Welfare recipients, and people with an intelligence of less than 85 shouldn't be allowed to vote. In other words, Obama's base shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Yes, the desperatly want young people voting because young people are the least informed...and...get ready for it...overwhelmingly vote democrat! Its shocking how uninformed our youth are. Way to go teachers unions!!!!
@ptrotter69 I see that you like the term Republic, well republics are some of the worst countries in the world. China is a Republic (People's Republic of China), North Korea is a Republic (Democratic Republic of North Korea), Iran is a Republic (Islamic Republic of Iran), Soviet Union was a Republic (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), East Germany was a Republic (German Democratic Republic). If you want the United States being a Republic to be lumped in with these tyrannies, then so be it.
@RoyalistCavalier I see you have been brainwashed into thinking that China is a republic however the people "Republic" of China are in fact in the majority of the time communist they only let along w/ NK. I have no idea where you came up with East Germany since they normally most of the time socalists I guess they were though until they changed along with Russia which is no longer called that since they changed from Communism so really most of those arn't republics.
@ptrotter69 I was also sorta using slur their too but what I was trying to get at was that ppl keep saying were a democracy when in fact we are a Democratic-Republic and if you think the United States is anything like these country's then your dead wrong we since have the bill of rights, the constitution, and a really long luck streak.
@ptrotter69 The United States is more of a democracy that it is a republic. Free and fair elections are hallmarks of a democracy. Freedom of speach, religion, press, etc are also hallmarks of a democracy. A president, governor, mayor, senator, representive, etc are elected by majority rule and that is a DEMOCRACY. Oh I dont see Republic in America's name. I see the United States of America, not the United Republics of America, Republic of America or the American Republic. Can you explain this.
@ptrotter69 You are WRONG. China and North Korea are REPUBLICS. A Republic is a form of government that is not a MONARCHY. Any government basically that has a president as it's head is a Republic. Republics like Monarchies can be both democratic and autocratic. East Germany was called the German Democratic Republic and I dont care if it was a socialist or capitalist, the fact of the matter it was a REPUBLIC. Republics have had the worst regimes in the history of mankind. So deal with it son.
@RoyalistCavalier I'm sorry but you are incorrect with the classifications there, a constitutional state is a country w/o a king and they come in different forms such as Oligarchies, Democracies, Socialist, Communist, Autocracies, and Republics. Just because a country is w/o a king doesn't make it a republic. Rep. are basically nations like Demc., they vote but also have laws too. BTW E.Ger & most of Eurp isn't really that bad.
@ptrotter69 When I was talking about China too I know that it says the Peoples Republic of China on the map however if you watch or read into any documentaries, you really ought to know better than that cause as I said the communist party had utter control ever since the boxer rebellion. Today they stay in power w/ backhand deals.
@ptrotter69 I dont care if China is communist country or not, the fact remains is that China is ASLO a republic. I believe that China is more of a republic then the United States, at least China has Republic in it's name (People's Republic of China), the United States of America has no Republic in it's name. If the founding fathers wanted America to be a Republci they would have named it the United Republics of America, Republic of America or the American Republic. Where is republic in the name
@ptrotter69 A Republic can be anything, it can be an autocracy, a democracy, an oligarchie, etc. Rome for example was a Republic but at the same time it was a Democracy and an Oligarchy as well. Oh yes a country that does not have an Emperor or King and has a President is a REPUBLIC. Democracies have laws just like Republics. Like a Autocracies there are degrees of democracies. In Rome only the Nobles could run for Senate and Council, the people could vote but they could not run for office.
@RoyalistCavalier well tell that to the book in front of me then it's A HIST of WEST SOCIETY by McKay Hill. Terms like 'I believe' to also don't count since I know China is communist even though they may appear to be REP. Don't listen to them they just wish to win favors in the UN. Just so you know I don't support these hypocrites.
@ptrotter69 John Locks basic Human Rights as well as the Roman Empire were both figures that our Founding Fathers looked at. The Romans was the first ever known REP unfortunately they were cooky as hell and didn't believe in human rights and either did the US really until later on. Romans did have a total of 3 kings which were quickly outlawed and a number of dictators who used force to outwit laws. BTW Kings and Emperors arn't really the same.
@ptrotter69 The founding fathers of the United States did not believe in human rights either. The founding fathers allowed the institution of slavery to continue until 1863 with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners themselves. Women were not permited to vote until 1920 and were not allowed to run for office up until the 20th century. How come there were no women presidents, sensators and represenitives in the 18th/17th centuries.
@ptrotter69 The founding fathers of the United States were a bunch of hypocrites who only believed in the human rights for white men and who treated blacks, women and Indians as 2nd class citizens. If the founding fathers were true believers in liberty, freedom and rights, then they would have allowed these groups to vote and run for office. How come instead of President James Madison there was not a President Dolly Madison. The reason is because the founding fathers believed women were 2nd clas
@RoyalistCavalier That's what I meant when I said 'later on' silly:P but Human Rights don't dictate who will be elected, they allow people the liberties they need so the Gov't can't repress on them and I can tell you that China does not give any good human rights towards homosexuals, mentally impaired, or foreigners in their court of law. No these ppl go to prison and are never herd from again.
@ptrotter69 I do seem to recall that the southern states in the United States called the Jim Crow Laws that legalized deiscrimination against blacks. Blacks were bared from voting and were treated like shit and they were beat up and murdered if they resisted this. Most white Americans supported these laws for along time. Speaking of people going to prison in China and never be heard again, this is going to happen soon in the United States, have you heard of the FEMA Camps they are opening up.
@RoyalistCavalier Yes I would have to agree w/ u as i did before but the US has equal rights now w/ no more segregation. It may happen in the future no ones psychic. I'm pretty sure FEMA don't have a military or any influence over the masses. But either way we are still a Dem-Republic that believes in human rights and that's what the US is now.
Anybody with a shred of understanding can trace almost all evil in the world to the rule of majority. Seeming or real. Why an opinion of a thousand morons should outweigh an opinion of Einstein, Twain, etc. Stupid means handicapped. You wouldn't ask or make one-legged person run a marathon, so why do you think a person wiht half of normal IQ should participate in a decision making process. Escpecially when outcome can be Hitler or JWB. Clever person would see thru Hitler's rhetoric right away.
Anybody with a shred of understanding can trace almost all evil in the world to the rule of majority. Seeming or real. Why an opinion of a thousand morons should outweigh an opinion of Einstein, Twain, etc. Stupid means handicapped. You wouldn't ask or make one-legged person run a marathon, so why do you think a person wiht half of normal IQ should participate in a decision making process. And not a simple decision at that.
1 man 1 vote, this includes mongoloids, mentally handicapped and the uneducated. This is how the forefathers wanted it, it has nothing to do with social class, education or upbringing. It is possibly the most beautiful characteristic of this country, and to challenge or even criticize it echos of Naziism. Perhaps you are not Jewish and haven't thoroughly studied the propaganda spewed by the third reich.
@fafafohigh69 Hitler was appointed by the elected German government, Hitler said himself that it is a great service to rulers that most people don't think. He came to power through democracy, it is wrong to think that democracy = perfection, republicanism in many ways has led to the greatest abuses of power int eh world, Franco, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini. The most evil people are always the most popular people.
Excellent video. Scary, most people are uninformed voters and don't know what the hell they are voting about. I've said it once and I'll say it again "The dumbing down of America is ALARMING!!!!"
Stossel's elitism shining through. The thought of even raising the question that the uneducated should not get a vote is un-american. 1 man, 1 vote, and possibly the only true situation in this world where a poor, uneducated man has equal power toa rich man, what a pompous ass.
@fafafohigh69 Don't be stupid. A poor decision is a poor decision, whether it pertains to voting or not. If you have no idea what or who you are voting for you shouldn't vote.
By your logic people who have no knowledge of the issues should just go to the voting booth and randomly checking boxes on the ballot. What possible good could that produce? Someone gets elected by accident?
@syghur You tea party radicals want to follow the constitution to the letter of the law until it doesn't suit you. Priceless hypocrisy, I just wanna laugh at you ridiculous redneck radicals
@fafafohigh69 Typical. You managed to insult me several times while avoiding a coherent point. Why don't you run along and gain some intellectual sophistication. Until then, leave the discussion to the adults.
@syghur your point is not a point at all, it is perspective. my POINT follows the constitution, the bill of rights, ever heard of it. You can't pick and choose which part of our forefathers ideals that you wish to adhere to, and which you wish to change. If you want to change one, then they are all subject to change, ie; gunlaws, Obamacare. This is a ridiculous discussion to begin with which is why my candor is hostile
@fafafohigh69 Again, typical. There is no discussion of making voting illegal for anyone. It's merely a suggestion that if you don't know what's going on maybe it's better that you don't vote. Would you rather someone make a decision about future leadership without any knowledge about the platforms of whatever candidate is up for election? Maybe they should vote based on hairstyle. Or what kind of car the candidate drives. Your 'point' is still dumb and wrapping it in the Constitution won't help
@syghur Just who the hell are you or J. Stossel for that matter to decide if a person is informed enough to cast a vote. It's an elitist attitude, and I brought the constitution into the discussion because if the forefather's wanted it that way, they would've written it that way. Where was your political fervor when George W. Bush was destroying our country's political standing in the world and allowing the banking industry to destroy the economy? You people came out of the woodwork - cockroach
@fafafohigh69 Bahahaha. Classic. Not knowing how many states are in the US is pretty uninformed by anyone's standards, not just mine or Stossel's. Or Stossel's sweet, sweet mustache.
Why is it that whenever a progressive is losing an argument they bring up George W. Bush?
Your ignorance of the financial crisis is also amusing, and far too deep to straighten out in the limited space that Youtube provides.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the the Ignorant Youth of America. I think they should make Political Science 100 a graduation requirement in this country same with basic US History. I bet majority of those people paid some nerd to do their homework, slept in class or generally were txting during class and not paying attention.
Get educated on all potential parties and understand where they stand and where they don't stand. If they are being vague then they don't want to lose your vote because they know you won't like it. You're going to have to pick between two turds in the end, so by educating yourself, you can pick the better turd of the bunch, but that's assuming you have common sense.
@Tekkactus Yes, I'm sure the ignorance in America is all John Stossel's fault. Nothing to do with our education system. Maybe he should have a television show where he discusses political issues, or make videos that teachers can show to students in the classroom. He could call it Stossel in the classroom. Oh shit, he already does that doesn't he? Damned sensationalists.
I have to admit--for me, voting is a fun game for me! I love Election Day in November! I arbitrarily fill in the bubbles, just to "go through the motions" so I "have the right to complain" and to "be a good citizen"! Not that I actually look or keep track of WHO or WHAT prepositions of which I "fill in" the corresponding bubble.
1) "It's your civic duty and responsibility to vote, and if you don't vote, you have no right to complain!" ( Translation--please register to vote--and vote--and be a good citizen by SIMPLY going through the motions! ) 2) My jr. high school American Studies teachers didn't even know what a "pocket-veto" is! 3) We don't have a democracy. We have more of a "democratic republic" (or "federal republic"). Everyone just tells us "democracy".
Please let us know where you got this report - have you contacted the reporters?
It is the fault of the very same MEDIA that did this report - because the MEDIA makes us completely distracted from what we should know - they do it on purpose so that they can then come along and do a stupid report like this.
Please contact us if you have the information on the reporters - I want to contact them immediately
How about if we can register freely, but our score on the test determines how much of our vote to count. I'd make it a 25 question test. Your grade on the test represents the percentage of your vote to count. If you make a 16%, then your vote is only counted as 16% of a vote.
another issue ive noticed is that local news doesnt cover as many real issues anymore as they use it. Part of being uninformed is not having a source to learn from. Ofcourse most people these days just seem uninterested. ive lived in several states and cities and its the same problem at every news station. In houston a whole segment of the news is dedicated to Mia's (news anchor) style files and interviews with celebrities. The news is almost like TMZ now.
Romantic Brothers - Flowers ! Listen it and scream out Your depression. Real song about real situation in world! Romantic Brothers - Flowers in Utube - great new dance!
In Australia, we have compulsory voting. It's great! Check out 2:00 in this video.
Under compulsory voting, it becomes a civic duty to INFORM YOURSELF before voting. Thus, we have a more politically informed public. People who don't want to vote, or who think that they don't know enough, they still turn up, they can just put in a blank ballot paper. About 5% of the population does this.
Certainly some people should not vote, as evidenced by the outcome of the last presidential election.
Everyone's seen Leno's Jay Walking, so would you really want people who can't even name the current vice president (or President) voting. It's your civic duty to be an INFORMED voter not to just vote.
You might as well throw in the Atheist and agnostic nutjobs in as well, but unfortunately I cannot agree with you on depriving any of the three of their constitutional right to vote.
The difference between liberty and tyranny is Liberty supports the rights of those you disagree with and tyranny suppresses the rights of those you disagree.
You've just placed yourself on the tyrannical side of the political spectrum by your proposition.
most people who dont know politics voted for obama cause he was black. it was such a racist election. i didnt vote because i dont know politics good enough to make a choice for the whole nation. an im not going to vote for obama becuase he has black in his blood. if thats the case dont vote at all. ive felt like that for a long time. an i was in the military. but thats just my opinion
Actually the majority of white people voted for McCain, with a 55% majority.
And the majority of black people did vote for Obama, with a staggering 95% majority.
I'm not interpreting these facts at all, there were probably many factors other than race that decided things, like policies - at least I hope there were - but these are the facts*.
*At least as presented by the New York Times' exit polls.
This is what I dislike aout America being a super power, it's a bit unfair, that America controlls the world, when only Americans can vote for American issues.
This is why America should stay the hell out of the rest of the worlds buisness.
anyone should be able to vote they should even lower the voting adge a couple years who says you need to know how many senators there are to vote that doesn't matter anyone who wants to get their voice heard should be able to not just the smart or educated people
Politics is all knowledge, those that have it enslave those that don't. How hard is it to ask a person voting for something to know why? If they care enough to vote then they should care enough to learn.
yes people should educate themselves but everybody should be able to it shouldn't matter how smart they are and i would rather have a leader who could connect with the people that was a highschool dropout instead of one who went to harverd but knew nothing about the people
No 911 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, slavery, segregation, and 58,000 people dying in the Vietnam War are the worst things that happened to the US. Maybe him being elected is the worst thing that happened to you. If you don't like his policies that is fine, but the worst thing, I think about catastrophic events. Maybe people shouldn't vote because of this two-party albatross.
Here's an idea...instead of criticizing people for not being educated enough to vote, why not EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE ISSUES so they can vote intelligently.
The news is on several times a day, and the internet is full of information. The resources are there. It's just a matter of people actually taking the initiative to educate and learn about these issues for themselves.
Uneducated people should vote. But they should vote based on what they want and not worry at all about what they think the nation needs. They should just ignore people that tell them this or that is important and just decide the issues that matter to them.
And shouldnt it be the Government's responsibility to educate these person's? In a none fascist "Vote Or Die" way, unless you are a fascist of course, then i doubt you will mind?
Im english so the american system isnt really my thing, but i believe that everyone should vote (if they want to) even if they are un-educated (politically speaking) because if they are the majority then doesnt that say something about the country as a whole?
Everyone in a democratic government, should be represented, especially those that are not politically aware, as those are the one's who need to be reached to keep the government "fresh"? A bit of new blood in an old system can't hurt?
I once encouraged my old drinking buddy who couldn't read to vote and he went and voted for some Christian moral prudes.
He was sincere too. Drunks always seem to be in for Jesus. It's like an implicit effect of alcoholism: take away the phenomenal spirit and out comes the noumenal. Shame there's no rationality involved with either side though ;p
lets be real here the only reason rocks stars and other entertainment you to vote is because thay want you to vote for there guy it is real dumb you need some entertainment ass hole to tell you to vote and you dont know anything about the preson wtf is worng with us as americans
The girl with the green hat and red lip sunglasses is my (ex)best friend. She's an admitted heroin addict and a kleptomaniac, plus, she lacks all moral reasoning. Yeah, she's one of the knowledgeable ones, right? Right.
Exactly!Hardly anyone is qualified to decide on a ruler...Especially those close to the decisions....Its eqaully balanced,but two groups of judges...Holy and unholy!Therefore
I agree. The quality of presidential candidates has really gone down in the last few decades. 20 years ago, you couldn't get elected by vague promises like "hope and change". Maybe universal suffrage isn't bad but "undecided voters" should not be encouraged to vote.
He went to "harverd"? Don'y you mean Harvard? H-A-R-V-A-R-D! You're a moron just like Joe Biden. And, just so you know, a lot of lawyers and politicians go to Harvard Law School. It's not really that hard if you try and have the right motivation. I'll be going to Harvard Law School, by the way.
Going to Harvard doesn't really mean anything if you are black--they routinely accept grossly underqualified African Americans, especially in their graduate schools. Furthermore, universities are always looking to hire minority professors, so Obama's professorship at UChicago frankly doesn't mean anything either.
Voting should be about the people choosing a moral and wise president. Who cares if they don't know much about the political system? It's not that important. I am not a US citizen but I wouldn't vote anyway because in my opinion most people who try to come to power are doing it for the wrong reasons and will screw up the country and people in it rather than fix it. Just look at what Bush has done! Candidates are usually mirror images of each other so none of them are a good choice. Lol.
There is no value in sincerity, and anyone who studies all of the policies that have "Unintended consequences" in history will realize that. Morality has nothing to do with it either. In fact, the president doesn't really do much as it is. Mostly he is just supposed to be there as a check on congress. He may write legislation, and if he is a good pres., not very often if at all, but ultimately, it comes down to who is congress and how well the president can catch their shit
I completely agree with this commentary. Anyone can read or even watch videos about issues. If you are an uneducated voter it is no one's fault but your own. It's not fair for people who don't know anything to vote on behalf of all of us who DO take the time to read & familiarize ourselves with what is going on. It effects all of us!
I probably spent at least 500 hrs this election on several candidates websites & other resources: newspapers, magazines, youtube vids, poll sites etc.
Wecks: Arrogant? Check out a video on here called "How Obama got elected" um...those people thought they knew what was going on too. Sadly, they didn't.
This isn't even a partisan thing. I said something to a friend a/b the elections.
She said "Oh I don't care about politics"
Me: "Really? do you vote?" Her: "Yeah, I vote for whoever doesn't kill the babies."
Don't tell me "everyone" was watching. I talked to supporters of both parties & they had no clue what their candidate supported.
There is no way you talked to the majority of America. Probably just some fucktards from Arkansas. We're not all that dumb, and I really fucking hate the people who think so.
Wecks:I talked to at least 200 people a/b politics from co-workers, church people & people in McDonalds. I even struck up a conversation w/ people in line in our plaza shopping area (which is where the elite & wealthy shoppers in our metro shop) & as I talked with these people I realized I knew more than they did & I was disappointed. Just to test this theory- go around & ask people if they know who Pelosi & Read, are. Many Obama supporters I know didn't even know he was pro-choice!
Unfortunately I agree that a majority of Americans and a fair minority of voters don't do the research to cast a truly informed vote. We vote on single issues or viral e-mail nonsense or appearance. And that crosses party lines. Two points though
1. It has always been this way and the ignorant people have managed to elected some pretty good folks.
2. The other options are worse.
Educate yourself and encourage your friends to study, but everyone should participate in our great democracy.
Gib: I think U R absolutely right-good people have been voted in even at the ignorance of the average voter, HOWEVER, a different strain of people R now running for office to pass personal agendas. There was a time when everyone who ran for office did it to serve America & they LOVED America, but more & more congressmen are belittling our country- the country THEY SERVE! But other options R worse-I agree. My point really is for every1 to get involved in knowing what their congressmen stand for.
It's their civic duty to get informed. Actually, it's the education system that should be teaching this shit. But they don't... hmm, it couldn't be that they want us to be uninformed could it?
No one is "dumbing us down." We are ignorant of such things because learning about them has a cost in time and effort and have virtually no pay off. Furthermore, since the cost of being uninformed are so small in the area of politics, it makes sense that voters are "rationally irrational." That's the term coined in Caplan's book, which I highly recommend.
"rationally irrational"? Sounds a big load of BS to me.
Schools in general should teach their students about how their government functions. Being taught about it would give people a better understanding of the world and a better perspective to understand national and world events through.
I never said "dumbing us down". I'm not calling anyone stupid here. Just uninformed.
Democracy isn't meant to work just like monarchies, dictatorships, and everyother form of government isn't meant to work. They are meant to provide some ruling structure over the society so society can function in an orderly way. Demcracy provides a way that the people can have a say in how much that government can rule over them. Its not meant to be perfect, efficient, or have the ability to make better descisions than other forms of government.
How the fuck can anyone NOT know what Roe vs. Wade is about!? Or more importantly, how can anyone NOT know how many states there are? Obviously, the answer is 53.
This is what happens when you have a laughably shitty schooling system that's run on a shoestring and due to crappy wages, hires shitty teachers - all of which John Stossel heartily advocates in the name of lower taxes. Yes, just another libertarian douchebag that advocates public stupidity and then wants to disenfranchise the resulting ignorant masses for being too ignorant. Typical Geraldo-wannabe, shit-stirrer, Hall & Oates lookalike, 80s gay moustache afficionado - John Stossel.
you are an idiot. watch his stupid in america series. then you will see that you are completely wrong about him. lower taxes yes, but that doesnt mean hiring shitty teachers. on the contrarym shitty teachers is who we hire now, and who we KEEP because of the unions. its almost impossible to fire a shitty teacher. introducing competition to education will improve standards.
Christ, not another Ron Paul / John Stossel loving douchebag who tells me to watch the Stossel special on education, on which I've already commented about a dozen times. Incidentally, if you're such an ardent supporter of Ron Paul, Stossel and all the laissez-faire psychopaths, why do you live in Canada, which has higher taxes to pay for that cushy welfare state?
Right bud, just ignore everything I said and ad hominem the shit out of me. you look real bright now! and what? I was born in canada so that makes me a hypocrite? If i possessed the power the change it I would. What stossel was advocating was similar to the system in belgium (or netherlands what the fuck ever) where it is obviously still publicly funded, but introduces options and choice in order to keep standards high...which WORKS.
"{What stossel was advocating was similar to the system in belgium (or netherlands what the fuck ever)"
Only he wasn't. Christ, you're one ignorant douchebag. If you knew *anything* about Stossel, you'd know that he is a hardcore supporter of lassez-faire policies in which taxes are seen as "punishment for being rich" & thus must be eliminated for the sake of unfettered free markets, which according to him, always resolve themselves. Any concept of "social cost" is nonexistent in his arguments.
John Stossel is a stooge and his shitty show a stooge bucket for the élite. The élite doesn't want us, the canaille, to know anything. When's the last time you saw one of them soldier coffins coming home from Iraq? Our ignorance is a consequence of our media's keeping everything important off the front page if not entirely out of view.
There is no constitutional provision for a general election of the president and vice president. The legislators of the various states appoint electors who cast the vote for president and vice president. We the people vote for our state legislators and in turn trust them with this decision. Therefore, voting for a president is a priviledge and not a right as outlined by the Constitution.
wow even with such uneducated voters, this is exactly why the electoral college was created the founding fathers didnt think the averege citizen would be educated enough to vote responsibly they created a safty net for this issue but were still concerned wth is up with that?
I think its stupid not to know how many states there are, but the questions they asked weren't revelant to what they were voting for. They should've asked what they know about the propositions or the standpoints of the running candidates and judge by that.
But I agree; voting is a right, but also a responsibility. Don't vote just because you can - look into what you're voting for and against. :D
We were not intended to be a democracy, nor have we ever been a democracy. We are a constitutional republic. A citizen's civic duty is NOT to vote, it is to be informed. Today we have the means to pursue both sides of every issue from numerous media outlets and numerous types of media, but we don't. Instead, "civic duty" in this country is to vote whether one is informed or not. Why? So your "opinion can be heard!" But how can one have an opinion when one knows nothing?
It's your civic duty to educate yourself. Do you realize that if these people had been born in another country, they would not be able to pass a citizenship test? And we are a republic.
Oh, and people should be encourage to inform themselves, then register. Not just "register and vote for who I tell you to" which seems to be so common.
Uninformed people shouldn't vote. That's when we get people voting for someone who is more charismatic or better looking or just someone that looks familiar. Not knowing who Ginsberg is isn't really that big of a deal, but not knowing what the Bill of Rights is is. Seriously, if you don't know what a candidate stands for, you shouldn't even bother casting your vote.
This is crap! It doesn't encourage education and he must have found the dumbest people at that concert to interview. I do not know one younger voter who couldn't ID Biden or explain the senate. How about he goes to a McCain rally and ask questions regarding voter suppression tactics that are currently being used.
Everyone should of course have the legal RIGHT to vote, but if you don't know who the vice presidential candidate is, or where a candidate stands on major issues, you're uninformed enough that you should decide on your own not to vote.
Even if you're up to speed on the presidential candidates, I highly encourage everyone to research their local elections and proposals as well.
Stay informed and always listen to the argument from both sides BEFORE making a decision!
I posted a video response to this video of John Stossel's follow-up interview after the 20/20 special aired. If you're still not convinced, at least listen to him defending what he aired...
The wisdom of crowds philosophy does not work in a Democracy because those people that lose, which are less than the majority, do not get their voice heard. Only the winners get to choose so dumb people should not vote yet that contradicts democracy.
I swear, this sounds like a segment right out of Onion. Seriously though, "civic duty not to vote"? Ummm pretty sure that same argument about people not being smart enough to vote was used as an argument to prevent women, minorities, and other groups from voting in the first place. It's really hard to take the media seriously anymore...
by this logic, women shouldn't vote. however, we now accept that women are NOT "stupid". this doesnt reverse the fact that "stupid" people shouldn't vote. the two are completely unrelated as statements.
You are proposing that I said A=T and B=G, but what I said was If A=B and B=C then A=C. A=women are stupid B=stupid people shouldn't vote C=women shouldn't vote. Actually prior to the time of the 19th Amendment, women were refused proper education causing them to be called "stupid", so the exact same argument was used to prevent "stupid" people from voting was used against women.
We don't need no stinking education. We know what's wrong with the country, it's Republicans! And Democrats are the opposite, so that must be the way to go!
When the sheepherder dog on the right spooks the sheep, they turn left. When the sheepherder dog on the left spooks the sheep, they turn right. No real thought about where we're going. Just rely on your instincts and hope you don't become extinct.
There is no question that voters in this election will run to the polls for all the wrong reasons and with the wrong impression of what the candidates stand for. Politicians don't make your life any better... When they try we are all worse off! I will continue NOT to vote until I see a candidate truly worth supporting.
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."--Edward Bernays, father of modern public relations
I think people shouldn't be pressured into voting. I think an ad campaign should be sent out telling people look do your research and if you don't feel comfortable voting that's cool too maybe next year.
Welfare recipients, and people with an intelligence of less than 85 shouldn't be allowed to vote. In other words, Obama's base shouldn't be allowed to vote.
GodotheInfantry 2 weeks ago
Yes, the desperatly want young people voting because young people are the least informed...and...get ready for it...overwhelmingly vote democrat! Its shocking how uninformed our youth are. Way to go teachers unions!!!!
gunslinger072 3 weeks ago
Democracy sucks that's why I live in a Republic.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 I see that you like the term Republic, well republics are some of the worst countries in the world. China is a Republic (People's Republic of China), North Korea is a Republic (Democratic Republic of North Korea), Iran is a Republic (Islamic Republic of Iran), Soviet Union was a Republic (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), East Germany was a Republic (German Democratic Republic). If you want the United States being a Republic to be lumped in with these tyrannies, then so be it.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@RoyalistCavalier I see you have been brainwashed into thinking that China is a republic however the people "Republic" of China are in fact in the majority of the time communist they only let along w/ NK. I have no idea where you came up with East Germany since they normally most of the time socalists I guess they were though until they changed along with Russia which is no longer called that since they changed from Communism so really most of those arn't republics.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 I was also sorta using slur their too but what I was trying to get at was that ppl keep saying were a democracy when in fact we are a Democratic-Republic and if you think the United States is anything like these country's then your dead wrong we since have the bill of rights, the constitution, and a really long luck streak.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 The United States is more of a democracy that it is a republic. Free and fair elections are hallmarks of a democracy. Freedom of speach, religion, press, etc are also hallmarks of a democracy. A president, governor, mayor, senator, representive, etc are elected by majority rule and that is a DEMOCRACY. Oh I dont see Republic in America's name. I see the United States of America, not the United Republics of America, Republic of America or the American Republic. Can you explain this.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 You are WRONG. China and North Korea are REPUBLICS. A Republic is a form of government that is not a MONARCHY. Any government basically that has a president as it's head is a Republic. Republics like Monarchies can be both democratic and autocratic. East Germany was called the German Democratic Republic and I dont care if it was a socialist or capitalist, the fact of the matter it was a REPUBLIC. Republics have had the worst regimes in the history of mankind. So deal with it son.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@RoyalistCavalier I'm sorry but you are incorrect with the classifications there, a constitutional state is a country w/o a king and they come in different forms such as Oligarchies, Democracies, Socialist, Communist, Autocracies, and Republics. Just because a country is w/o a king doesn't make it a republic. Rep. are basically nations like Demc., they vote but also have laws too. BTW E.Ger & most of Eurp isn't really that bad.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 When I was talking about China too I know that it says the Peoples Republic of China on the map however if you watch or read into any documentaries, you really ought to know better than that cause as I said the communist party had utter control ever since the boxer rebellion. Today they stay in power w/ backhand deals.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 I dont care if China is communist country or not, the fact remains is that China is ASLO a republic. I believe that China is more of a republic then the United States, at least China has Republic in it's name (People's Republic of China), the United States of America has no Republic in it's name. If the founding fathers wanted America to be a Republci they would have named it the United Republics of America, Republic of America or the American Republic. Where is republic in the name
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 A Republic can be anything, it can be an autocracy, a democracy, an oligarchie, etc. Rome for example was a Republic but at the same time it was a Democracy and an Oligarchy as well. Oh yes a country that does not have an Emperor or King and has a President is a REPUBLIC. Democracies have laws just like Republics. Like a Autocracies there are degrees of democracies. In Rome only the Nobles could run for Senate and Council, the people could vote but they could not run for office.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@RoyalistCavalier well tell that to the book in front of me then it's A HIST of WEST SOCIETY by McKay Hill. Terms like 'I believe' to also don't count since I know China is communist even though they may appear to be REP. Don't listen to them they just wish to win favors in the UN. Just so you know I don't support these hypocrites.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
Comment removed
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 John Locks basic Human Rights as well as the Roman Empire were both figures that our Founding Fathers looked at. The Romans was the first ever known REP unfortunately they were cooky as hell and didn't believe in human rights and either did the US really until later on. Romans did have a total of 3 kings which were quickly outlawed and a number of dictators who used force to outwit laws. BTW Kings and Emperors arn't really the same.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 The founding fathers of the United States did not believe in human rights either. The founding fathers allowed the institution of slavery to continue until 1863 with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners themselves. Women were not permited to vote until 1920 and were not allowed to run for office up until the 20th century. How come there were no women presidents, sensators and represenitives in the 18th/17th centuries.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 The founding fathers of the United States were a bunch of hypocrites who only believed in the human rights for white men and who treated blacks, women and Indians as 2nd class citizens. If the founding fathers were true believers in liberty, freedom and rights, then they would have allowed these groups to vote and run for office. How come instead of President James Madison there was not a President Dolly Madison. The reason is because the founding fathers believed women were 2nd clas
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@RoyalistCavalier That's what I meant when I said 'later on' silly:P but Human Rights don't dictate who will be elected, they allow people the liberties they need so the Gov't can't repress on them and I can tell you that China does not give any good human rights towards homosexuals, mentally impaired, or foreigners in their court of law. No these ppl go to prison and are never herd from again.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
@ptrotter69 I do seem to recall that the southern states in the United States called the Jim Crow Laws that legalized deiscrimination against blacks. Blacks were bared from voting and were treated like shit and they were beat up and murdered if they resisted this. Most white Americans supported these laws for along time. Speaking of people going to prison in China and never be heard again, this is going to happen soon in the United States, have you heard of the FEMA Camps they are opening up.
RoyalistCavalier 1 month ago
@RoyalistCavalier Yes I would have to agree w/ u as i did before but the US has equal rights now w/ no more segregation. It may happen in the future no ones psychic. I'm pretty sure FEMA don't have a military or any influence over the masses. But either way we are still a Dem-Republic that believes in human rights and that's what the US is now.
ptrotter69 1 month ago
I think voters should pass the citizenship test that they give to immigrants. that way, at least we know that they know the basics :)
VanessaTexasGal 2 months ago
this is ridiculous...
dcs12349 6 months ago
Anybody with a shred of understanding can trace almost all evil in the world to the rule of majority. Seeming or real. Why an opinion of a thousand morons should outweigh an opinion of Einstein, Twain, etc. Stupid means handicapped. You wouldn't ask or make one-legged person run a marathon, so why do you think a person wiht half of normal IQ should participate in a decision making process. Escpecially when outcome can be Hitler or JWB. Clever person would see thru Hitler's rhetoric right away.
talykin 7 months ago
Anybody with a shred of understanding can trace almost all evil in the world to the rule of majority. Seeming or real. Why an opinion of a thousand morons should outweigh an opinion of Einstein, Twain, etc. Stupid means handicapped. You wouldn't ask or make one-legged person run a marathon, so why do you think a person wiht half of normal IQ should participate in a decision making process. And not a simple decision at that.
talykin 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Filthy crunch....They need to be wiped off the face of the earth!
JHFigliozzi 8 months ago
What they're saying in the video is obvious, it's sad that it even has to be discussed.
kapsi 10 months ago
you mine as well just have children randomly checking boxes, you would get about the same result
packerfan748 10 months ago
1 man 1 vote, this includes mongoloids, mentally handicapped and the uneducated. This is how the forefathers wanted it, it has nothing to do with social class, education or upbringing. It is possibly the most beautiful characteristic of this country, and to challenge or even criticize it echos of Naziism. Perhaps you are not Jewish and haven't thoroughly studied the propaganda spewed by the third reich.
fafafohigh69 1 year ago
@fafafohigh69 "Perhaps you are not Jewish and haven't thoroughly studied the propaganda spewed by the third reich."
Jews people did vote in Germany, they were just a minority, so Nazis easily won a plurality, and then a majority.
Hurray to democracy!
UnconformistSheep 11 months ago
@UnconformistSheep Lol, Paul Revere ringing a bell and warning the British that they cant take our guns, hahahahaha classic, retards spawning retards
fafafohigh69 7 months ago
@fafafohigh69 "Perhaps you are not Jewish and haven't thoroughly studied the propaganda spewed by the third reich."
Jews people did vote in Germany, they were just a minority, so Nazis easily won a plurality, and then a majority.
Hurray to democracy!
UnconformistSheep 11 months ago
@fafafohigh69 Hitler was appointed by the elected German government, Hitler said himself that it is a great service to rulers that most people don't think. He came to power through democracy, it is wrong to think that democracy = perfection, republicanism in many ways has led to the greatest abuses of power int eh world, Franco, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini. The most evil people are always the most popular people.
anthonymeffe1992 8 months ago
Excellent video. Scary, most people are uninformed voters and don't know what the hell they are voting about. I've said it once and I'll say it again "The dumbing down of America is ALARMING!!!!"
MrThumperify 1 year ago
Fuck voting
Fuck hope - George Carlin
nightcrawler2099 1 year ago
Stossel's elitism shining through. The thought of even raising the question that the uneducated should not get a vote is un-american. 1 man, 1 vote, and possibly the only true situation in this world where a poor, uneducated man has equal power toa rich man, what a pompous ass.
fafafohigh69 1 year ago
@fafafohigh69 Don't be stupid. A poor decision is a poor decision, whether it pertains to voting or not. If you have no idea what or who you are voting for you shouldn't vote.
By your logic people who have no knowledge of the issues should just go to the voting booth and randomly checking boxes on the ballot. What possible good could that produce? Someone gets elected by accident?
syghur 1 year ago
@syghur You tea party radicals want to follow the constitution to the letter of the law until it doesn't suit you. Priceless hypocrisy, I just wanna laugh at you ridiculous redneck radicals
fafafohigh69 1 year ago
@fafafohigh69 Typical. You managed to insult me several times while avoiding a coherent point. Why don't you run along and gain some intellectual sophistication. Until then, leave the discussion to the adults.
syghur 1 year ago
@syghur your point is not a point at all, it is perspective. my POINT follows the constitution, the bill of rights, ever heard of it. You can't pick and choose which part of our forefathers ideals that you wish to adhere to, and which you wish to change. If you want to change one, then they are all subject to change, ie; gunlaws, Obamacare. This is a ridiculous discussion to begin with which is why my candor is hostile
fafafohigh69 1 year ago
@fafafohigh69 Again, typical. There is no discussion of making voting illegal for anyone. It's merely a suggestion that if you don't know what's going on maybe it's better that you don't vote. Would you rather someone make a decision about future leadership without any knowledge about the platforms of whatever candidate is up for election? Maybe they should vote based on hairstyle. Or what kind of car the candidate drives. Your 'point' is still dumb and wrapping it in the Constitution won't help
syghur 1 year ago
@syghur Just who the hell are you or J. Stossel for that matter to decide if a person is informed enough to cast a vote. It's an elitist attitude, and I brought the constitution into the discussion because if the forefather's wanted it that way, they would've written it that way. Where was your political fervor when George W. Bush was destroying our country's political standing in the world and allowing the banking industry to destroy the economy? You people came out of the woodwork - cockroach
fafafohigh69 1 year ago
@fafafohigh69 Bahahaha. Classic. Not knowing how many states are in the US is pretty uninformed by anyone's standards, not just mine or Stossel's. Or Stossel's sweet, sweet mustache.
Why is it that whenever a progressive is losing an argument they bring up George W. Bush?
Your ignorance of the financial crisis is also amusing, and far too deep to straighten out in the limited space that Youtube provides.
syghur 1 year ago
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the the Ignorant Youth of America. I think they should make Political Science 100 a graduation requirement in this country same with basic US History. I bet majority of those people paid some nerd to do their homework, slept in class or generally were txting during class and not paying attention.
avdquick 1 year ago
Get educated on all potential parties and understand where they stand and where they don't stand. If they are being vague then they don't want to lose your vote because they know you won't like it. You're going to have to pick between two turds in the end, so by educating yourself, you can pick the better turd of the bunch, but that's assuming you have common sense.
ExploringBeyond 1 year ago
so whats the difference b/t a 5 year old that dont know about the political process and a clueless 18 year old. So we should let 5 year olds vote?
ForTehNguyen 1 year ago
Maybe it's the job of national news to educate potential voters, rather than say "Oh, you're idiots, just don't bother"? Nahhh.
Ridiculous, sensationalist, out-of-touch journalism. Yet again.
Tekkactus 1 year ago
@Tekkactus Yes, I'm sure the ignorance in America is all John Stossel's fault. Nothing to do with our education system. Maybe he should have a television show where he discusses political issues, or make videos that teachers can show to students in the classroom. He could call it Stossel in the classroom. Oh shit, he already does that doesn't he? Damned sensationalists.
ab1tchslap 1 year ago
I have to admit--for me, voting is a fun game for me! I love Election Day in November! I arbitrarily fill in the bubbles, just to "go through the motions" so I "have the right to complain" and to "be a good citizen"! Not that I actually look or keep track of WHO or WHAT prepositions of which I "fill in" the corresponding bubble.
ticks4ticks4 1 year ago
1) "It's your civic duty and responsibility to vote, and if you don't vote, you have no right to complain!" ( Translation--please register to vote--and vote--and be a good citizen by SIMPLY going through the motions! ) 2) My jr. high school American Studies teachers didn't even know what a "pocket-veto" is! 3) We don't have a democracy. We have more of a "democratic republic" (or "federal republic"). Everyone just tells us "democracy".
ticks4ticks4 1 year ago 2
Please let us know where you got this report - have you contacted the reporters?
It is the fault of the very same MEDIA that did this report - because the MEDIA makes us completely distracted from what we should know - they do it on purpose so that they can then come along and do a stupid report like this.
Please contact us if you have the information on the reporters - I want to contact them immediately
gov360dotorg 1 year ago
people should have to pass a simple ten question quiz on this kind of stuff before they can register to vote
cj62392 1 year ago 9
@cj62392
How about if we can register freely, but our score on the test determines how much of our vote to count. I'd make it a 25 question test. Your grade on the test represents the percentage of your vote to count. If you make a 16%, then your vote is only counted as 16% of a vote.
shoelessjohn 1 year ago
@shoelessjohn if we could barely hold a regular election (2000) then we couldn't handle something as complex as that.
cj62392 1 year ago
lol at those people that didn't know how many states there were. Everybody knows the correct answer is 57, just like our king told us.
muta157 1 year ago 3
ahahahah we are so fucked.
vote ron paul to unfuck america.
funder1der 1 year ago 9
another issue ive noticed is that local news doesnt cover as many real issues anymore as they use it. Part of being uninformed is not having a source to learn from. Ofcourse most people these days just seem uninterested. ive lived in several states and cities and its the same problem at every news station. In houston a whole segment of the news is dedicated to Mia's (news anchor) style files and interviews with celebrities. The news is almost like TMZ now.
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sly1cool54 1 year ago
In Australia, we have compulsory voting. It's great! Check out 2:00 in this video.
Under compulsory voting, it becomes a civic duty to INFORM YOURSELF before voting. Thus, we have a more politically informed public. People who don't want to vote, or who think that they don't know enough, they still turn up, they can just put in a blank ballot paper. About 5% of the population does this.
AnnaKBrisvegas 1 year ago
Certainly some people should not vote, as evidenced by the outcome of the last presidential election.
Everyone's seen Leno's Jay Walking, so would you really want people who can't even name the current vice president (or President) voting. It's your civic duty to be an INFORMED voter not to just vote.
akkrauta 1 year ago
@akkrauta yeah like all the relgious nutjobs shouldnt vote.
badpanda84 1 year ago
@badpanda84
You might as well throw in the Atheist and agnostic nutjobs in as well, but unfortunately I cannot agree with you on depriving any of the three of their constitutional right to vote.
The difference between liberty and tyranny is Liberty supports the rights of those you disagree with and tyranny suppresses the rights of those you disagree.
You've just placed yourself on the tyrannical side of the political spectrum by your proposition.
akkrauta 1 year ago
@akkrauta Ok but there are no atheist nutjobs - or at least if they are nutjobs it has nothing to do with the fact they are atheist
badpanda84 1 year ago
most people who dont know politics voted for obama cause he was black. it was such a racist election. i didnt vote because i dont know politics good enough to make a choice for the whole nation. an im not going to vote for obama becuase he has black in his blood. if thats the case dont vote at all. ive felt like that for a long time. an i was in the military. but thats just my opinion
boblilly1986 2 years ago
"most people who dont know politics voted for obama cause he was black"
Really? Despite getting the majority of the WHITE vote, you honestly think he got elected because of one big quota? Come on, man...
UdoShan 1 year ago
@UdoShan:
Actually the majority of white people voted for McCain, with a 55% majority.
And the majority of black people did vote for Obama, with a staggering 95% majority.
I'm not interpreting these facts at all, there were probably many factors other than race that decided things, like policies - at least I hope there were - but these are the facts*.
*At least as presented by the New York Times' exit polls.
paulbottomley42 1 year ago
@boblilly1986 Most of the low class uneducated white trash voted for Palin cause she likes guns and belongs to some ignorant nutjob church
PanzerKampfWagen29 1 year ago
no wonder obama won, aside from acorn's help. he got all the morons voting for him
FreeLebanonFromIslam 2 years ago
Wow...
Even I know that shit, and it's not my country!
This is what I dislike aout America being a super power, it's a bit unfair, that America controlls the world, when only Americans can vote for American issues.
This is why America should stay the hell out of the rest of the worlds buisness.
DieChavScum 2 years ago 2
they wont stsay out. the federal reserve with its ties to the world bank get billions every time america interferes
gninja92 2 years ago
@DieChavScum That is bs too. The rest of the world is always asking us to do this or that for them
PanzerKampfWagen29 1 year ago
@PanzerKampfWagen29
You mean trade? Because you ask for that too btw.
DieChavScum 1 year ago
anyone should be able to vote they should even lower the voting adge a couple years who says you need to know how many senators there are to vote that doesn't matter anyone who wants to get their voice heard should be able to not just the smart or educated people
893160007 2 years ago
what voice can you have if you don't have the knowledge to say anything.
Bnasty101 2 years ago
who says politics is about knowledge you need to be in touch with the people in your own country and countries affected by yours
893160007 2 years ago
Politics is all knowledge, those that have it enslave those that don't. How hard is it to ask a person voting for something to know why? If they care enough to vote then they should care enough to learn.
Bnasty101 2 years ago
yes people should educate themselves but everybody should be able to it shouldn't matter how smart they are and i would rather have a leader who could connect with the people that was a highschool dropout instead of one who went to harverd but knew nothing about the people
893160007 2 years ago
one who went to harvard but knows nothing about the people............hmm, kind of like our current president.
epicent 2 years ago
i am not am american and never said i support obama but bush was way worse
893160007 2 years ago 2
Obama is the worst thingthat has happen to the usa
heyazzhole 2 years ago
No 911 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, slavery, segregation, and 58,000 people dying in the Vietnam War are the worst things that happened to the US. Maybe him being elected is the worst thing that happened to you. If you don't like his policies that is fine, but the worst thing, I think about catastrophic events. Maybe people shouldn't vote because of this two-party albatross.
luvs2teach00 2 years ago 4
@heyazzhole you're not far behind
PanzerKampfWagen29 1 year ago
no, bush was just dumb so he looked way worse.
over the next 3 years obama will attempt and possibly succeed in jamming an even bigger dick into the uninformed, than bush did
gninja92 2 years ago 2
People Should educate themselves, but they don't. If you don't understand the issues, the only responsible thing you can do Is NOT vote.
17thknight 2 years ago 3
How about the amout of taxes you pay is the amout your vote counts.
the middle class that pays 90% of taxes of all taxes.
that would be the perfect taxation with representation
simontimon2 2 years ago
that would be dumb thats like saying you contribute more you get more say plus it would be almost imposible to orginize
893160007 2 years ago
Here's an idea...instead of criticizing people for not being educated enough to vote, why not EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE ISSUES so they can vote intelligently.
HaloedG 2 years ago
The news is on several times a day, and the internet is full of information. The resources are there. It's just a matter of people actually taking the initiative to educate and learn about these issues for themselves.
imagoodemployee 2 years ago
Uneducated people should vote. But they should vote based on what they want and not worry at all about what they think the nation needs. They should just ignore people that tell them this or that is important and just decide the issues that matter to them.
JohnBreadForger 2 years ago
And shouldnt it be the Government's responsibility to educate these person's? In a none fascist "Vote Or Die" way, unless you are a fascist of course, then i doubt you will mind?
.P.S.
Are there any large fascist parties in america?
1988theLAW 2 years ago
Im english so the american system isnt really my thing, but i believe that everyone should vote (if they want to) even if they are un-educated (politically speaking) because if they are the majority then doesnt that say something about the country as a whole?
Everyone in a democratic government, should be represented, especially those that are not politically aware, as those are the one's who need to be reached to keep the government "fresh"? A bit of new blood in an old system can't hurt?
1988theLAW 2 years ago
I once encouraged my old drinking buddy who couldn't read to vote and he went and voted for some Christian moral prudes.
He was sincere too. Drunks always seem to be in for Jesus. It's like an implicit effect of alcoholism: take away the phenomenal spirit and out comes the noumenal. Shame there's no rationality involved with either side though ;p
fomastephanovitch 2 years ago
lets be real here the only reason rocks stars and other entertainment you to vote is because thay want you to vote for there guy it is real dumb you need some entertainment ass hole to tell you to vote and you dont know anything about the preson wtf is worng with us as americans
thay need to stay home
attie3 2 years ago
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Vote Ron Paul.
Scoforever 2 years ago
I don't think it really matters if you know what Supreme Court justices look like, though, as long as you know who they are.
MakeMeBeautiful7 2 years ago
good point
electricneedleroom 2 years ago
Elections are that exciting: you only get to see two candidates and they're never too hot.
fomastephanovitch 2 years ago
The girl with the green hat and red lip sunglasses is my (ex)best friend. She's an admitted heroin addict and a kleptomaniac, plus, she lacks all moral reasoning. Yeah, she's one of the knowledgeable ones, right? Right.
sailingallalonestars 2 years ago
Exactly!Hardly anyone is qualified to decide on a ruler...Especially those close to the decisions....Its eqaully balanced,but two groups of judges...Holy and unholy!Therefore
the unholy is guilty of sick actions...
oldor12 2 years ago
Its a hard quadradk equation...And its a two-headed monster...
oldor12 2 years ago
That's what happened this election cycle, was a Mojority of unqualified, American Idle-generation voters ruled out the votes of qualified ones.
Search this term on Yahoo's search engine:
Founding Fathers Fearful Of Democracy
Google's if you want less reults (I know, Google used to be the sh*t)
quaffer22 2 years ago
I agree. The quality of presidential candidates has really gone down in the last few decades. 20 years ago, you couldn't get elected by vague promises like "hope and change". Maybe universal suffrage isn't bad but "undecided voters" should not be encouraged to vote.
Cetra88 2 years ago 2
Obama supporters.....GO GET BRAINS!
AllenFTW 2 years ago
Funny how you say "Obama supporters should go get brains" but 75% of people with PhD's voted for Obama. hmm.
Also, white-NON-graudates voted for McCain 58-40. When one looks at white-college-graduates it switches, Obama 51-47.
rs8dude 2 years ago
The people with brains wrote in Ron Paul
pimpintrae 2 years ago 26
Why is voting encouraged yet not to learn the policies of those to be elected?
It's never said to educate oneself. Just vote impulsively.
Efferts 3 years ago 3
Actually it's 46 states and 4 commonwealths.
dave4248 3 years ago
A Commonwealth is still a state. It's kinda like the "a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn't necessarily a square" thing.
malan89 3 years ago
hey, dudes that said there's 51 and 56 states... PUT DOWN THE GOLD SPRAY PAINT!!!
mallon42 3 years ago
God damn it! My generation is so fucking stupid! Thank goodness the founders were smart enough to create the electoral college system.
sniper6081 3 years ago
the founders also had the age of voting at 21. shame politicans had to mess that up.
sockmess 3 years ago
Those who said we have 51, 52 states, were more accurate than Obama, who said we have 57 states.
paulgreenfields 3 years ago 2
hay dumb ass, Obama went harverd ok. he was a fuckn professoer. what is your education level? ignorent fuck
makavely000 3 years ago
He went to "harverd"? Don'y you mean Harvard? H-A-R-V-A-R-D! You're a moron just like Joe Biden. And, just so you know, a lot of lawyers and politicians go to Harvard Law School. It's not really that hard if you try and have the right motivation. I'll be going to Harvard Law School, by the way.
paulgreenfields 3 years ago 2
Two words: Affirmative Action.
Going to Harvard doesn't really mean anything if you are black--they routinely accept grossly underqualified African Americans, especially in their graduate schools. Furthermore, universities are always looking to hire minority professors, so Obama's professorship at UChicago frankly doesn't mean anything either.
jbz7890 3 years ago 3
Voting should be about the people choosing a moral and wise president. Who cares if they don't know much about the political system? It's not that important. I am not a US citizen but I wouldn't vote anyway because in my opinion most people who try to come to power are doing it for the wrong reasons and will screw up the country and people in it rather than fix it. Just look at what Bush has done! Candidates are usually mirror images of each other so none of them are a good choice. Lol.
stephjuhler999 3 years ago
There is no value in sincerity, and anyone who studies all of the policies that have "Unintended consequences" in history will realize that. Morality has nothing to do with it either. In fact, the president doesn't really do much as it is. Mostly he is just supposed to be there as a check on congress. He may write legislation, and if he is a good pres., not very often if at all, but ultimately, it comes down to who is congress and how well the president can catch their shit
exstntlstfrtn 3 years ago
I completely agree with this commentary. Anyone can read or even watch videos about issues. If you are an uneducated voter it is no one's fault but your own. It's not fair for people who don't know anything to vote on behalf of all of us who DO take the time to read & familiarize ourselves with what is going on. It effects all of us!
I probably spent at least 500 hrs this election on several candidates websites & other resources: newspapers, magazines, youtube vids, poll sites etc.
GenevaPilgrim 3 years ago 2
I'm not even from the US and I spent more time on these elections then the average American :D
EnjoyMyProfile 3 years ago 15
LOL- my point exactly! Seems the whole world was watching-except AMERICA!
mismindles 3 years ago 2
Fuck you. All of America was watching. This was a historic election for our country. Stop being so arrogant.
WecksyRex 3 years ago
Wecks: Arrogant? Check out a video on here called "How Obama got elected" um...those people thought they knew what was going on too. Sadly, they didn't.
This isn't even a partisan thing. I said something to a friend a/b the elections.
She said "Oh I don't care about politics"
Me: "Really? do you vote?" Her: "Yeah, I vote for whoever doesn't kill the babies."
Don't tell me "everyone" was watching. I talked to supporters of both parties & they had no clue what their candidate supported.
mismindles 3 years ago
There is no way you talked to the majority of America. Probably just some fucktards from Arkansas. We're not all that dumb, and I really fucking hate the people who think so.
WecksyRex 3 years ago
Wecks:I talked to at least 200 people a/b politics from co-workers, church people & people in McDonalds. I even struck up a conversation w/ people in line in our plaza shopping area (which is where the elite & wealthy shoppers in our metro shop) & as I talked with these people I realized I knew more than they did & I was disappointed. Just to test this theory- go around & ask people if they know who Pelosi & Read, are. Many Obama supporters I know didn't even know he was pro-choice!
mismindles 3 years ago
Unfortunately I agree that a majority of Americans and a fair minority of voters don't do the research to cast a truly informed vote. We vote on single issues or viral e-mail nonsense or appearance. And that crosses party lines. Two points though
1. It has always been this way and the ignorant people have managed to elected some pretty good folks.
2. The other options are worse.
Educate yourself and encourage your friends to study, but everyone should participate in our great democracy.
Giblet32 3 years ago
Gib: I think U R absolutely right-good people have been voted in even at the ignorance of the average voter, HOWEVER, a different strain of people R now running for office to pass personal agendas. There was a time when everyone who ran for office did it to serve America & they LOVED America, but more & more congressmen are belittling our country- the country THEY SERVE! But other options R worse-I agree. My point really is for every1 to get involved in knowing what their congressmen stand for.
mismindles 3 years ago
It was definately a historic election, it was the last Free Election the US had before becoming totalitarian.
:P
Okay, so maybe not the last, but at the rate we're going, it's not long until we reach that point. The exact same thing happened in Rome.
DoomHippie 2 years ago
No, you probably didn't.
WecksyRex 3 years ago
Check out the vid where Obama thinks that he has been to 57...no 58 states with two more to go.
bosshallucy 3 years ago
It's their civic duty to get informed. Actually, it's the education system that should be teaching this shit. But they don't... hmm, it couldn't be that they want us to be uninformed could it?
riethc 3 years ago
No one stops you from watching/reading the news.
abt000 3 years ago
Yea, but the news doesn't educate people on how the gov't works, the number of senators for each state, the branches of gov't and what they do, etc.
They only bring up the "news" which is usually spun and often times is just punditry.
riethc 3 years ago
No one is "dumbing us down." We are ignorant of such things because learning about them has a cost in time and effort and have virtually no pay off. Furthermore, since the cost of being uninformed are so small in the area of politics, it makes sense that voters are "rationally irrational." That's the term coined in Caplan's book, which I highly recommend.
JohnnyOU08 3 years ago
"rationally irrational"? Sounds a big load of BS to me.
Schools in general should teach their students about how their government functions. Being taught about it would give people a better understanding of the world and a better perspective to understand national and world events through.
I never said "dumbing us down". I'm not calling anyone stupid here. Just uninformed.
riethc 3 years ago
Democracy isn't meant to work just like monarchies, dictatorships, and everyother form of government isn't meant to work. They are meant to provide some ruling structure over the society so society can function in an orderly way. Demcracy provides a way that the people can have a say in how much that government can rule over them. Its not meant to be perfect, efficient, or have the ability to make better descisions than other forms of government.
timbosforporn 3 years ago
52 states?, we're in trouble! ROFL!
SodCorley 3 years ago
How the fuck can anyone NOT know what Roe vs. Wade is about!? Or more importantly, how can anyone NOT know how many states there are? Obviously, the answer is 53.
steampunk18 3 years ago
This is what happens when you have a laughably shitty schooling system that's run on a shoestring and due to crappy wages, hires shitty teachers - all of which John Stossel heartily advocates in the name of lower taxes. Yes, just another libertarian douchebag that advocates public stupidity and then wants to disenfranchise the resulting ignorant masses for being too ignorant. Typical Geraldo-wannabe, shit-stirrer, Hall & Oates lookalike, 80s gay moustache afficionado - John Stossel.
FranklyMisterShankly 3 years ago
you are an idiot. watch his stupid in america series. then you will see that you are completely wrong about him. lower taxes yes, but that doesnt mean hiring shitty teachers. on the contrarym shitty teachers is who we hire now, and who we KEEP because of the unions. its almost impossible to fire a shitty teacher. introducing competition to education will improve standards.
Demian164 3 years ago
Christ, not another Ron Paul / John Stossel loving douchebag who tells me to watch the Stossel special on education, on which I've already commented about a dozen times. Incidentally, if you're such an ardent supporter of Ron Paul, Stossel and all the laissez-faire psychopaths, why do you live in Canada, which has higher taxes to pay for that cushy welfare state?
FranklyMisterShankly 3 years ago
Right bud, just ignore everything I said and ad hominem the shit out of me. you look real bright now! and what? I was born in canada so that makes me a hypocrite? If i possessed the power the change it I would. What stossel was advocating was similar to the system in belgium (or netherlands what the fuck ever) where it is obviously still publicly funded, but introduces options and choice in order to keep standards high...which WORKS.
douchebag.
Demian164 3 years ago
"{What stossel was advocating was similar to the system in belgium (or netherlands what the fuck ever)"
Only he wasn't. Christ, you're one ignorant douchebag. If you knew *anything* about Stossel, you'd know that he is a hardcore supporter of lassez-faire policies in which taxes are seen as "punishment for being rich" & thus must be eliminated for the sake of unfettered free markets, which according to him, always resolve themselves. Any concept of "social cost" is nonexistent in his arguments.
FranklyMisterShankly 3 years ago
how about for a new slogan just like ... : stop being stupid. read. and vote.... i guess that'd be like 10% of people voting then...
spacecommander12 3 years ago
GOD BLESS JOHN STOSSEL!!!!
drhoffma 3 years ago 2
51 states? 52 states? WTF? How said is that.
ShutterBug717 3 years ago
John Stossel is a stooge and his shitty show a stooge bucket for the élite. The élite doesn't want us, the canaille, to know anything. When's the last time you saw one of them soldier coffins coming home from Iraq? Our ignorance is a consequence of our media's keeping everything important off the front page if not entirely out of view.
dalkenshield 3 years ago
There is no constitutional provision for a general election of the president and vice president. The legislators of the various states appoint electors who cast the vote for president and vice president. We the people vote for our state legislators and in turn trust them with this decision. Therefore, voting for a president is a priviledge and not a right as outlined by the Constitution.
swampdonkey5150 3 years ago
wow even with such uneducated voters, this is exactly why the electoral college was created the founding fathers didnt think the averege citizen would be educated enough to vote responsibly they created a safty net for this issue but were still concerned wth is up with that?
WAYfan11235813 3 years ago
I think its stupid not to know how many states there are, but the questions they asked weren't revelant to what they were voting for. They should've asked what they know about the propositions or the standpoints of the running candidates and judge by that.
But I agree; voting is a right, but also a responsibility. Don't vote just because you can - look into what you're voting for and against. :D
nimechan 3 years ago
We were not intended to be a democracy, nor have we ever been a democracy. We are a constitutional republic. A citizen's civic duty is NOT to vote, it is to be informed. Today we have the means to pursue both sides of every issue from numerous media outlets and numerous types of media, but we don't. Instead, "civic duty" in this country is to vote whether one is informed or not. Why? So your "opinion can be heard!" But how can one have an opinion when one knows nothing?
tegthethird 3 years ago
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! FINALLY someone who understands the importance of knowing when NOT to act.
captainphoenix 3 years ago 2
Uninformed voting is the reason George W. Bush became president for a 2nd term.
rorcon 3 years ago
It's your civic duty to educate yourself. Do you realize that if these people had been born in another country, they would not be able to pass a citizenship test? And we are a republic.
EpoRose 3 years ago
Oh, and people should be encourage to inform themselves, then register. Not just "register and vote for who I tell you to" which seems to be so common.
muckluck12 3 years ago
Uninformed people shouldn't vote. That's when we get people voting for someone who is more charismatic or better looking or just someone that looks familiar. Not knowing who Ginsberg is isn't really that big of a deal, but not knowing what the Bill of Rights is is. Seriously, if you don't know what a candidate stands for, you shouldn't even bother casting your vote.
muckluck12 3 years ago 2
This is crap! It doesn't encourage education and he must have found the dumbest people at that concert to interview. I do not know one younger voter who couldn't ID Biden or explain the senate. How about he goes to a McCain rally and ask questions regarding voter suppression tactics that are currently being used.
comngrow 3 years ago
Everyone should of course have the legal RIGHT to vote, but if you don't know who the vice presidential candidate is, or where a candidate stands on major issues, you're uninformed enough that you should decide on your own not to vote.
Even if you're up to speed on the presidential candidates, I highly encourage everyone to research their local elections and proposals as well.
Stay informed and always listen to the argument from both sides BEFORE making a decision!
TheAbsintheReviewNet 3 years ago
I posted a video response to this video of John Stossel's follow-up interview after the 20/20 special aired. If you're still not convinced, at least listen to him defending what he aired...
TheAbsintheReviewNet 3 years ago
bullshit
GluvertyM 3 years ago
We are not supposed to a democracy! We are a Republic. Maybe they should look it up.
americahashope 3 years ago
The wisdom of crowds philosophy does not work in a Democracy because those people that lose, which are less than the majority, do not get their voice heard. Only the winners get to choose so dumb people should not vote yet that contradicts democracy.
dlix 3 years ago
I swear, this sounds like a segment right out of Onion. Seriously though, "civic duty not to vote"? Ummm pretty sure that same argument about people not being smart enough to vote was used as an argument to prevent women, minorities, and other groups from voting in the first place. It's really hard to take the media seriously anymore...
raviddobbins 3 years ago
raviddobbins, your logic is a bit flawed:
-women are stupid.
-stupid people shouldn't vote.
by this logic, women shouldn't vote. however, we now accept that women are NOT "stupid". this doesnt reverse the fact that "stupid" people shouldn't vote. the two are completely unrelated as statements.
pogogogogo1980 3 years ago
You are proposing that I said A=T and B=G, but what I said was If A=B and B=C then A=C. A=women are stupid B=stupid people shouldn't vote C=women shouldn't vote. Actually prior to the time of the 19th Amendment, women were refused proper education causing them to be called "stupid", so the exact same argument was used to prevent "stupid" people from voting was used against women.
raviddobbins 3 years ago
What a biased report, they didn't even bother to ask the same questions to the older people, they just assumed that they knew them
Im sure the percentages would have been close
bigbird3443 3 years ago
We don't need no stinking education. We know what's wrong with the country, it's Republicans! And Democrats are the opposite, so that must be the way to go!
When the sheepherder dog on the right spooks the sheep, they turn left. When the sheepherder dog on the left spooks the sheep, they turn right. No real thought about where we're going. Just rely on your instincts and hope you don't become extinct.
enjerth 3 years ago
There is no question that voters in this election will run to the polls for all the wrong reasons and with the wrong impression of what the candidates stand for. Politicians don't make your life any better... When they try we are all worse off! I will continue NOT to vote until I see a candidate truly worth supporting.
UWBADGER1 3 years ago
Lenin relied on people he called "useful idiots" to advance his communist cause.
QuartuvLarry 3 years ago
Of course the band members saying Democracy doesn't work this way reflects the root of the problem. We are in fact a Republic.
secuervo 3 years ago
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."--Edward Bernays, father of modern public relations
JohnnyOU08 3 years ago
I think people shouldn't be pressured into voting. I think an ad campaign should be sent out telling people look do your research and if you don't feel comfortable voting that's cool too maybe next year.
EasyEs 3 years ago