Modern Civics

The cost/benefit analysis that Jos does is pretty clear:Benefit: The city saves money by building the dump in his backyard rather than further out into the countryside where the trucks would have to drive further, the drivers spend more time driving them, and perhaps even the roads revamped to handle the increased heavy traffic.Cost: His children get cancer.Really, when you're dealing with something like this, there is absolutely no research or investigation required by someone like Jos, since the obvious choice to make is to vote to have the dump set up somewhere other than his backyard.Jon

What this really comes down to is the simple fact that there is no such thing as a 'perfectly informed' individual. And there is no legitimate reason for setting up any arbitrary standard of informed-ness other than to prevent people from voting who might vote in a way that displeases you.Really, if the people collectively want the most dumbass politicians and laws any group of human beings could ever come up with, then that's exactly what a free democracy should give them.Jon

My point is that none of that is going to change the mind of an actual voter. The only thing on Jos's mind as he walks into that booth is the garbage dump behind his house and not some future employment opportunities for his (cancer-ridden) children.And, of course, he has every right to make that a top priority and to not care about anything else.

This is simply because people don't understand what the EPA really does.Not, of course, that they are at all liable to know what it does; it is their right as voting citizens to vote however they want and with as little information (or as much misinformation) as they desire.Jon

But in a free democracy, people have the right to vote for things they don't understand; even to cast random blind-chance votes in a language they cannot read or perhaps even speak.Jon

I and others have been saying this for a while now.

So the guy lied and tricked his way into office.Isn't that why your state has the recall procedure?It's seems like your democracy is working just the way it was designed to work. If the people really hate the guy so much, he'll get ousted.Jon

See: Message 44Jon

LOL. Except that that is not what you have proposed.Jon

I do. Why?Jon

The 'goals of the writers of the constitution' are 100% irrelevant. I agree. And that's what this is for.Jon

Yes; it is up to each person to vote according to the information they have and consider important.And I cannot imagine a voting test being anything other than another piece of political propaganda and fascist control.Jon

Pretty stable for you. Your major issues aren't everyone else's major issues.Jos, for example, doesn't care about the new school that Joe Dickhead wants built, or the raised taxes he plans for the super wealthy, or the government-run health insurance program he'd like to start. He just cares about that damn landfill that Mr. Dickhead has proposed to put behind Jos's house, and he is willing to vote in any other baby-killing, war-starting, pension-ending S.O.B. who doesn't support the landfill behind his house.Jon

The alternative to this limitation is to get rid of your stupid test altogether.Why is that option so displeasing to you? How is your proposed test anything other than political propaganda?Jon

I already offered it.Seriously, if you think you local voters aren't informed enough, then get off your lazy fucking ass and inform them. Do you think it would be appropriate for me to post a sign at the polls advertising my political philosophy? And I think that such a requirement is ridiculous.JonEdited by Jon, : coding