIN THE TEA PARTY AND YOU CAN VOTE BASED ON GUNS!

Now thats quality thinking.


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Kilkrazy wrote:They should make it so only people who can eat three shredded wheat for breakfast can vote.

Incorrect. Only people who have eaten chicken fried steak, barbeque, or queso within 10 days of the election should be able to vote. Its for the good of the nation.

Frazzled wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:They should make it so only people who can eat three shredded wheat for breakfast can vote.

Incorrect. Only people who have eaten chicken fried steak, barbeque, or queso within 10 days of the election should be able to vote. Its for the good of the nation.

Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

The Dreadnote wrote:Sharing weapons? That's communism!

It sounds a lot like capitalism: "Hey buy these weapons and in 10-15 years we promise not to invade you because your now deemed a threat to democracy..."

rubiksnoob wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:They should make it so only people who can eat three shredded wheat for breakfast can vote.

Incorrect. Only people who have eaten chicken fried steak, barbeque, or queso within 10 days of the election should be able to vote. Its for the good of the nation.

Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

Wait, you don't like chicken fried steak and barbeque? WHAT ARE YOU SOME SORT OF FREAAAAKKKK???

rubiksnoob wrote:Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

Why on earth would you scratch those?

Monster Rain wrote:

rubiksnoob wrote:Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

Why on earth would you scratch those?

To act as a voting block against the entire Southern United States....obviously.

FITZZ wrote:

Monster Rain wrote:

rubiksnoob wrote:Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

Why on earth would you scratch those?

To act as a voting block against the entire Southern United States....obviously.

Das racist!

Yeah, there may be a redneck or two in the south. There are some undesirable yankees as well. Like this guy.

Monster Rain wrote:

rubiksnoob wrote:Hmmm scratch the chicken fried steak and barbeque from that list and your good. Depends on the queso however.

Why on earth would you scratch those?

I straight up hate fried chicken, with the sole exception being chickfila chicken nuggets. And not a big steak guy, be it grilled, fried, what have you.

I'd prefer a nice big bowl of pasta.

Ahtman wrote:Oh, I thought only veterinarians would be allowed to vote.

As long as it's not those filthy paediatricians don't get to vote.

Maybe it could be restricted to the amount of airtime you have access to. In order for your opinion to count, you have to have a certain amount of airtime. The more airtime you have, the more your opinion counts for. Oh wait wait... never mind.

Monster Rain wrote:Why on earth would you scratch those?

Because they're itchy. Duh.

Only veterans vote? Ok Mr Starship Troopers.


Its a nice idea to think that service equates with increased civic sensibility, but its just not true.

It would be true if our enemies were ten feet tall and exploded in acid blood.

agroszkiewicz wrote:Only veterans vote? Ok Mr Starship Troopers.


Its a nice idea to think that service equates with increased civic sensibility, but its just not true.

It does more so than simply being born and having the wit to get to the polling station though, I would think.

Compromise: you have to be a veteran, but you also have to pass the US citizenship test.

What's in bold is always ignored in a debate about illegal immigrants

It's actually not ignored, and is precisely why it would work to run over the border, have a baby, and then say it's an American citizen.

If you're in the US, you're subject to the jurisdiction thereof. For example, if you commit a crime, you're subject to American law. There are a few exceptions, one of which is an invading army, but being an illegal immigrant is not one.

After all, how are you "illegal" if you're not subject to jurisdiction? It's the jurisdiction that makes you illegal.

I actually listened to part of an NPR show on this, before I got bored and made my friend paraphrase it to me. And, actually, I'm not sure it was NPR, but I figured dogma's ears would perk up if I said "NPR."

I am appalled that you insinuate that the American voting system is rigged to exclude minorities

Well, I actually am appalled by that insinuation. Minorities are not excluded. They're ignored or double counted to whatever extent the scumbags running things have polling implying they'll vote for them.

This is America, dude. Politicians could give a crap less about race, they want to win elections. They'd try to keep their OWN race away from the polls if that's what their tracking data suggested would work.

They'd hang a black guy from a tree to win. They'd pump him full of PCP and send him after their daughter then kiss the baby to win.

Race is nothing more than a section of a polling pie chart anymore.

The GOP appears to have been hijacked by religious zealots

Nah, that phase is passing. It's more about libertarian zealots now. There are some religious types in the Tea Party movement, but they're not really the dominant mentality. At its core it's a libertarian movement.

I love the teaparty because it exposes the republican party for what it is.

Except it doesn't... Well, I dunno, it does, but I'm pretty sure it's not in the way you think.

The Republican party is basically the Democratic party, but with a different color/logo. They both SUPER LOVE large corporations, they both SUPER LOVE being in DC, and chatting with lobbyists, and feeling glad on themselves, and being status quo douchebags.

The Tea Party is exposing them as being that.

They expose them as being that because the Tea Party is totally NOT that, and the Republicans get all panicky when it sounds like somebody wants to ACTUALLY reduce the size of government, as opposed to just talking about it to get votes. The Republicans want to have plenty of money to use to bribe their way through each election cycle, just like the Democrats do.

In that way, the Tea Party is a very logical reaction to Obama. Obama and his crew are way left of the Democrats, and want to do things that upset the status quo. The Tea Party is way right of the Republicans, and they want something similar. Basically we had decades of pro-corporate middle of the roaders, and then Obama came along and started rocking the boat around, and everyone on the other side noticed splashing and started yelling.

So, in conclusion I think we should literally just have people pay for votes. However much money you want to kick in, wonderful, that dollar amount is multiplied by your vote. Maybe we could do a little progressive scale, just for fun. Honestly, why not? Why not be literal about how your system works?

I wouldn't know, I'm adopted and love my REAL parents

Left in a bascinet in front of a Sororitas chapel...

Phryxis wrote:And, actually, I'm not sure it was NPR, but I figured dogma's ears would perk up if I said "NPR."

I've never actually listened to NPR.

Phryxis wrote:
Well, I actually am appalled by that insinuation. Minorities are not excluded. They're ignored or double counted to whatever extent the scumbags running things have polling implying they'll vote for them.

This is actually what I was implying. Well, that, and that the franchise is ultimately about getting people to consent to being governed, not about producing an effective government.

Phryxis wrote:
They expose them as being that because the Tea Party is totally NOT that and the Republicans get all panicky when it sounds like somebody wants to ACTUALLY reduce the size of government, as opposed to just talking about it to get votes.

I think that the Tea Party, as made manifest within the electorate actually want to reduce the size of the government, but whether or not the actual elected officials affiliated with the Tea Party are the same way is yet to be seen.

Phryxis wrote:Well, I actually am appalled by that insinuation. Minorities are not excluded. They're ignored or double counted to whatever extent the scumbags running things have polling implying they'll vote for them.

This is America, dude. Politicians could give a crap less about race, they want to win elections. They'd try to keep their OWN race away from the polls if that's what their tracking data suggested would work.

They'd hang a black guy from a tree to win. They'd pump him full of PCP and send him after their daughter then kiss the baby to win.

Race is nothing more than a section of a polling pie chart anymore.

You assume there has to be some kind of racist intent in order for there to be a problem, when there doesn't. Voter suppression isn't done out of racism, but out of a knowledge that black voters are more likely to vote Democrat. The effect is the same though.

And that isn't to imply the Republicans are somehow the only ones engaging in poor electoral behaviour. It's just that on the issue of minorities, the Democrats are encouraged to run get out the vote campaigns because they typically vote Democrat, while the Republicans are encouraged to run voter suppression for the very same reason.

The important thing is to think long and hard about the amount of influence the parties have in writing the rules of the game, and how this might be a problem in protecting people's democratic rights.

Phryxis wrote:Except it doesn't... Well, I dunno, it does, but I'm pretty sure it's not in the way you think.

The Republican party is basically the Democratic party, but with a different color/logo. They both SUPER LOVE large corporations, they both SUPER LOVE being in DC, and chatting with lobbyists, and feeling glad on themselves, and being status quo douchebags.

The Tea Party is exposing them as being that.

They expose them as being that because the Tea Party is totally NOT that, and the Republicans get all panicky when it sounds like somebody wants to ACTUALLY reduce the size of government, as opposed to just talking about it to get votes. The Republicans want to have plenty of money to use to bribe their way through each election cycle, just like the Democrats do.

Dude, that gets exposed every time the Republicans win office. People then proceed to not care, or stop voting only to forget when the Republicans lose office and go straight back to voting for them again. A handful of reactionaries isn't going to change any of that.

In that way, the Tea Party is a very logical reaction to Obama. Obama and his crew are way left of the Democrats, and want to do things that upset the status quo. The Tea Party is way right of the Republicans, and they want something similar. Basically we had decades of pro-corporate middle of the roaders, and then Obama came along and started rocking the boat around, and everyone on the other side noticed splashing and started yelling.

Obama is simply not as leftwing as you claim. He's on the leftwing of the Democrats, but nowhere near the fringe.


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dogma wrote:I've never actually listened to NPR.

You should, it's pretty good. The political stuff is alright, but despite their best intentions it is limited by the format - you can't really do in-depth reporting on the radio. The slice of life stuff and the range of interviews they do are really good though.

Monster Rain wrote:

agroszkiewicz wrote:Only veterans vote? Ok Mr Starship Troopers.


Its a nice idea to think that service equates with increased civic sensibility, but its just not true.

It does more so than simply being born and having the wit to get to the polling station though, I would think.

You would, but I remember reading a few studies that showed otherwise. I'll poke around and see if I can find em.