The right to vote...use it!

This election is my first year to get into voting and whatnot im 21 and use to always complain about Bush but i never voted against him. This year i voted for who i wanted (RON PAUL) but didnt have any luck with it, now im stuck with decided to vote for a douchbag, or just go libertarian and waste my vote. I think that if more people opened there eyes and voted and studied the people there voteing for, we would finally get rid of crappy presidents and have a good in in for a change. I watched the MTV thing a while back when it had all the canidates answering voters questions and they went on the beach to interveiw people and see if they would be voting and one said that the reason she doesnt vote is because by the time its done she is still running on the beach. But what she doesnt realize is one day that beach may not be there if we vote in a douchbag that doesnt help the war along but instead hurts it and gets us all bombed over here (i know that that may be exagertating but its a good example) I really do wish more people would vote, then we would really see what the majority of people want. I dont like the GOP way of voting though.

I don't vote because honestly it's a waste of time. I hate politics and can never follow them. Let alone even be bothered to hear what they have to say. They say they are going to do this and do something totally different. I say why vote when they are empty promises and if the world is going to change it is going to change with or without my vote. I have seen nothing with these politics over the years that have come out any good to my benefit.

Yes, and some countries get to have only one candidate to vote for! (Can anyone say huge oxymoron?)) - I agree with you! To me voting is very important!

I always vote, unless I don't LOL. I abstained from voting only once, because the only party that wasn't advocating a bill that would actually cost me my job (I was working for a private health care company) was the Reform party, and I can't vote for them. Other then that one time I have voted in every federal and provincial election, and most municipal ones. I am a card carrying member of the NDP Party of Canada and I not only vote but I volunteer on my local candidates campaigning. People who use the excuse that there is no one to vote for are just too lazy to research their candidates. Yes there are a lot of corrupt politicians, and a lot of liars. However there are a lot of hard working local candidates as well. If you don't like the choices then form a new one, run for office, start a political party, do something. Not voting and complaining about corrupt politics is counter productive.

I vote because I feel my input into the government is important. To me it is a privilege to be able to influence the workings of our government and try to make sure our nation gets the best leaders available.

If only there was somebody Worth voting for! I wish somebody would step forward that actually knows how to do what they promise. It takes a lot to do the job right.

A good case for voting: An interesting analysis but the solution is easier said than done. Politicians are the only people in the world who create roblems and the campaign against them. Have you ever wonderd why, if both the Democrats and the republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does. 100 Senators, 435 Congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. Excluded are the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by Congress. in 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to federally chartered but private central bank. Excluded are all the special interests and lobbyists. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or president to do anything - even with CASH. Lawmakers have the power to accept or reject, no matter what the promise is. It is the legislator's responsibility for how (s)he votes. 545 legislators spend too much of their energy convincing you that what they do is not thier fault. They seem to be able to reach across party lines very well in this area. What separates a politician from a normal human being? Excessive gall? No normal human would have the gall of a speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only PROPOSE a budget. He cannot force Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibilityto the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the Spearker of the House? (S)he is the leader of the majority party. (S)he and fellow House Members -- not the President -- can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, Congress can pass it over the President's veto if they agree to do so. Wouldn't you say that it seems inconceivable that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who, by present conditions, appear incompetent and irresponsible? Wouldn't it also appear that, since 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, that what exists, is what the same want to exist? If the tax code is unfair, isn't it because they want it to be unfair? If the budget is in the red, isn't it because they want it in the red? If the Marines are in Iraq, isn't it because they want them in Iraq? Don't these 545 people shift blame to the same bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can also eliminate; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can also reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can remove this power? Did disembodied, mystical excuses like 'the economy', 'inflation', 'politics', that supposedly prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do -- did that ever deliver YOU from responsibility? Those 545 people - ALONE - are responsible. They and they alone, were granted the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided that voters have the gumption to manage thier own employee-representatives -- or they should be relieved of thier duty. Please VOTE.

I do vote. I've voted sense I was 18, up to today. * I hold my nose when it comes to the current candidates and the choices I have because lately it is basically the choice is yin and yang of the same crapola, but I do vote. * I don't know what motivates me to do so, because I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a fruitless formality anymore, as the candidates are all of the same wealthy class, puppets on the corporate string. You have to be filthy stinking rich or know lots of fat cats even to run a campaign for president of the United States, the log cabin president is long gone. * Once you are tucked in the office you have lots of fat cats waiting for the returned favor. * I vote only on the strength of faint hope. That hope is fading, but it is still there.

If I don't vote, I have no right to complain about the affairs of the country. I try to be an informed voter, the newspapers do have a way of muddying the issues. I try to get a lot of sources, including different newspapers. The Wall Street, Journal, New York Times, public broadcasting and even the UK and other country Internet sites all give different points of view. It's still confusing, but you got to try. I admit I did some emotional voting when I was younger - voted who I liked, by the smile, the way they talked - shame on me.

Yes I agree with you. This is our right and we don't waste it. We waited for years for this to happen if we are sick and tired of the people in our government. Sometime I heard that many people are selling there vote. They may do that but who suffered from doing that we people again. This is are right to change for better and if we do it we are the one who suffered not them. They are in the position and doing all they want. And we ordinary people are just following what they want us to do. Yes they don't vote and they are the who complain more.

What an excellent discussion topic! I do my best to vote each time there is an election. However, I refuse to vote if it's an uninformed vote. And I wish people out there would do the same. I am more agitated by people voting when they don't understand the issues or the candidates' platform, etc, than if people don't vote at all. I have a friend (my sons' godmother) who will purposely spoil her vote if she doesn't like the choices. That way she's still voting, but is showing her disapproval of the candidates. Those people who don't vote, yet who complain about the state of their region (municipal, provincial, and federal levels here in Canada) really do irk me. I find it even more bothersome when I find that they voted those leads in in the first place. Obviously, they hadn't done their homework. What motivates me to vote, is knowing that I have the right to choose someone to represent me, and that I have the power to vote in someone who can represent my personal beliefs and values.

I am 51 years old and for the last few years I haven't voted. I don't vote anymore because I don't like any of the candidates and so I wouldn't know who to vote for and I don't want to vote for someone I don't like so there is no one to vote for. I used to vote all the time, but for the last 5 years or so I just don't. I don't think that makes me a bad citizen. I will vote again if there is ever anyone running that I like.

I agree with you people need to take their right to vote seriously, I do however feel that people are fed up of voting for people that lie to them and say one thing but do another. That being said I do use my right to vote, what motivates me is keeping my country intact, we have a province that wants to separate I live in it, but I am a Canadian I will stay a Canadian!

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