Is the electoral voting system stupid or good?

[crisis]

Originally Posted by henk4

That would certainly have helped, and yes there was this previous attack on the WTC in the eighties (IIRC). Nevertheless if soembody has an image of the US as the Great Devil, than it is ultimately better personified in GWB than in AG.

Bin Laden would have attacked the US if Mickey Mouse was president. He has been at if for years and the attack on the WTC only happened when it did because that is how long it took. What Bin Laden may not have realised is how violent the reaction and how deterimental to Mulsims his acts would have been . He may not have expected it to have worked so well either.

[taz_rocks_miami]

Originally Posted by henk4

I just read that the 16 US- intelligence services will come under one directorate, so they will find you out

Not to worry, everyone knows Taz

[taz_rocks_miami]

Originally Posted by crisis

Bin Laden would have attacked the US if Mickey Mouse was president.

If Mickey Mouse was president I would have blown something up!!

Originally Posted by crisis

He has been at if for years and the attack on the WTC only happened when it did because that is how long it took. What Bin Laden may not have realised is how violent the reaction and how deterimental to Mulsims his acts would have been . He may not have expected it to have worked so well either.

I think BL was counting on the US reaction and doesn't care if his actions are deterimental to Mulsims. He wants to generate hate from the US towards Muslims so we'll attack, discriminate and alianate them. That way Muslims will hate us back and it'll be easier to recruit for Al Queda.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by crisis

Bin Laden would have attacked the US if Mickey Mouse was president. .

he did because MM is president, (this was too tempting to be let alone )

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by taz_rocks_miami

If Mickey Mouse was president I would have blown something up!!

Minnie ???

[crisis]

Originally Posted by taz_rocks_miami

I think BL was counting on the US reaction and doesn't care if his actions are deterimental to Mulsims. He wants to generate hate from the US towards Muslims so we'll attack, discriminate and alianate them. That way Muslims will hate us back and it'll be easier to recruit for Al Queda.

And he has ensured that his band of miserable men will have to conduct their psycopathic business in Arab and Asian Muslim countries (Spain accepted) and find it almost impossible to get at Westerners (all us guys who have given him such a bad time?) on their own soil.

[Esperante]

Originally Posted by taz_rocks_miami

TAZ FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

Run away run away!

[SPHFerrari]

wow this thread has certainly changed directions!

first of all, baddabang, we did have a system for a while where the runner up was VP but then we ran into the sit. where the winner was one party and the second place the other and so they hated each other and it created problems. then we switched to this system of choosing the VP.

In a way i think that the electoral college is not the best. with modern technology, as somebody said, it would be easier to just od a popular vote.

The electoral system was made so that when it was known a candidate had won a state, they wouldn't have to finish counting all the votes and could instead just give the candidate all their votes

thats just stupid and illinformed. they did NOT choose the electoral college system for a logistical reason like that. it was chosen because the founding fathers wanted to protect the nation, to a certain degree, from the people making the wrong decision. the voters are supposed to be, generally, better educated and more experienced than the average american. and what do you do when the state vote comes down to a few hundred votes or less? at that point youre gonna have to count all of them anyway.

however, with the electoral college system, it is possible that the president win an election and lose the popular vote, in 2 different ways (the obvious way and the rogue voter). i dont think this is the best bay. this is how bush won the election in 2000, and however fair and by the rules it was, and i am a bush supporter, it doesnt make sense to me why it shouldnt be a direct democracy.

henk4, as disappointing as it is, in this day it costs that much to run an election. commercial time, travel, and staff, among other things, cost a bundle and unless you are super rich (Theresa Heinz-Kerry anyone?) than it is very hard to finance it on your own. and, as many said, it is not bush's fault 9/11 happened. BL is not just a bush hater, hes an america hater.

o well. ive stated my opinion, now you guys can get back to discussing whether or not bush caused 9/11

[henk4]

Originally Posted by SPHFerrari

henk4, as disappointing as it is, in this day it costs that much to run an election. commercial time, travel, and staff, among other things, cost a bundle and unless you are super rich (Theresa Heinz-Kerry anyone?) than it is very hard to finance it on your own.

I'll try to explain you our system in Holland which may contain elements that you despise, but prevents that only the super rich can participate in elections. There is of cause one big difference with the US, we don't vote for our head of State, because we are a monarchy, but we vote for political parties that have built a coalition government, based on a parlementiary majority in the house of representatives. Normally the biggest party provides the prime minister, who also mostly is the party leader during the elections, which adds to the personal element in the voting campaign.

Everybody is free to register a political party and to participate in elections. You need to have a certain number of signatures in every of our election districts te be allowed to participate on a country wide basis.

Political parties are being subsidized by the government to make sure that everybody has at least initially equal opportunities. Political parties have members who pay contribitution and during election time members may be approached to donate a little bit more. Only party members/individuals can donate to parties, donations by companies etc are illegal.
During election times the party's organisations will get an additional subsidy to cover costs, and the goevernment will make boradcasting time available for all parties that have obtained the right to participate in the voting. Every party gets the same amount of time. Parties are not known to buy time in the official commercial blocks on our TV in between programmes.

These sorts of procedures keep "big money" out of the equation, but it requires those heretic government subsidies, a price I am willing to pay unconditionally if it would prevent the a change to a system where money is the decisive factor.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by SPHFerrari

unless you are super rich (Theresa Heinz-Kerry anyone?) than it is very hard to finance it on your own

Although GWB left a trail of bankrupt oil companies i don't think that the Bush family can be counted as "poor"

[SPHFerrari]

the system in Holland sounds interesting, but im not sure if it would really work in the US. i would not say money is a decisive factor here, but it is important in being able to advertise and what not and get your word and opinion out to the general public.

you very right henk, the Bush's are by no means poor. they are, of course, very rich, but still not to the point where you can fund your own campaign. Heinz-Kerry, i beleive, is worth about 3 billion dollars, quite a bit more thatn george bush, who made the majority of his fortune from the texas rangers. but it seems more and more these days that you can run for presidency as long as you have a long and wealthy family history.

[taz_rocks_miami]

Originally Posted by Esperante

Run away run away!

Taz runs away with the election!!! Biggest landslide ever!!! Everyone is soooo happy!!!

[crisis]

Originally Posted by taz_rocks_miami

Taz runs away with the election!!! Biggest landslide ever!!! Everyone is soooo happy!!!

With justice and tacos for all.

[Niko_Fx]

Originally Posted by crisis

With justice and tacos for all.

Sounds good to me! As long as they're not from Taco Bell

[Esperante]

Originally Posted by Niko_Fx

Sounds good to me! As long as they're not from Taco Bell

As long as they're free