Forwarded message:

Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 11:00:10 -0500 From: Petro <petro@playboy.com> Subject: Re: Who Cares (fwd)

While I won't deny that some of the people who don't vote are in the position you claim they are, their not voting has nothing to do with their economic position, it has to do with the facts that:

Many of the people are in that situation. Most people don't vote for two reasons: 1. It won't significantly effect their lives one way or the other 2. They don't have time, or at least don't believe they have time.

1) This is a mid-term election. Since it isn't a presidential election, fewer really care to research the issues (which are fewer).

Yeah, why? (hint: see 1.)

2) We are currently in decent economic times, and as Terry Pratchet noted on Men At Arms, (paraphrasing here) Most people don't really care about democrazy, Equal Rights, or any of that, they just want tomorrow to be exactly like today.

Then Terry Pratchet is an idiot. People don't want it to stay the same, they want it to get better. They want more money, a bigger house, better clothes, a cooler car, etc. If you and Terry seriously don't believe folks understand democracy (though they may not act the way you want them to in expressing it) then you should spend some time talking to people and askign them how much they would take to get rid of the Constitution, allow cops to wander through their homes at will, etc. You're both in for a very rude surprise.

3) As Jimmy notes, there usually isn't much of a difference between one canidate and the other (outside of the Natural Law types), and those canidates who _are_ different (Libertarians, Socialists &etc. ("reform" types don't count, they really are for making tomorrow just like yesterday & today, only they ADMIT it for the most part)) either don't get enough votes to challenge the status quo, or if there is an issue that will challenge the status quo, the number of voters tends to increase (to varying degrees).

True, though I'd say the reason that we don't have a more diverse political venue is because we don't have proportional seating in the various houses. That was a fundamental fault with the founding fathers, they misunderstood the homogeneity of peoples view. Of course they didn't have a clue about television and such causing a global homogeniety. But then again, that is our cross to bear in living up to 'a more perfect union'. The one unifying aspect that amazes me about many of you folks on this mailing list is your complete lack of understanding of your own duty and responsibilities in this government. You bitch and bitch and yammer about what's wrong but you have no desire to fix it, your so focused on initiating violence it's pathetic. When the Constitutuion was written the job was just begun, it wasn't finished as you seem to imply. ____________________________________________________________________ To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice. Confucius The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------