Voting, should it really be for everybody?

[Revoltingest]

The problem arises when the best possible leader doesn't run.
Many years I wanted to vote none of the above.

I belive the system of electors and gerrymandering districts is the problem that needs to be resolved. Elected officials should not be able to set up there own territories to insure election.

How to do it I don't know.

"At large" elections for reps could work.
Plurality-at-large voting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Reptillian]

The problem arises when the best possible leader doesn't run.
Many years I wanted to vote none of the above.

I belive the system of electors and gerrymandering districts is the problem that needs to be resolved. Elected officials should not be able to set up there own territories to insure election.

How to do it I don't know.

Ideally you don't want any individual to lead at all as power should be shared among the citizens. The elected officials should be there to implement laws and serve the interests of the public. They should be there to get things done and be public servants...when the people say "jump", those elected officials should say, "how high sir?"

 

[Reptillian]

"At large" elections for reps could work.
Plurality-at-large voting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It would be interesting to try this and see how well it works. Seems like a decent idea.

 

[Revoltingest]

Ideally you don't want any individual to lead at all as power should be shared among the citizens. The elected officials should be there to implement laws and serve the interests of the public. They should be there to get things done and be public servants...when the people say "jump", those elected officials should say, "how high sir?"

I think your idea of a solution is what I call the problem. Politicians are too responsive to voters. They constantly poll the electorate,
ready to bend with whichever way the wind is blowing, even if it means treading on the Constitution. They love being in office, spending,
& wielding power...& they stay there by pandering to voters, who can't even agree on what it is that they want.

Tis time to give up self-government, & submit to the will of our reptillian masters. To them I say, come out of your disguises!
Stop merely observing & manipulating us from behind the scenes. No longer should you skulk among us wearing faux human
skin. Embrace your greatness! Come to the fore, & lead us to a better world.

 

[Panda]

The major problem — one of the major problems, for there are several — one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.
To summarize: it is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.

Mr Douglas Adams on who we let lead us.

I think ideally a country would be led by a sort of benevolent dictator who was not concerned with power but instead was concerned with the well being of the populous.

 

[HonestJoe]

Clearly anyone who wishes to prevent other people from voting shouldn't be allowed to themselves.

 

[Revoltingest]

Mr Douglas Adams on who we let lead us.

I think ideally a country would be led by a sort of benevolent dictator who was not concerned with power but instead was concerned with the well being of the populous.

In Harrison Bergeron, the Vonnegut story, the president is chosen at random from the populace.
It worked out pretty well in the story. Time to try it for real?

 

[Nerthus]

Clearly anyone who wishes to prevent other people from voting shouldn't be allowed to themselves.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[Revoltingest]

Clearly anyone who wishes to prevent other people from voting shouldn't be allowed to themselves.

Since you ventured the opinion about who shouldn't vote, that would prevent you from voting too.
Same for you, Nerthus!

 

[Nerthus]

Since you ventured the opinion about who shouldn't vote, that would prevent you from voting too.
Same for you, Nerthus!

If you took it that way.

 

[Revoltingest]

If you took it that way.

Tis a logical consequence of Joe's statement.
No loss in my case anyway....my vote has never mattered.

 

[HonestJoe]

Since you ventured the opinion about who shouldn't vote, that would prevent you from voting too.

A working knowledge of comic irony would be a requirement too.

 

[Nerthus]

Tis a logical consequence of Joe's statement.
No loss in my case anyway....my vote has never mattered.

I saw it more as if you try to restrict others actions, you also lose out - so, for that not to happen - you don't prevent anyone else doing something.

I guess you didn't take it that way.

A working knowledge of comic irony would be a requirement too.

I always say things like that to people, so I think I took your post in the right way, although I'm so cold I might be in my own world on this!

 

[Reptillian]

Tis time to give up self-government, & submit to the will of our reptillian masters. To them I say, come out of your disguises!
Stop merely observing & manipulating us from behind the scenes. No longer should you skulk among us wearing faux human
skin. Embrace your greatness! Come to the fore, & lead us to a better world.

Marge: I don't understand why we have to build a ray gun to aim at a planet I never even heard of.
Homer: Don't blame me: I voted for Kodos.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

It doesn't really matter. Voting is the illusion of choice. Might as well flip a coin. If you want real choice, go to the grocery store. Just look at how many cereals you have to choose from.

 

[Revoltingest]

I said "reptilian", not "Rigillian"!

 

[dressale]

For instance, if you think the key point of voting is to legitimatize the government, then you would probably want to extend the franchise to as many citizens as possible. On the other hand, if you think the key purpose of voting is to select the best possible leaders, then perhaps you will want to limit the franchise to folks who have IQs over 140 and pass a test for decent ethics. And if you think the key purpose of voting is to create a representative government -- a government that represents the interests of the people -- then you might have some other set of qualifications for your voters. So, in your opinion, what is the key purpose of voting?

 

[Antibush5]

For instance, if you think the key point of voting is to legitimatize the government, then you would probably want to extend the franchise to as many citizens as possible. On the other hand, if you think the key purpose of voting is to select the best possible leaders, then perhaps you will want to limit the franchise to folks who have IQs over 140 and pass a test for decent ethics. And if you think the key purpose of voting is to create a representative government -- a government that represents the interests of the people -- then you might have some other set of qualifications for your voters. So, in your opinion, what is the key purpose of voting?

As I said before, selecting the best candidate, I don't care about "the people", well in a way I do, I want them to be happy, but do I think they should have the right to vote? No.

 

[Noel]

Agreed (except for the last part)

 

[dantech]

These people should be the first to vote:
@Revoltingest is actually one of them, could you guess which one?