[Coco] OT: Re: Reminder: Halloween Party (Chat) tomorrow night 7:PM PDT

[Ward Griffiths]

On Saturday 30 October 2004 09:06 pm, John R. Hogerhuis wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-10-30 at 17:32, Torsten Dittel wrote:
> > > Is the scary part "naked", or is it "libertarian"?  (Just
> > > wondering).
> >
> > Well, scary is the US election system. Voting e.g. Libertarian
> > looks like a lost voice to me. I wonder how long it will take to
> > change the system to some more democracy. I understand the people
> > were voting that way 250 years ago, but in these days it makes no
> > sense if one candidate is getting more voices (that means: the
> > mayority of the American people voted for him) but the other one
> > wins. Like I said, scary...
> >
> > Torsten
>
> Yes, that is why we need some from of instant runoff voting. In such
> a system, you rank your candidate preferences, and if you voted third
> party, and they didn't even come close, your vote could be counted
> for one of the more popular candidates.
>
> So say if you wanted a Libertarian most, a Republican second most,
> etc. you might vote Badnarik, Bush, Nader, Kerry for example...
>
> But Badnarik probably wouldn't win, so you'd end up voting for Bush.
>
> (I'd be voting Nader, Kerry, Badnarik, and Bush wouldn't make the
> cut...)
>
> Basically this prevents you feeling like you are "throwing away your
> vote" when voting third party.
>
> The two parties have esconced themselves in government however, and
> it will be a very difficult to unseat them. But some type of runoff
> system would be a good start.

If I voted Demoncrat or Republicant, I'd be throwing my vote away.  
Kerry will take New Jersey no matter what I do.  So since I can't vote 
"None of the above is acceptable", it's Badnarik, whom I have met, like 
and find OK, since he's willing to get us out of the second stupidest 
war that Congress never declared.  If It was some silly-assed system 
where lowest scorer's votes go to somebody I can't stomach (and Bush, 
Kerry and Nader all fall into that category) I'd simply have to start 
voting from the rooftops.
-- 
Ward Griffiths    wdg3rd at comcast.net    http://home.comcast.net/~wdg3rd/

You had to admire the way perfectly innocent words were mugged, ravaged,
stripped of all true meaning and decency, and then sent to walk the
gutter for Reacher Gilt, although "synergistically" had probably been a
whore from the start.                 -- Terry Pratchett, _Going Postal_