Guest Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Maybe I have a different perspective because of a local senatorial/congressional race long ago in Arizona. A candidate I did not remotely like "Smith" was running and not that likely to win. Another candidate "Jones" was likely to win. Neither one was that great in my view, but Smith was the worst. A third independent candidate decided to run "Zimmerman". Zimmerman got many votes, almost a third, but not enough to win. He instead got a majority of the votes that would otherwise have gone to Jones. So we got stuck with Smith as the elected official. Who ended up doing harm. I was one who voted for Zimmerman and later realized the potential for harm in voting for a third party/independent. I was stubborn and tried it again in a presidential race. That turned out to be a wasted vote. Currently, my country's welfare is too precious to waste on a third party vote. I will be voting against obama by voting republican this fall. That is what my conscience tells me to do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amor Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service Followers: 1 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 2,194 Content Per Day: 0.30 Reputation: 34 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/18/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2012 If your that unhappy with the choice, stand for election yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shiloh357 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 If your that unhappy with the choice, stand for election yourself. It's not that simple, amor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shiloh357 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Honestly confused! If you can vote but aren't, why? Mostly because Americans haved become lazy and disintrested and uninformed politically. I vote, but many younger people don't know much when it comes to politics and to be frank, they don't care. They can tell you everything you never wanted to know about their favorite rap artist or whatever, but can't identify the Vice President or Speaker of the House. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthitjah Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 1,285 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 17,917 Content Per Day: 2.27 Reputation: 355 Days Won: 19 Joined: 10/01/2002 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2012 Honestly confused! If you can vote but aren't, why? Mostly because Americans haved become lazy and disintrested and uninformed politically. I vote, but many younger people don't know much when it comes to politics and to be frank, they don't care. They can tell you everything you never wanted to know about their favorite rap artist or whatever, but can't identify the Vice President or Speaker of the House. A minority of the Nation casts ballots at any given election. Most youth can list a litany of supposed rights that they have, but can't tell you a thing about the Constitution or who even holds local office let alone National ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joi Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 506 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 1,922 Content Per Day: 0.41 Reputation: 173 Days Won: 4 Joined: 06/12/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2012 Maybe I have a different perspective because of a local senatorial/congressional race long ago in Arizona. A candidate I did not remotely like "Smith" was running and not that likely to win. Another candidate "Jones" was likely to win. Neither one was that great in my view, but Smith was the worst. A third independent candidate decided to run "Zimmerman". Zimmerman got many votes, almost a third, but not enough to win. He instead got a majority of the votes that would otherwise have gone to Jones. So we got stuck with Smith as the elected official. Who ended up doing harm. I was one who voted for Zimmerman and later realized the potential for harm in voting for a third party/independent. I was stubborn and tried it again in a presidential race. That turned out to be a wasted vote. Currently, my country's welfare is too precious to waste on a third party vote. I will be voting against obama by voting republican this fall. That is what my conscience tells me to do. As I recall Ross Perot helped Clinton get into office by splitting the vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1,022 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 39,193 Content Per Day: 6.10 Reputation: 9,977 Days Won: 78 Joined: 10/01/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2012 I'm not sure I'd like the compulsory voting thing; I mean, come on, if you don't want to vote then just don't. I think people SHOULD vote but, as is the case more and more often, if you don't like ANY of the candidates then it's not right to have to vote anyway. What if both are pro-abortion, Buddhist Communists? How could a believer vote? Why did Australia pass such a law? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SavedByGrace1981 Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 104 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 2,923 Content Per Day: 0.61 Reputation: 462 Days Won: 2 Joined: 04/02/2011 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/22/1953 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Alright, this baffles me, so clue me in on what logic you are using. I live in a country with compulsory voting and none of the candidates are suitable. None of the candidates meet all the requirements [anti abortion, anti gay marriage, chaplains in schools, etc]. I legally must vote for someone whose ideals are different to mine, I have no choice. So I look a little different at the value of my vote. I also know that NOT voting [or in my case, donkey voting] is in essence a vote for the ruling party, and I think it can be a bit of a cop out to not vote [or donkey vote], claim that you are not supporting immorality, when in reality your lack of vote supports that same immorality anyway. See what I mean? If none of the candidates in the upcoming American election are suitable (and from what I've read, none of them really are) then refusing to vote at all (in essence a vote for the ruling party) can be worse than voting for the least immoral candidate. Honestly confused! If you can vote but aren't, why? Candice, I've talked to you before and mentioned my friend and former co-worker who is Australian. It was he who told me about your compulsory voting system - something I had never heard of. If it's the law where you live that you must vote, then that settles it. Unless you see it as a matter of conscience not to - then I suppose you must suffer the consequences of breaking the law. But please allow me to take a very roundabout way to address your questions. As I do so, please understand that I speak for myself - and myself, only. You will find that there are many Christians who will vehemently disagree with what I say. That's fine - I look at it as a matter that comes under grace - and leave it at that. First off, I've voted in most every US presidential election since 1972. After I became a Christian around 1980-81, the pro-life issue became paramount to me - so that (for me) ruled out ever voting for a democrat. There were years where it was very difficult to pull the GOP lever. The years that the Bushes (father and son) and Bob Dole ran come to mind. But in the end, the argument that usually won me over was this one: "Who do you want nominating Supreme Court Justices (and by extension, at least keeping alive the chance that Roe v. Wade would eventually be overturned)" So let's look at some of the justices that the GOP has put up: Oh, there have been some good ones. Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Roberts, Alito. But for every Thomas, there seems to be a Souter (a disaster). For every Alito, there seems to be a Sandra Day O'connor. And don't forget, it was a GOP nominated judge (Harry Blackmun, appointed by Nixon) who gave us "Roe" in the first place. I've come to the conclusion that the GOP panders to its conservative "base" just as bad as the democrats pander to their gay, lesbian and whatever else (disabled space aliens?) base. In fact, the GOP is worse because it never seems to deliver on its "promises", while the dems (mostly because of a lack of a true opposition party) always seem to deliver on theirs. To wit - the most radical nominees the democrats put up (Ruth Bader Ginzburg, for example) meet NO opposition - not even token - while the dems ALWAYS oppose the rep nomees (they succeeded with Bork but failed with Thomas - but they tried.) You see - I can justify "not voting" because I have come to the conclusion that there really is no opposition party. News flash! The reps are as much for abortion as the dems - else they would have overturned Roe by now (there are other, congressional ways to overturn it if the reps were interested in doing so) The reps are as much for "big government" as the dems. They just give the appearance they are not. Else why - even during the most conservative president that could ever be elected (Reagan) did government GROW? Here's another news flash: Obamacare IS NOT going to be overturned - even if the reps win the election. The reps have been wanting nationalized health care as long as the dems have - and once government gets hold of something it does not let go willingly. In the unlikely event that the Supreme Court stikes down portions of it, rest assured that "bi-partisanship will reign" and reps and dems will work together to fix it! For the good of the children, of course. To answer your question "well, if you don't cast a vote, is that not the same as voting for the ruling party?". That argument is made every election cycle, and it will be made during this one. You could make a case for that - IF one party really represented a change (or difference) from the other. But as I've already explained, to me the reps are simply "democrat lite". Romney's policies will be no different that Obama's (in areas that matter). In fact, I could make a case that one of the reasons we (conservatives) keep getting such miserable candidates (like Dole, the Bushes, McCain, and now probably Romney) is that in the end we DO support them by showing up on election day. The republican party has not paid the price (of conservatives staying home in droves) for nominating such losers. To close: I despise Obama's policies, and I see him as a disaster as president. But I am coming to the point where I despise the GOP as much - or even more. Here's why: Every day, it seems we wake up to the fact Obama (and the dems) have done something else that's unconstitutional. He appoints people without congressional approval (by using some bogus recess appointment trick) He rules like a king (or dictator). He has utter contempt for congressional checks and balances and for the Constitution. But you know what? The last time I checked (Obama notwithstanding) we still - in theory, anyway - live under a constitution. A constitution that Obama can be held to account for. IF WE HAD AN OPPOSITION PARTY THAT WOULD HOLD HIM TO ACCOUNT! We don't - and that, dear lady - is the problem. That is why I will never - ever support Romney, or the GOP. Blessings! -Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.99 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Show me one place in scripture where God said it was a good idea for man to elect his own leadership and I will start voting. The only place I see God saying anything like this is to appoint servants who will serve food to the widows and needy in the church. All of the early church leadership were appointed by God through his Apostles and those they appointed to appoint others. I challenge anyone to show biblical evidence to support the common man voting in his leadership. Even Christ avoided man when he understood that they would take him by force and appoint him king. The mistake Israel made was desiring a king and rejecting God. I will not make such a mistake but will have Christ as my King. Gary God put each governmental entity in place. Scripture says nothing about many things that we do daily, and yet, we still do them. This forum and the Internet is just one example. To say that we don't need to vote because the Bible does not specifically mention voting is ludicrous. In this country, our right to vote was paid for, in blood, just as our salvation was, so to treat that right with contempt is to also treat those who died to give us those rights with contempt as well. When you have the ability to influence whether you get Godly government or non-godly government, it's kind of stupid to blow off that ability by concocting some kind of holier-then-thou smoke screen as to why one does not vote. People wring their hand over the state of our country when many of them will not lift a finger when it comes to determining who runs the country. I find that both ironic and irresponsible. Your insults are unnecessary but expected may it be between you and the Lord. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthitjah Posted March 12, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 1,285 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 17,917 Content Per Day: 2.27 Reputation: 355 Days Won: 19 Joined: 10/01/2002 Status: Offline Share Posted March 12, 2012 Show me one place in scripture where God said it was a good idea for man to elect his own leadership and I will start voting. The only place I see God saying anything like this is to appoint servants who will serve food to the widows and needy in the church. All of the early church leadership were appointed by God through his Apostles and those they appointed to appoint others. I challenge anyone to show biblical evidence to support the common man voting in his leadership. Even Christ avoided man when he understood that they would take him by force and appoint him king. The mistake Israel made was desiring a king and rejecting God. I will not make such a mistake but will have Christ as my King. Gary God put each governmental entity in place. Scripture says nothing about many things that we do daily, and yet, we still do them. This forum and the Internet is just one example. To say that we don't need to vote because the Bible does not specifically mention voting is ludicrous. In this country, our right to vote was paid for, in blood, just as our salvation was, so to treat that right with contempt is to also treat those who died to give us those rights with contempt as well. When you have the ability to influence whether you get Godly government or non-godly government, it's kind of stupid to blow off that ability by concocting some kind of holier-then-thou smoke screen as to why one does not vote. People wring their hand over the state of our country when many of them will not lift a finger when it comes to determining who runs the country. I find that both ironic and irresponsible. Your insults are unnecessary but expected may it be between you and the Lord. Gary Gary, There was no insult in that post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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