Are we all being played?

[lukedavo]

Maybe a little politcal for most's tastes, but let me know what yall think of this....

"Unless the people, through unified action, arise and take charge of their government, they will find that their government has taken charge of them. Independence and liberty will be gone, and the general public will find itself in a condition of servitude to an aggregation of organized and selfish interest."
Calvin Coolidge


Anyone feeling any pressure?

[lukedavo]

oh yeah...
The term aggregation may refer to—
* in economics, combining entities into a single entity which represent them

...the biggest of the big siblings.

[dolivas]

Calvin Coolidge wasn't he part of the Tammany Hall debaucle? If that's the case he should be the one to know inside and out that quote. Anyways, that quote could be the case right now it seems our unification is based on purely superficial matters of little or future importance... the stuff that truely matters is the stuff we're too apathetic to unite against or to present a coherent vision of against.

[dolivas]

oh man im the history major over here and I couldn't remember Coolidge was not part of Tammany hall but was cool Cal the silent president.

[Bellringer]

This does ring true today. A large percentage of people don't vote because our choices are so similar and there is rarely a candidate who isn't "bought" by big business. When the candidates have campaign money from elitist groups favors are owed. The average American is apathetic. Any choice they make is for a candidate who has no concern for them and any candidate who would run for the people would be crucified by the current partys, torn apart by slander ads if they had enough money to even seem like a minor threat. We are kept in a state of neverending work to get by, so we don't have the opportunity to stand up and voice an opinion as a group. It's hard for you to be taken seriously if your voice is quiet.
"You've got to stand for something, or you will fall for anything!"

[mikegee]

hmmm good points. i always wondered this:

since the majority of Americans do not vote, what would happen IF that majority group were to write in a candidate for president, and that candidate won the popular vote. i wonder if the electoral college would bump the write in candidate, or if the electoral college would have to vote that write in candidate into office... makes ya wonder...

[dolivas]

Originally Posted by mikegee

hmmm good points. i always wondered this:

since the majority of Americans do not vote, what would happen IF that majority group were to write in a candidate for president, and that candidate won the popular vote. i wonder if the electoral college would bump the write in candidate, or if the electoral college would have to vote that write in candidate into office... makes ya wonder...

you're actually correct about this. I think what would happen is that candidate would by only a miracle win even in the case of an outright majority. reason being, most states have truly innane laws against write ins even before you get to the ballot box: you have to prove registered votership of all the signees, you have to contact them (them being the registrar) before you submit such an item, you have to submit it before a certain deadline (which literally kills spur of the moment write-in votes), some states would require you register as a NGO etc. etc. little things like that which literally stifle any kind of drastic movement in politics like that. but yeah unless people start to wise up a little bit more it's still gonna be more of the same even in this modern day and age.

[mikegee]

Originally Posted by dolivas

you're actually correct about this. I think what would happen is that candidate would by only a miracle win even in the case of an outright majority. reason being, most states have truly innane laws against write ins even before you get to the ballot box: you have to prove registered votership of all the signees, you have to contact them (them being the registrar) before you submit such an item, you have to submit it before a certain deadline (which literally kills spur of the moment write-in votes), some states would require you register as a NGO etc. etc. little things like that which literally stifle any kind of drastic movement in politics like that. but yeah unless people start to wise up a little bit more it's still gonna be more of the same even in this modern day and age.

awww shucks, too bad we dont live in a democracy. that would be cool. we like to pretend we do, but not really... maybe this is why so many people are politically disenfranchised, what a catch 22!

[lukedavo]

Very good points.....
I think we found something here that needs to be addressed, but it wont be, if it was we end up on a little island bay near Cuba. You can't question authorities these days, dont you know that's unpatriotic, if something is chosen by and for the people, obviously its right for everyone , not just the USA, everyone, dont you know we rule the world (thick sarcasm).
.....shaw and monkey's might fly outta my butt, USA is shaddy at best.