Let's Vote... On Everything!

CBS News ^ | Feb. 18, 2007 | Andy Rooney

[presidio9]

We like to think we have a democracy in this country, and we do, but we don’t vote on every issue. Our elected officials do that for us. We don’t always agree with them, of course.

For example, we didn’t vote to go to war in Iraq. We elected our leader, George W. Bush, and he and his advisers decided that was the right thing to do. If it had been put to a vote, we probably wouldn’t be there now.

It would be interesting if we all voted on the issues that come up before Congress.

For example, how would you vote on these things if you had the chance?

Iraq: Take all of our troops out of there immediately. Yes or no.

Where would you stand on this: Double the number of soldiers we have in Iraq so we can win the war in a hurry and get out. Yes, or no.

Next question: Of the 1.4 million soldiers and sailors we have in the U.S. Army and Navy, 325,000 are stationed outside the United States. Do you know what they’re all doing out there? If we brought them all back home and then reduced our military by half, that would save us about $220 billion. That’s about $700 for each of us. If you got the money in cash, would you vote for it? Yes or no?

Immigration: Last year about 700,000 legal immigrants were admitted to the United States. Legal not illegal, we don't need more people and we should stop all immigration now. Agree or disagree?

Pennies: There are now 140 billion pennies in circulation and you can't buy much of anything with one penny. Should we stop making pennies? Yes or no.

IQ: Every American should have to take an IQ test. Anyone who scored under 80 would be considered too dumb to vote. Yes or no?

I wish we could all vote on everything, but I know it's not practical. I don’t think it's unreasonable, though, for us to expect both Congress and the president to find out what we do think and to pay attention to that.

Maybe we don’t vote often enough. We only vote for who'll be president once every four years. That's a long time if we get a bad one. Agree or disagree?

[wny]

Get all left-wing blowhards off the public airwaves. yes or no?

[libertarianPA]

We live in a republic, not a democracy.

[RexBeach]

It's a republic, Andy!

[Cementjungle]

IQ: Every American should have to take an IQ test. Anyone who scored under 80 would be considered too dumb to vote. Yes or no?

I like that one!

[oldleft]

Some one was actually paid to write this crap?

[AU72]

Rooney gives seasoned seniors a bad name.

[Verbosus]

Lets vote on if we should keep Andy Rooney on TV or send
him off to another country.

[Rockitz]

IQ: Every American should have to take an IQ test. Anyone who scored under 80 would be considered too dumb to vote. Yes or no?

The Dems would lose 80% of their constituency.

[AngryJawa]

We live in a republic, not a democracy.

Someone alert the President of this fact. I'm sick of hearing it in his speeches. He should know better.

[P-40]

It would be interesting if we all voted on the issues that come up before Congress.

I would say that your average American who watches the nightly news would have knowledge of less than one percent of what is going on in Washington. Would you really want each of us to be voting on things we know little about?

[DustyMoment]

Wow. Has anyone actually checked to see if he's really still breathing . . . . or is this just the hateful reflex action of a body that's been dead for the past 7 years??

[rhombus]

For example, we didn’t vote to go to war in Iraq. We elected our leader, George W. Bush, and he and his advisers decided that was the right thing to do. If it had been put to a vote, we probably wouldn’t be there now.

I challenge that statement. Andy has been hanging out at too many cocktail parties with people just like him.

[MPJackal]

"Every American should have to take an IQ test."

I might go for every voter take a civics test to prove they actually understand the government they plan to influence.

[presidio9]

Certainly Andy doesn't write for himself anymore. Do you think he even reads his diatribe before he goes on the air, or does he read it for the first time off the teleprompter?

[DustyMoment]

Would you really want each of us to be voting on things we know little about?

How would it differ from the political situation as it currently exists?

[SMARTY]

What he proposes is government for dummies. The idea is to LISTEN to candidates, know the issues, comprehend history and form an educated view on the individual whose personal, professional, political and moral position will best represent you (Mr. John Q. Public) to the world.

Unfortunately, American voters like their information pre masticated by the MSM and have to have ideas handed to to them pre fab and neatly compartmentalized.... as if the world and reality ACTUALLY work like that. Lazy idiots.

[Always Right]

Pennies: There are now 140 billion pennies in circulation and you can't buy much of anything with one penny. Should we stop making pennies? Yes or no.

Pennies have been worthless for a decade. Nickles and dimes are virtually now even worthless. Oh sure, they are fun to put in a big jar and collect, but they all could be eliminated.

[syriacus]

We like to think we have a democracy in this country, and we do...

Andy would like to think we have a democracy in this country, and we don't...

[presidio9]

For example, we didn’t vote to go to war in Iraq. We elected our leader, George W. Bush, and he and his advisers decided that was the right thing to do.

Not the way it went down at all Andy. Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and the rest of congress that we voted for voted to give the president the authorization to go to war at a time when going to war was pretty much a done deal. The President didn't just wake up one morning and decide to go to war all by himself.