> No, it isn't.
> In a true democracy, one has the right to abstain.
> 
> IMO that a good democracy doesn't need strong feelings: many dictators go to
> power with a strong vote with a strong turnout, while one of the major
> democracies of the world, the US, doen't surely have one of the highest
> turnouts.
> 

For the record, technically the US is a democratic republic and not a
"Democracy".  The low turnout in part reflects that.  We vote *against*
things not for them.  Hence our representatives try to say next to
nothing that they could get voted against on.  (this isn't unpatriotic
or a complaint, its just facts).  As a test of this, be an incumbent and
run on something that people are against, make a racist comment or
something...you'll find your opponent does really well.  

For example.  I did vote in the last presidential election, but it made
little sense to do so.  The electoral votes in North Carolina were
decided LONG before I cast my ballet.  So in a sense, when it came to
actually picking the man, my vote actually did not count.  (You vote for
your states electors, the electors vote for the president...so if your
electors vote for the other guy...well your vote meant nothing on the
scale of things...if you don't win...your issues have to wait till next
time)

>From my understanding, in most European parliamentary democracies,
generally you vote for more issue-oriented parties.  Even if you "loose"
you take a certain number of seats.  So it makes sense to vote
regardless of whether its going to be a landslide.

But as far as I know Jakarta is not a democracy...its a meritocracy. 

-Andy

> Just my 2euros.
> 
> --
> Nicola Ken Barozzi                   [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>             - verba volant, scripta manent -
>    (discussions get forgotten, just code remains)
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