Electile Dysfunction (Current students plz look!)

[CaptainHenreh]

Hey Kids!

Yes, I said kids. I'm 33 goddam years old, and most of you current students is just weeeee babies in my eyes. All bright and hopeful, too young yet for the world to have made you a bitter and cynical old alumni.

Anyhoo for at least for a lot of you this will be the first time you get to vote for president! Participating in the democratic process is pretty dope, and not a lot of people in the world get to do it! So while I'm not gonna launch into any civil obligation tirade (you do want you want, free country and all) I would highly encourage you to go pull a lever (err, touch a screen?) for the asshole of your choice.

And that's the bit I want to hear. I would like to know who you, the Youth of America are thinking about voting for, and why! I double cross my heart pinky swear not to berate and insult you for your choice of reasoning I'm just really, truly curious who you'd choose.

Grumpy Old Alumni can contribute also, although I feel like I've got a decent sense of that crowd...they might yet surprise me.

So go on. Lay forth your political :vomit:

[SlimKlim]

Lol current students don't get on the forum. They'd rather shout over each other having seven conversations at once in a facebook group chat.

[CaptainHenreh]

Lol current students don't get on the forum. They'd rather shout over each other having seven conversations at once in a facebook group chat.

Well at least, like, 1 or 2 of them are here.

Somewhere.

Lurking, maybe.

[Senor_Taylor]

Hey, I'm voting! My absentee ballot is on my kitchen counter.

Currently stuck between Hillary and Johnson. My #1 choice is Gary Johnson, but I worry about Trump actually winning. I know Johnson can't win, but it's about sending a message.

[Goodspeed]

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[CaptainHenreh]

Hey, I'm voting! My absentee ballot is on my kitchen counter.

SEE JOEY THEY ARE HERE.

What factors contributed most to your choose of candidates?

[Senor_Taylor]

Hey, I'm voting! My absentee ballot is on my kitchen counter.

SEE JOEY THEY ARE HERE.

What factors contributed most to your choose of candidates?

I'm not going to pretend like I'm well versed in politics, but I'm liberal by nature, so Trump is absolutely out (not considering the fact that he's a mad man). I think it's important to show that it's possible to have more than a two party system, so Gary Johnson gets my vote because it doesn't matter what his platform is, he can't win. Voting for him will instead send a message and hopefully pave the way for another, more qualified third party person.

Hillary has been in the White House before and she knows what she's doing. Personal character aside, Bill had us at a surplus when I was a wee-lad, so she's seen it first hand.

[CaptainHenreh]

Bill had us at a surplus when I was a wee-lad, so she's seen it first hand.

Bill presided over a budget surplus provided by the GOP congress but your point is made. :thumbup:

[Ken]

Hillary - voted for Bernie in the primary though.

Gave a second's thought to Gary and then realized he just wants to remove entire departments for seemingly no reason aside from, "NO MORE BIG GUV." Not to mention his near total lack of foreign expertise. I do think libertarians need more representation in congress so I voted for one on my remote ballot for Senate.

Why Hillary? Does not plan on giving tax breaks to corporations and the rich. Not to mention in Trump's plan the devil is in the details, analysts state that most would not even be eligible for the tax breaks to the middle class so your taxes would most likely stay the same or, marginal difference. Not even mentioning the fact that most analysis says it will cost us way more in the long run. All in the hope it will trickle down, YAY! Same for his Family Leave plan, which doesn't even include men (since men don't help raise families I guess?) and since it's reliant on tax deductions probably won't even help those who truly need it (low income families.)

Hillary isn't likeable but at worst will keep this country afloat. Trump's quick to trigger anger and petty behaviors will embarrass us on the international stage at best, and cause god knows what kind of wars at worst. I also have several Muslim friends and can't imagine a place where their family could not visit or that more people like them could not join this great country.

Several more reasons but I think that suffices for this conversation. As Rex stated above though - regardless of your affiliation get out there and vote. Despite what has been stated by some we have one of, if not the, best electoral processes in the world and you should feel proud to take part in it.

[G.Irish]

One thing that occurred to me is that if students were registered to vote in their college towns it could dramatically shift the map for Congress. Would be interesting to see what would happen if students in college towns starting doing that.

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[WRXtranceformed]

Some of you guys have a much more optimistic outlook of our election process, the candidates and people who actually vote in general than I do, but maybe that's just me getting old, wise, jaded and bitter about humanity.

This election is seriously like watching the Jerry Springer show and wholly speaking people are eating it up and drinking the kool-aid on both sides of the spectrum. I weep for the America we're going to be left with in the next few decades if something big doesn't change in the party setup and promotion of our leadership electoral process.

[BLINGMW]

Yes, please vote!
But...

Some of you guys have a much more optimistic outlook of our election process, the candidates and people who actually vote in general than I do, but maybe that's just me getting old, wise, jaded and bitter about humanity.

I'm with grumpy. It's all a show, and not a very good one. Not nearly enough people realize that voting against the candidate you fear is what keeps this show on. A violent overhaul may be the only solution, but since this "system" keeps most of us fat and happy and ignorant I don't see people marching in the streets with pitchforks and severed heads any time soon.

I plan to throw my vote away for Gary Johnson (again). Neither of the two parties deserves to win, but neither of these candidates will do radically more damage than their predecessors. :dunno: We could elect a monkey as president and not to worry, there's plenty of federal government left to ensure the nice slow decline, erosion of rights, higher debt, taxes, and warmongering.

So vote. But please vote for who you want to win, even if it's Joe Exotic.

[WRXtranceformed]

From Mike Rowe's Facebook wall:

Off The Wall
Jeremy Schneider writes...
Hey Mike, I have nothing but respect for you. Your no-nonsense outlook and incredible eloquence have really had a profound impact in my life. Can you please encourage your huge following to go out and vote this election? I would never impose on you by asking you to advocate one politician over another, but I do feel this election could really use your help. I know that there are many people out there who feel like there is nothing they can do. Please try to use your gifts to make them see that they can do something - that their vote counts.
Hi Jeremy
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it. I also share your concern for our country, and agree wholeheartedly that every vote counts. However, I’m afraid I can’t encourage millions of people whom I’ve never met to just run out and cast a ballot, simply because they have the right to vote. That would be like encouraging everyone to buy an AR-15, simply because they have the right to bear arms. I would need to know a few things about them before offering that kind of encouragement. For instance, do they know how to care for a weapon? Can they afford the cost of the weapon? Do they have a history of violence? Are they mentally stable? In short, are they responsible citizens?
Casting a ballot is not so different. It’s an important right that we all share, and one that impacts our society in dramatic fashion. But it’s one thing to respect and acknowledge our collective rights, and quite another thing to affirmatively encourage people I've never met to exercise them. And yet, my friends in Hollywood do that very thing, and they're at it again.
Every four years, celebrities and movie stars look earnestly into the camera and tell the country to “get out and vote.” They tell us it’s our “most important civic duty,” and they speak as if the very act of casting a ballot is more important than the outcome of the election. This strikes me as somewhat hysterical. Does anyone actually believe that Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, and Ed Norton would encourage the “masses” to vote, if they believed the “masses” would elect Donald Trump?
Regardless of their political agenda, my celebrity pals are fundamentally mistaken about our “civic duty” to vote. There is simply no such thing. Voting is a right, not a duty, and not a moral obligation. Like all rights, the right to vote comes with some responsibilities, but lets face it - the bar is not set very high. If you believe aliens from another planet walk among us, you are welcome at the polls. If you believe the world is flat, and the moon landing was completely staged, you are invited to cast a ballot. Astrologists, racists, ghost-hunters, sexists, and people who rely upon a Magic 8 Ball to determine their daily wardrobe are all allowed to participate. In fact, and to your point, they’re encouraged.
The undeniable reality is this: our right to vote does not require any understanding of current events, or any awareness of how our government works. So, when a celebrity reminds the country that “everybody’s vote counts,” they are absolutely correct. But when they tell us that “everybody in the country should get out there and vote,” regardless of what they think or believe, I gotta wonder what they’re smoking.
Look at our current candidates. No one appears to like either one of them. Their approval ratings are at record lows. It's not about who you like more, it's about who you hate less. Sure, we can blame the media, the system, and the candidates themselves, but let’s be honest - Donald and Hillary are there because we put them there. The electorate has tolerated the intolerable. We've treated this entire process like the final episode of American Idol. What did we expect?
So no, Jeremy - I can’t personally encourage everyone in the country to run out and vote. I wouldn't do it, even if I thought it would benefit my personal choice. Because the truth is, the country doesn't need voters who have to be cajoled, enticed, or persuaded to cast a ballot. We need voters who wish to participate in the process. So if you really want me to say something political, how about this - read more.
Spend a few hours every week studying American history, human nature, and economic theory. Start with "Economics in One Lesson." Then try Keynes. Then Hayek. Then Marx. Then Hegel. Develop a worldview that you can articulate as well as defend. Test your theory with people who disagree with you. Debate. Argue. Adjust your philosophy as necessary. Then, when the next election comes around, cast a vote for the candidate whose worldview seems most in line with your own.
Or, don’t. None of the freedoms spelled out in our Constitution were put there so people could cast uninformed ballots out of some misplaced sense of civic duty brought on by a celebrity guilt-trip. The right to assemble, to protest, to speak freely - these rights were included to help assure that the best ideas and the best candidates would emerge from the most transparent process possible.
Remember - there’s nothing virtuous or patriotic about voting just for the sake of voting, and the next time someone tells you otherwise, do me a favor - ask them who they’re voting for. Then tell them you’re voting for their opponent. Then, see if they’ll give you a ride to the polls.
In the meantime, dig into “Economics in One Lesson,” by Henry Hazlitt. It sounds like a snooze but it really is a page turner, and you can download it for free.
Mike

[BLINGMW]

From Mike Rowe's Facebook wall

That's pretty good 8)

[Jake]

Hillary. Ken summed it up well, but a few other thoughts...

I'm not her biggest fan but she also doesn't bother me. Given our options, she is the one that has the background and plans to, at the very least, keep things the way they are (which - maybe I'm blind but it doesn't seem all bad) and perhaps even improve on them.

I am amazed that of all the people who were in the Republican primary, Donald Trump is the one who made it. He is in no way qualified to be in a leadership role and I honestly hope I don't have any people in my life who I consider friends, who also consider him a viable person to lead a goddamn thing, let alone this country.

The GOP needs to reinvent themselves. Hopefully the Trumpster Fire is the motivation. They have run on the basis of one religion and one (antiquated, small-minded) set of social views. They are pro-birth but not pro-life. They don't think LGBT people deserve equal rights. They heavy-handedly push religion into politics, precisely where it doesn't belong. Fiscally, they may have some okay ideas here and there but that's about it.

I am all for a third party, but given the Supreme Court justice seats that are also at stake, and my (and countless friends') status as "equal citizens in the eyes of the law," I can't be bothered to vote any which way but for Clinton.

[*insertusernamehere*]

I'm not rich, not white, not born in America. Welp that rules out one of them.

It also seems that I need to move to the inner city and quit my job and spend all my savings too.

My point is Trump is a social nightmare and has no idea about people.

[RawrImAMonster]

I think Ken and Jake have it pretty well covered.

Bernie would have been my preference, but oh well.

[Senor_Taylor]

One thing that occurred to me is that if students were registered to vote in their college towns it could dramatically shift the map for Congress. Would be interesting to see what would happen if students in college towns starting doing that.

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Only two people in my 454 class today are registered here in town. I feel like most of us are registered back home.

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[Jake]

One thing that occurred to me is that if students were registered to vote in their college towns it could dramatically shift the map for Congress. Would be interesting to see what would happen if students in college towns starting doing that.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Only two people in my 454 class today are registered here in town. I feel like most of us are registered back home.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

I remained registered back home when I was in college and dealt with the (mild pain in the ass) absentee ballot in 2008. At the time, I remember thinking how much easier it'd be if I was registered in HBurg, but I had the thought far too late to do anything about it.

[Senor_Taylor]

I think Ken and Jake have it pretty well covered.

Bernie would have been my preference, but oh well.

It's a shame because Bernie would have won no contest against Trump.

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