Thread: Palin's Choice for VP

mike is right on the money here. those who want to govern the most are nearly always the least suited to do so.

Originally Posted by jockeys

mike is right on the money here. those who want to govern the most are nearly always the least suited to do so.

I wholeheartedly agree, it should be like jury duty. Once you pass an IQ and personality profile of some sort. If you get the call up you do your one turn in office and no more ever.

No need to worry, your not getting a wagging finger. the artical was getting it.

DS

Originally Posted by Dicestone

No need to worry, your not getting a wagging finger. the artical was getting it.

DS

Wag on, finger, wag on!

Can't you be a Conservative and believe in science? I guess the belief in science now makes one a leftist. Make way for the Jesus horses at the Whitehouse. Now we can ensure that abstinence is taught to all the the children, it seems to have worked well for the Palin's. We can also stop paying them women the same as men, that has just been a pain.

Actually what needed is an IQ test for voters, 51% of americans surveyed think that new offshore drilling will drop the price of gas with in a year, that a statement about the electorate.

Originally Posted by Hutch

Can't you be a Conservative and believe in science? I guess the belief in science now makes one a leftist. Make way for the Jesus horses at the Whitehouse. Now we can ensure that abstinence is taught to all the the children, it seems to have worked well for the Palin's. We can also stop paying them women the same as men, that has just been a pain.

Actually what needed is an IQ test for voters, 51% of americans surveyed think that new offshore drilling will drop the price of gas with in a year, that a statement about the electorate.

Nothing to do with the current state of the American voter, but Jefferson wanted the electorate to be well educated and understand the issues facing the country when they cast their vote. Now we're all reduced to decisions made based on 15 second sound bites and have little personal responsibility (the one item that actually woke me up during Obama's speech) about what we know of the issues. Except for this august group of intellectuals of course.

It's a lot like playing tennis (any sport) against a much better player, your game gets better. If the expectation is that you are a slacker, you start to act like one. Now where does that fit into public education? voting? citizen participation? Anyone else getting wind of the media "telling us" how we should be by way of who decides what the hot button of the day is? They are the only ones going to make any money off this contest. In that regard, the media are no better than bookies wanting to manipulate the odds and keep the race close, otherwise they got nothing to report.

Another odd thought: (disclaimer, the author has spent way too much time hammering hot steel breathing carbon monoxide) Why shouldn't we franchise the vote? Since apathy is the rule of most US elections, why shouldn't you have to work for your right to vote? In my previous note, serving the US people in some way should be the basis for that right. Go to congress, the senate, some public administrative office, serve in the military, serve in the VA hospitals if you don't want to shoot something, VISTA, the Peace Corps, Americorps, the CCC, etc. Do your two years and maybe with a little sweat equity that vote will mean something.

Look at the brand new democracies. They don't have any trouble pulling majority electoral counts. The US can barely get a portion of that out even when we're excited about it. France's last election pulled 86% of the populace. What the hell is wrong with the longest running democracy on the planet that we don't give a ?

I bet Gov. Palin is a good woman and is trying her best to run Alaska according to her own lights. They are all trying to exercise what they believe. If it's an educated belief, I can live with that, if they win. If it's just follow the leader/drink the coolaid...it's painful.

Originally Posted by Hutch

Actually what needed is an IQ test for voters, 51% of americans surveyed think that new offshore drilling will drop the price of gas with in a year, that a statement about the electorate.

in breaking news, it was also discovered that a shocking 49.9% of the test takers had an IQ below the median score...

It appears, from stories in our news media overnight, that Palin was not McCain's first choice as running mate. There is a story circulating that she was "recommended" by advisers because her "pro life" stance will bring the large conservative Christian vote on board. This is in contrast, apparently, to the person McCain initially wanted, who was "pro choice".

I don't know if this is true or not. But even if there is a glimmer of truth in there, it simply serves to reinforce my belief that politics, whether domestically or abroad, whether conservative or liberal, is simply about doing whatever you need to do to gain power. Groucho Marx summed it up well when he said "These are my principles. If you don't like them I have others". Or a slightly more political take on that might be "These are my principles. If you don't like them, tell me in a focus group and I'll make sure someone works out what principles I need to have."

Until someone has the guts to stand up and actually lay down what they really believe in and how they intend to put those beliefs into practice, politics will remain a sordid, cynical, laughable and despicable freak show. I cannot shake the belief that the party elected into government is simply the one who has the best spin doctors.

Here endeth my (off -topic, sorry) rant.

James.

Originally Posted by jockeys

in breaking news, it was also discovered that a shocking 49.9% of the test takers had an IQ below the median score...

Median is a value that separates the upper half of a list of values from the lower half, I think the term you're looking for is "mean" which is the average so naturally it means that half the people fall above and the other half falls below. As opposed to the "mode" which is the value that occurs most frequently in list of values. If the values are perfectly normally distributed the median=mean=mode.

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Nothing to do with the current state of the American voter, but Jefferson wanted the electorate to be well educated and understand the issues facing the country when they cast their vote. Now we're all reduced to decisions made based on 15 second sound bites and have little personal responsibility (the one item that actually woke me up during Obama's speech) about what we know of the issues. Except for this august group of intellectuals of course.

It's a lot like playing tennis (any sport) against a much better player, your game gets better. If the expectation is that you are a slacker, you start to act like one. Now where does that fit into public education? voting? citizen participation? Anyone else getting wind of the media "telling us" how we should be by way of who decides what the hot button of the day is? They are the only ones going to make any money off this contest. In that regard, the media are no better than bookies wanting to manipulate the odds and keep the race close, otherwise they got nothing to report.

Another odd thought: (disclaimer, the author has spent way too much time hammering hot steel breathing carbon monoxide) Why shouldn't we franchise the vote? Since apathy is the rule of most US elections, why shouldn't you have to work for your right to vote? In my previous note, serving the US people in some way should be the basis for that right. Go to congress, the senate, some public administrative office, serve in the military, serve in the VA hospitals if you don't want to shoot something, VISTA, the Peace Corps, Americorps, the CCC, etc. Do your two years and maybe with a little sweat equity that vote will mean something.

Look at the brand new democracies. They don't have any trouble pulling majority electoral counts. The US can barely get a portion of that out even when we're excited about it. France's last election pulled 86% of the populace. What the hell is wrong with the longest running democracy on the planet that we don't give a ?

I bet Gov. Palin is a good woman and is trying her best to run Alaska according to her own lights. They are all trying to exercise what they believe. If it's an educated belief, I can live with that, if they win. If it's just follow the leader/drink the coolaid...it's painful.

You talk of "personal responsibilities" yet you make excuses for the state of the electorate. The voters and many Americans have chosen to be ignorant and uneducated, it' not the fault of the school system, the media, the government or anyone else. Personal responsibility begins there, if you aren't educated, get educated, if you are ignorant of the issues, become informed. In all honesty in this day and age its never been easier to get educated and informed.