While I have received many great comments on my "voting" piece, I failed to get the real intent across. Most focused on giving up the right to vote however my intent was to focus on our choices. From all I've heard back, together with media info, Obama seems to have a lot of momentum yet just as many people said they would vote for Obama as a vote against McCain or Hillary - this is the real point.
When our vote becomes a "lesser of two evils" vote or even an "against" vote, we are still not choosing greatness. Why are we short of great leaders? Obama might be ok but what scares me as much as anything is when people get on the "kool aid". Right now I believe many people are on the Obama kool aid and don't really know much about him. Most likely most people will never take the time to find out. Kool aid tastes so good!
Anyway in the midst of this a friend sends me the article below regarding voting so now I'm really confused...
A vote against voting in Pakistan
By Imran Khan
February 17, 2008
ISLAMABAD
As Pakistan gears up for its parliamentary election tomorrow, many observers hope that the vote will usher in a period of stability and calm by lending popular legitimacy to the government.
But sometimes democracy is best served by refusing to participate. Tomorrow's election, to be held under the illegal Provisional Constitutional Order implemented following President Pervez Musharraf's state of emergency declaration on Nov. 3, 2007, is such a case, which is why my party and its coalition partners are boycotting the vote….
….So it is a shock to us that the U.S. State Department keeps talking about free and fair elections and abolishing the state of emergency, but without mentioning the reinstatement of the judges – including the chief justice of the Supreme Court – that Musharraf illegally dismissed. If the judges are not reinstated, how can there be free and fair elections? Who decides what is free and fair? Musharraf? …
….Unfortunately, most of the political parties have failed to stand up for the democratic process. Major parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) have decided to participate, following the lead of the late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. And, of all the major parties that are contesting the election, only the Nawaz is demanding reinstatement of the judges. …
….The solution to dysfunctional democracy is not military dictatorship, but more democracy. Pakistanis understand democracy, because we have a democratic culture. Our founder was a great constitutionalist, and Pakistan came into being through the vote. The problem has been that because we have lacked an independent judiciary, we have not had an independent election commission, so all our elections, except for one in 1970, have been rigged.
India, with which Pakistan shares a similar background, went through 40 years of dysfunctional democracy with a one-party system. But in the last 16 years, it has begun to reap the fruits of genuine democratic competition, because an independent judiciary and electoral commission give people confidence that their votes can make a difference. Until we have the same in Pakistan, no election can be free and fair. …….
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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5 comments:
Took the time to read your blog post Ned. You are right in every way. The party system must be abolished. The last time we had an election between two qualified people is probably 1996. Although, there were better candidates, at least there was less rhetoric and more action plans espoused. The glaring example of our failed democracy is the 2004 election. 300 million people in this country and all the democrats could come up with was John Kerry? I thought that guy was awful back in the 80's when I couldn't even vote. His only purpose was to lose the election so Hilary could ostensibly sail into the white house in '08. If she really believed we needed a new direction she would have run in '04. She was more interested in political strategy than doing what she thought was right. That is why there is a vote against Hilary. She is not for this country, she does things only for herself interest. There is no woman that holds the military in more disdain than her, yet she worked her way onto the armed services committee and worked vigorously to wash off the awful things she did as first lady. I could get you in touch with some people who would tell you the horrific way she treated even the Marines who protected her at Camp David and flew her helicopter. Let alone the young kids in the field dying for the wars her husband sent us off to fight without adequate support. She is the Antichrist. Yet I digress.
I agree we have a huge problem with the 2 party system, however if we don’t vote that would be exactly what these guys want.
Then only their friends and family would vote, while they continued to take our tax dollars to fund the whole mess.
Once again I feel compelled to vote for the better candidate (which still may fall short of great). As previously voiced, I believe our entire campaign system must be reformed to move it beyond a fundraising/ popularity contest. But let's not overlook the fact that you are entirely correct that our candidates our indebted the moment they step into their role and then again there is the (most likely) fact that our vote counting systems are tampered with anyway.
Yes, there is MUCH that needs to be overhauled in our country. I would like to feel proud of our country but too often I am ashamed of our behavior on the world platform as well as how we treat (or simply do not assist in any way) the many on our own shores who are struggling.
And why are so many struggling to simply keep their heads above water? People who are bright, hard working indidviduals with integrity who are are beaten over the head w/ ridiculous taxes that feed the war machine and cushy contracts for the governmental brotherhood. Why does medical insurance feel like a luxury?
A long rant but I too am bothered by the inequity I see on a daily basis. I deal with people's finances and the challenges I see most working people face seem like they could be greatly lessened if certain areas, particularly our tax, insurance and health care systems, could make a little more sense; perhaps they could be viewed as necessary services for each and every person? Is that not America anymore?
Melanie
San Diego/ Santa Barbara and points in between
Today if you asked me, I'm voting for Obabma.
Yeah my taxes are going to get raised (which I hate) and yeah we'll get more governament (which I hate), but Alexis De Toqueville stated in "Democracy in America" (which I was forced to read in college) that our sytem works best when it is slow. We need a new administration to slow down the wheels and policies of the last administration. I think if every four years we changed out Dems for Repubs and vice versa (no matter who the principals are), we'd plod a fairly accurate course for our nation.
love you dad
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