Should people be allowed to vote..

[Dancing Ants]

...if they know NOTHING about the issues..save that Kerry is running against Bush? I think it's a stupid concept for movie stars/music stars to go out and say "vote!" just to be able to say, post-election, that they got 20million kids to vote...when probably 85% of those 20mil don't know a damn thing about the issues.

[Rob]

As much as you think I'm worthless and annoying, I'm going to respond.

People should be allowed to vote, but they have a responsibility to doso intelligently. Far too many people will vote on a topic one way or another because somebody told them to. For example, putting signs in one's lawn or billboards. What's the point? To show your choice? You're doing that with your vote, anyway. A sign is a poor source of information for somebody, but I know far too many people who will do something because somebody told them to.

Unfortunately, there is probably no proper and equitable way to "test" somebody's worthiness to vote. As the MTV nation prepares to vote, we can be sure that their minds have been made up in a way similar to how their minds have been made up about music. The number of people who will actually vote their beliefs as opposed to their allegience will be in the minority for certain, and this is why our democracy fails.

[jrock5730]

Should people be able to post?

[GreenJester]

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky animals and you know it. - K

[Dancing Ants]

As much as you think I'm worthless and annoying, I'm going to respond.

People should be allowed to vote, but they have a responsibility to doso intelligently. Far too many people will vote on a topic one way or another because somebody told them to. For example, putting signs in one's lawn or billboards. What's the point? To show your choice? You're doing that with your vote, anyway. A sign is a poor source of information for somebody, but I know far too many people who will do something because somebody told them to.

Unfortunately, there is probably no proper and equitable way to "test" somebody's worthiness to vote. As the MTV nation prepares to vote, we can be sure that their minds have been made up in a way similar to how their minds have been made up about music. The number of people who will actually vote their beliefs as opposed to their allegience will be in the minority for certain, and this is why our democracy fails.

not worthless. :)

[DMBSignGuy]

and this is why our democracy fails.

sound like yoda you do.

[DMBSignGuy]

Every person should be able to vote. But your not a good American if your not educated on the issues, at least in Thomas Jefferson's eyes.

[Dancing Ants]

Every person should be able to vote. But your not a good American if your not educated on the issues, at least in Thomas Jefferson's eyes.


ok, i didn't necessarily mean "be allowed to" suggesting that it should be illegal, i just don't like to see MTV out there saying "vote or die" when these kids don't know a damn thing about what's going on.

[DMBSignGuy]

ok, i didn't necessarily mean "be allowed to" suggesting that it should be illegal, i just don't like to see MTV out there saying "vote or die" when these kids don't know a damn thing about what's going on.

i see what ya mean. there should be a real easy way to get out there and educate people on the issues. oh if only so.

[mdude85]

Technically no, but creating a law to ban uninformed voting is difficult. This is because it will be hard to come to a consensus on what "informed" means, who provides the information, and who the people are who decide what "informed" means. For instance, I think I am informed, but my friend, who sets his homepage to www.thedrudgereport.com thinks I am not informed. These are all very subjective.

In addition, the way that information is spread through mediums tends to make a voter think he is informed when he is not. Is someone who watches Fox News considered informed? To some people yes, and to some people no. Are people who vote on gay marriage or length of jaw considered informed, versus people who vote on foreign policy or tax cuts? Where should we draw the line?

But before we make laws on what is informed and what is not, I think we ought to examine our voting system: this includes the 10,000 lawyers on both the Bush and Kerry camps trying to find ways for the courts to decide this election (look it up). It also includes the organizations who hire temps to register people to vote, then tear up the ones who register for a particular party (look it up). It also includes the different modes of voter registration and voter process in different states, and the lack of paper trails to track votes. Underdeveloped countries have simplified voting process and register everyone. The United States is becoming the laughing stock of the world w.r.t. how we treat elections. The first thing we need is to modify these farces.

[MattJ]

...if they know NOTHING about the issues..save that Kerry is running against Bush? I think it's a stupid concept for movie stars/music stars to go out and say "vote!" just to be able to say, post-election, that they got 20million kids to vote...when probably 85% of those 20mil don't know a damn thing about the issues.

The power of voting can be a dangerous thing, especially for someone voting with a coin flip, but I don't think you can disallow it.

That's basically saying you're less of an American and you don't deserve our rights because you're either stupid or didn't read the paper enough. And I think anything that makes one American less of an American than another is a slippery slope.

Its a risk we take and a price we face for the freedom we have.

[barefoot]

maybee MTV could devote some time to unbiased political information. Wait thet wouldnt work without cool music, rappers and cleavage.

[nonewdirections]

maybee MTV could devote some time to unbiased political information.
there's such a thing? i've never heard of that. everyone has an interest, and most people who like something because it is "unbiased" really like it because it mostly lines up with their beliefs, or their worldview. basically we prefer a validation of our opinion over the truth. whatever that is.

[illbackyouup_03]

If somebody takes time enough to vote, they have chosen a candidate, and have their own personal reason why they want that candidate to be in power. It can be a relatively unimportant reason, but it is their right to choose whoever they want, for whatever reason they want.

Look at it this way, however, all of the people who vote for a bad reason will more or less off set eachother. When it comes down to it, the real issues will decide an election.

[illbackyouup_03]

there's such a thing? i've never heard of that. everyone has an interest, and most people who like something because it is "unbiased" really like it because it mostly lines up with their beliefs, or their worldview. basically we prefer a validation of our opinion over the truth. whatever that is.

That's the problem with politics, there is no honesty, it's useless really. The more I see it the more it annoys me.

[tdowe99]

Maybe I'm forgetful in my old age, but didn't MTV have the Rock the Vote where the candidates came on and talked to kids about issues? I swear Clinton did it.

[ShutUpNRide05]

Everyone has the right to vote, in my opinion. The uninformed, the informed...I don't care if you're criminally insane. That's one right that (at least thus far) no one has successfully (and / or permanently, in the case of the women and African Americans who fought for the right) denied us.

If you are uninformed, you've either:
(A) Been living in a hole for the past few years.
Or (B): Both (A) and you weren't planning on voting anyway.

Anyone who votes is informed in some sense, because they chose the candidate they are voting for based on something. Whether they chose them based on the candidate's stance on stem cell research or assault weapons...or maybe they chose them because they fought in Nam and wanted to vote for a fellow comrade.

That's the whole idea behind the right to vote: you choose the candidate you feel will serve the nation the best. How you go about making that decision is not, and should never, have guidelines attached. That would be called "fascism."