On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 10:29 AM, Scott Stroz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I would say it is covered under freedom of speech/expression. Some choose > (knowingly or not) to express themselves by not giving a shit. > > I would argue that one way to 'give back to the country' would be to vote. > Would you be OK with the government mandating everyone vote? >
No, but not because I think the idea is wrong, but rather because I don't think it would help the country in the slightest. The problem with voting isn't the number of people doing it, it is the thought they've put into it. I always have a dilemma when I get down to very poorly known elected offices on my ballot. This year there was some surprising competition for the Soil and Water Conservation district board seats. Now I have no clue who these guys were. I read through the voters pamphlet and gleaned at least that much information about each of them. But should I vote for the sake of voting when I don't really know what/who I am voting for? Are the odds that I'm going to make things better or worse by voting with low information that good? I don't know. It'd a dilemma. Unless a really striking difference hits me in the positions in the pamphlet, I tend to skip the race and hope it is decided by people with more direct knowledge than I. Civic service, on the other hand, benefits the country even if it doesn't have an effect on the person involved giving a shit. If a person doesn't care about the community at large and is going to do just enough to get by and then blow it off, never to return, those trees they plant still are beneficial. It would also be great if the person learned a little something in the process (and that is my primary hope) but the act itself is beneficial apart from the lesson. And that what makes the situation quite different than mandatory voting. Judah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:279678 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
