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I Hate Politics

MTH

By MTH
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TitanG Proficient

TitanG

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Before I start my own 2 cents, I should specify that I am biased towards wanting people to be involved in politics, but I understand the frustrations of our democratic systems. I’m Canadian, so I don’t get the full American experience, but I do consume enough American media (both mainstream and otherwise) to get a sense that things are super partisan. Is that right? You have to decide for yourself, but personally when I watch a political show on NBC or Fox or whatever vs CBC or Global in Canada, oftentimes the difference is stark. Everything from the intro music to the commentators talking points and tone on the American shows make them seem more akin to a sports show with two teams battling it out for supremacy than a show about differences in policies that will affect people to greater or lesser extent (in no way is Canadian media perfect, but to me seems far less like a sports show). I completely agree that no party is always right or always has the best intentions in mind, just like @MTH said about his dad. I’ve heard many stories of people who get elected wanting to make positive change but ending up disgusted by the political tricks that are played. And as those have said in this thread, local politics do usually matter more in most day-to-day life, but federal politics do matter too, like when it comes to employment insurance, medical care, military drafts (just look at Vietnam), etc. It’s all the more tragic that apathy spreads through the populace because of a combination of either thinking one vote can’t change anything or the system is too corrupt to fix anyway. I really think that people should at least make an informed vote by looking through the history of the people they can choose to vote for, especially if they don’t like to follow politics all the time and even more if they’re from a category of under-represented voter (i.e. voting rates among older people are far greater than younger people in most cases). I could go on for hours on this subject and that while there can never be a perfect system, we can at least try to work towards a better system just like anything else in life.

That’s just my liberal, tree-hugging, hold-hands-and-sing-kumbaya Canadian POV. And yes we’re technically a monarchy who didn’t even own our own constitution until 1982 so you don’t need to convince me if our system is imperfect.

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CJ Boiss Proficient

CJ Boiss

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1 hour ago, MTH said:

No election on any ballot I ever voted on wasn't pretty much a landslide. Did my vote matter? Did I even vote? Joking, I always do.

"Wasted" votes and strategic voting can be largely eliminated by moving to a mixed-member proportional representation system or by implementing single transferable voting. Instant runoff voting would also work.

Also: publicly fund political campaigns, strictly regulate PACS, and ban all super PACS and private donations to political parties. (this has the added bonus of severely limiting the duration of "campaign season", even without creating a campaign season legislatively, as political parties have less money to throw around and must be much more prudent about how and when they spend their money)

Electoral reform is the first step to making the government more responsive and accountable to the people it is supposed to serve.

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CJ Boiss Proficient

CJ Boiss

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And because it's too important to not say anything, any American here who gives even the slightest of shits about their country needs to get their ass to a voting booth ASAP, or mail-in their ballot right fucking now, for whichever Democrat candidate is available.

"Whoa, what the fuck are you saying CJ?" you might very well be asking right now. "Fuck off, don't tell me who to vote for. Democrats in my county are terrible."

Doesn't matter. Trump has said the quiet part out loud: he is actively and overtly sabotaging the United States Postal Service and mail-in voting.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/13/donald-trump-usps-post-office-election-funding

The GOP is actively dismantling American democracy, directly preventing people from voting by grinding the mail service to a stand still (to say nothing about how this will negatively impact rural and low-income communities that rely on the USPS). This is, without any hyperbole whatsoever, the greatest threat to the Union since the Civil War.

Nothing is more important than this. Nothing comes before this. If the United States doesn't have a free and fair election, if there isn't a peaceful transition of power, then they will have become a failed state. Everything the United States has accomplished, it has done so on the back of democracy. If Trump isn't broken at the polls you can say good-bye to the United States. 

Fixing the country starts with getting rid of Donald Trump, and purging the GOP of it's fascists and quislings.

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CJ Boiss Proficient

CJ Boiss

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If MTH actually didn't care about politics then he wouldn't have made the thread in the first place. He just wanted an opportunity to bitch and vent, which, you know, fair enough.

But it's like I said before, everything in life is political. It only seems like politics are "taking over everything" because a lot of the rhetoric right now doesn't fit the status quo. If it did, nobody would think it's political or give it a second thought.

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MTH Grand Master

MTH

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1 hour ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I love how a thread about MTH complaining about politics taking over everything has turned into a political thread.

Yeah I just wanted some people who want to make fun of the whole politics circus to poke in and make jokes. Like I started this thread with.... politics ruins everything. Even a thread about not talking about politics. ha ha

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MTH Grand Master

MTH

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23 hours ago, CJ Boiss said:

"Wasted" votes and strategic voting can be largely eliminated by moving to a mixed-member proportional representation system or by implementing single transferable voting. Instant runoff voting would also work.

Also: publicly fund political campaigns, strictly regulate PACS, and ban all super PACS and private donations to political parties. (this has the added bonus of severely limiting the duration of "campaign season", even without creating a campaign season legislatively, as political parties have less money to throw around and must be much more prudent about how and when they spend their money)

Electoral reform is the first step to making the government more responsive and accountable to the people it is supposed to serve.

17 hours ago, CJ Boiss said:

And because it's too important to not say anything, any American here who gives even the slightest of shits about their country needs to get their ass to a voting booth ASAP, or mail-in their ballot right fucking now, for whichever Democrat candidate is available.

"Whoa, what the fuck are you saying CJ?" you might very well be asking right now. "Fuck off, don't tell me who to vote for. Democrats in my county are terrible."

Doesn't matter. Trump has said the quiet part out loud: he is actively and overtly sabotaging the United States Postal Service and mail-in voting.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/13/donald-trump-usps-post-office-election-funding

The GOP is actively dismantling American democracy, directly preventing people from voting by grinding the mail service to a stand still (to say nothing about how this will negatively impact rural and low-income communities that rely on the USPS). This is, without any hyperbole whatsoever, the greatest threat to the Union since the Civil War.

Nothing is more important than this. Nothing comes before this. If the United States doesn't have a free and fair election, if there isn't a peaceful transition of power, then they will have become a failed state. Everything the United States has accomplished, it has done so on the back of democracy. If Trump isn't broken at the polls you can say good-bye to the United States. 

Fixing the country starts with getting rid of Donald Trump, and purging the GOP of it's fascists and quislings.

J6whjUmQdlgcSBnJ_v99Cwb6ASrdMmpikT5JfW1j

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Mike24 Experienced

Mike24

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1 minute ago, MTH said:

No. I don't care. It's the same as two dudes in a bar arguing over Ford and Chevy trucks.


Yup  I agree  

But anymore you really can’t leave Dodge (I mean Ram) out of the convo   
 

I have a Chevy for the record.  I be owned it for 6 years and am quite pleased   

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MTH Grand Master

MTH

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Just now, Mike24 said:


Yup  I agree  

But anymore you really can’t leave Dodge (I mean Ram) out of the convo   
 

I have a Chevy for the record.  I be owned it for 6 years and am quite pleased   

You mutha fudder, you!

I have a 95 F-150 (that is rusting away in front of my house.) 

Yee haw!

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MTH Grand Master

MTH

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41 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Of course a Jeep owner would have to tell everyone they drive one many.

Can't have just one.

9poPL0i3cmiS-MA8X8idaRilIZoOfo9xwSFzosKi

My wife the other day said she wanted a 2000-2001 Cherokee in our collection. Had a 99 for a while.

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jacksork Contributor

jacksork

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2 hours ago, Mike24 said:

Those 1997 ish  F150’s were some good trucks. Silky smooth steering.  
Don’t get more America than that.  

What about Toyotas?

56 minutes ago, dreadlocked1 said:

Trump 2020 - sorry, I gotta add my 2 cents.😁

you know, if Trump does get re-elected...maybe it will finally start that revolution I've been hearing about.

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