Actually, our system is potentially set up to make the 3rd parties the most powerful. Not directly in the elections, but in the congressional balance. With the two major parties so closely balanced in recent years, the swing votes are the votes of power.
Personally, I'd like to see the enire party system abolished and people voted in on their individual merits, not on some label and pot of money. -Kevin Graeme > -----Original Message----- > From: Larry Lyons [mailto:llyons@;ebstor.com] > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 2:05 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Don't VOTE!!!!! > > > I agree, but in the current system I do not think it would happen. The > system is not structured to accommodate 3rd parties. You cannot have a > minority government as you can in a parliamentary system. That's where the > governing party doesn't have a majority in parliament, and can be defeated > by a combination of the opposition parties. However one advantage is that > the ruling party tends to pay very close attention to what the 3rd parties > want, and may act accordingly. If I remember right that's why Canada was > able to pass national Medicare and a very comprehensive unemployment > insurance program over 30 years ago. The Liberals at the time were in a > minority situation, and the NDP (a socialist party) gave the national > Medicare and UIC as the price for their support. Both were passed very > quickly. > > larry > > -- > Larry C. Lyons > ColdFusion/Web Developer > Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer > EBStor.com > 8870 Rixlew Lane, Suite 204 > Manassas, Virginia 20109-3795 > tel: (703) 393-7930 > fax: (703) 393-2659 > Web: http://www.ebstor.com > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done. > -- > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Timothy Heald [mailto:healdt@;dsmail.state.gov] > > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 2:47 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: RE: Don't VOTE!!!!! > > > > > > I really wish this was a true multi party system. > > > > Tim > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Larry Lyons [mailto:llyons@;ebstor.com] > > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 2:45 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: RE: Don't VOTE!!!!! > > > > > > no they don't want democrats, the poor or minority groups to > > vote in any > > sort of significant number. > > > > larry > > > > -- > > Larry C. Lyons > > ColdFusion/Web Developer > > Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer > > EBStor.com > > 8870 Rixlew Lane, Suite 204 > > Manassas, Virginia 20109-3795 > > tel: (703) 393-7930 > > fax: (703) 393-2659 > > Web: http://www.ebstor.com > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done. > > -- > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Kevin Schmidt [mailto:schmidt@;hungrycow.com] > > > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 2:37 PM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: Re: Don't VOTE!!!!! > > > > > > > > > Adam, > > > > > > I hope you don't honestly believe that the President and Vice > > > President and > > > other members of the administration don't want people voting. > > > > > > Kevin > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Cantrell, Adam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 1:05 PM > > > Subject: Don't VOTE!!!!! > > > > > > > > > > Dear friend, > > > > > > > > On behalf of Shell, Mobil, and Exxon; Boeing, > > > Lockheed-Martin, and GE; all > > > > the Enrons, Halliburtons, and Harkens; President Bush, Vice > > > President > > > > Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and the other CEOs of the Cabinet; > > > and thousands > > > of > > > > us who are working for a better life for the wealthiest > > > Americans, we have > > > > one simple request: Could you please just stay home tomorrow? > > > > > > > > See, we have things to do. Nations to invade. Wetlands to > > > destroy. Oil to > > > > drill. Courts to pack. Corporate taxes to cut. > > > > > > > > What's frustrating for us is that we're coming up against > > > some pretty > > > stiff > > > > resistance. We've spent hundreds of millions of dollars to > > > secure the > > > > Senate, but it looks like we just may lose it. Heck, we may > > > even lose the > > > > House. We don't quite get what it is about our agenda that > > > you people > > > don't > > > > like, but it's clear that this time, you may be upset > > > enough to actually > > > do > > > > something about it. > > > > > > > > That's why we're writing this message to you today. Please > > > don't vote. Ask > > > > your friends not to vote. What could the harm be in sitting > > > this round > > > out? > > > > If you could just stay home on Election Day, we can get > > back to the > > > > important business of running the nation for you, and we > > > won't have to > > > > bother you again. > > > > > > > > Thank you, > > > > The Executive Committee Against Uppity Citizens > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm
