George Carlin on voting

[catamount man]

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[JohnStOnge]

I agree with him in the sense that people complain about things then vote to continue them. For instance, polls show that a majority believes in term limits yet a majority usually votes for incumbents regardless of how many terms they've had. Also a majority indicates the belief that there is to much money in politics but a majority votes for candidates who are able to spend a lot of money. Then there's that thing where a majority says it wants substance and not negative and/or sloganistic ads but negative and/or sloganistic ads clearly work and any politician who opts not to employ them gets killed.

But who you vote for DOES generally matter. All one needs as a recent example is the Health Care legislation. Whether you're for it or against it, who won Presidential and Congressional elections in 2008 mattered with respect to whether that happened or not.

And if you did not vote in 2008 I guess you still have a right to complain about the Health Care law if you don't like it. But you had a chance to participate in the national decision as to whether we'd go in that direction and you didn't take it.

Having said all that I realize it was just a comedian doing a bit.

[Pwns]

The problem is that too many people are complete homers when it comes to their congressmen. They think congress is a feckless bunch of buffoons, but their guy isn't part of the problem.

[rebla 49er]

The right to complain is the 9th amendment. An American does not need to vote in order to exercise that right.