For those Napsterites in the USA

[albed]

Originally Posted by Mazer

In a democracy, voters and non-voters alike get exactly the government they deserve, so stop your whining and do something about it.

What a load of crap. All the voters get is a very limited choice of people to run portions of the government; and those people invariably lie about their intentions to get elected so most voters get exactly what they don't want.

Non-voters are probably the smarter ones.

[Mazer]

Originally Posted by albed

All the voters get is a very limited choice of people to run portions of the government; and those people invariably lie about their intentions to get elected so most voters get exactly what they don't want.

Non-voters are probably the smarter ones.

If that's how it is where you live then maybe you should consider moving away. Get out of the city and find a nice town where normal everyday people run for public office; find people that won't lie to you and join their community. Or if that seems too drastic then there's always the possibility of running for office yourself. Hell, I'd vote for you. That or get someone you already know and trust to do it. Broaden the field a little bit if you think the selection is too narrow.

There are options available to you, albed, besides giving up and just letting things happen. This is the cycle I'm hoping to convince you to break. If the non-voters really are smarter then they're exactly the people we need to participate. In my opinion, a smart and yet apathetic person is not a wise person. A little wisdom would go a long way if people just applied it to matters of government. You can rant all you like on our little forum here in the backwoods of the internet, but you're not doing anyone any favors by witholding your opinions in the only place where people actually ask for them.

[multi]

find people that won't lie to you and join their community

this would be a near impossible task...
not saying theres not people that dont lie
but to find a community of them?

i remember when i didnt vote for nearly 10 years..i was quite proud of the fact...
it was my right not to vote..if i chose

i am sure there are still plenty of people like that
i am also pretty sure you would find practicaly no right wingers amongst them..

i agree mazer ,you can say all you like about your political views..but the only time your views really affect the system is when you cast your vote

[albed]

Originally Posted by Mazer

There are options available to you, albed, besides giving up and just letting things happen. This is the cycle I'm hoping to convince you to break. If the non-voters really are smarter then they're exactly the people we need to participate. In my opinion, a smart and yet apathetic person is not a wise person. A little wisdom would go a long way if people just applied it to matters of government. You can rant all you like on our little forum here in the backwoods of the internet, but you're not doing anyone any favors by witholding your opinions in the only place where people actually ask for them.

Don't know what this is about, I voted in every election for 12 years and I've seen many candidates do the opposite of what they promised once in office. That's the cycle you should try to break and getting more voters out doesn't address it.

[Mazer]

Alright, albed, I'll try.

[multi]

voting anarchists ??

had to laugh at this one...

[JackSpratts]

ok, so here we are three and a half years after mazer's post.

whatcha think - are netizens becoming a voting force in the us? certainly obama has fired up waves of non-voters recently, many of whom may be net users, but getting people out to the polls for a singular event does not necessarily a movement make.

i see politicians taking a bit more care before trampling technology, that the days of indiscriminately creating bills that favor old line business at the expense of online enterprise are passing, and that's good, but i'm not sure it's a reflection of the political power of net users as a block as much as it recognises the now-overwhelming movement of capital to the internet.

as the net itself becomes mainstream and more and more civilians find themselves routinely utilizing it as part of their daily lives the question becomes somewhat academic, but i nevertheless think it is relevant to those who formed the original core of modern users, and i consider everyone here in that group.

where then are we as napsterites, i.e. are we nappies who may not have previously participated politically now registered, voting and locally active, or are we about the same as before all this internet stuff took off, and more generally, have long time net users gained genuine political influence & are we using it to any meaningful effect?

- js.

[theknife]

Originally Posted by JackSpratts

ok, so here we are three and a half years after mazer's post.

whatcha think - are netizens becoming a voting force in the us? certainly obama has fired up waves of non-voters recently, many of whom may be net users, but getting people out to the polls for a singular event does not necessarily a movement make.

i see politicians taking a bit more care before trampling technology, that the days of indiscriminately creating bills that favor old line business at the expense of online enterprise are passing, and that's good, but i'm not sure it's a reflection of the political power of net users as a block as much as it recognises the now-overwhelming movement of capital to the internet.

as the net itself becomes mainstream and more and more civilians find themselves routinely utilizing it as part of their daily lives the question becomes somewhat academic, but i nevertheless think it is relevant to those who formed the original core of modern users, and i consider everyone here in that group.

where then are we as napsterites, i.e. are we nappies who may not have previously participated politically now registered, voting and locally active, or are we about the same as before all this internet stuff took off, and more generally, have long time net users gained genuine political influence & are we using it to any meaningful effect?

- js.

i think, as Americans grow up online, the net political community is getting absorbed by the country as a whole and will continue to do so. since netizens represent so many diverse political viewpoints, their impact as a voting force is diluted by their diversity.

as for myself, i was always an active voter so the net hasn't really impacted that...but i have a 17 y/o son who is far more engaged than i was at that age and is just itching to vote (tho unfortunately his 18th bday is a few days after the 2008 Prez Elections). this is a direct result of the net - not just by getting more info, but by interacting with other politically active people and stoking his interests. at his age, i could listen to the political discussion but not much more. the net allows my son to start and participate in political discussions and therefore become much more part of the process. i think this ultimately creates voters - we'll see in November.