Posted on 03/21/2015 6:37:10 AM PDT by Starman417
(CNN)The president whose major policy achievement is mandatory health insurance thinks maybe voting should be mandatory, too.Asked how to offset the influence of big money in politics, President Barack Obama suggested it's time to make voting a requirement.
"It would be transformative if everybody voted -- that would counteract money more than anything," he said, adding it was the first time he had shared the idea publicly.
The clout of millionaires and billionaires in campaign funding has been enormous, and many claim the uber wealthy have undue leverage in politics.
Speaking of "big money in politics", I live in Los Angeles- Santa Monica to be more precise- and I am sick of the number of times that President Obama (and VP Biden) have tied up traffic out here with their Democratic Party fund raising trips. They seem to stay and leave in the area where I must travel, at the time that I normally must travel. Consistently. Even though he wasn't golfing on taxpayer's dime this time around, this last frivolous trip (last week), the President had to make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to talk about mean tweets and Ferguson (*groan*) and fundraise at a DNC $33,400 dinner per couple event at Chris Silbermann's home in Santa Monica.
But I digress...
"The people who tend not to vote are young, they're lower income, they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups," Obama said. "There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls."
So young people- like high school and college age baristas?- should be made to influence the direction of this country? And immigrant and minority groups? What is an "immigrant group"?
At least 26 countries have compulsory voting, according to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Failure to vote is punishable by a fine in countries such as Australia and Belgium; if you fail to pay your fine in Belgium, you could go to prison.Aside from campaign finance issues, the United States also grapples with one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed countries.
Less than 37% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. That means about 144 million Americans -- more than the population of Russia -- skipped out.
I agree that it is a national embarrassment at how apathetic we are as a nation when it comes to voting; that so many of our citizenry take the privilege for granted. However, if a citizen has not familiarized himself with the issues or a politician's stance on the issues, do we really want to force that person to vote? Should he just toss a coin? Play eenie-meannie on the ballot?
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
What else should be made mandatory?
Everything that is not mandatory is illegal ...
Mandatory light bulbs... mandatory low-flow toilets... mandatory limits on showers in hotels... mandatory “volunteer” labor...
Low voter turnout is a GOOD thing!
It means that citizens are basically satisfied with their government. They are so satisfied and content that they are indifferent about its management.
Good one!
Half the people in the country have below average IQs. Would you want any business’s Board of Directors to have half their members with sub-normal IQs? University or hospital Board of Trustees? Your bank? Pilots? Why entrust the largest enterprise on earth to direction from a swarm of uniformed halfwits?
How about mandatory obey the law, especially if you’re the president!
Actually, mandatory voting may have resulted in no Obama. If the conservatives who opted to stay home had been required to vote, things may have turned out differently. Having said that, I don’t in any way support mandatory voting. Sitting out is actually a choice.
LOL. I need a little Weird AL this morning.
Isnt not voting...voting?
Your vote is your choice.. you can go in the booth and pick anybody.. or nobody... so to not vote is your vote for nobody....
Obama can’t play golf or take a vacation.
Obama can’t play golf or take a vacation.
If they can force you to buy health insurance, they can force you to vote.
Consider that mandatory insurance is sold as a way to lower the cost of insurance. What happens when you take a good and push demand to maximum while the supply stays the same?
Name them!? Which folks? How are they trying to stop folks from voting? Stop the demagoguery!
If they get this it will open so many doors to fraud that we may as well concede to dictatorship.
Now that you meantion it, last year he was a big fan of those who didn't vote....
Mandatory teaching and testing on the Constitution.
“....concede to dictatorship” Then the mandatory city wide call to prayer can’t be far behind.
Mandatory teaching and testing on the Constitution.
It can’t happen. This constitutional Lawyer has not yet figured out that there is no federal election in this country. Voting is a state issue not a federal law.
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