Do you vote?

[Nightopian]

I find it strange that the judges in the US that have the most power to affect peoples lives (high court is it?)' date=' are appointed for life by the president. Where is the will of the people in that. In a democracy you are supposed to be able to have a say about things that affect your life. At least if a president screws up and people arent happy they can vote him out, but with the judge...too bad, you didnt choose them and you are stuck with them for life[/quote']

 

Techically they don't. The Supreme Court has the job of deciding if a law is legal under the consitution. This is supposed to be done by studying the intent of the framers of the consititution and applying that intent to the laws brought before them. The Justices are given lifetime appointments in an attempt to keep them from being beholden to anyone who might decide they wanted one justice or another replaced. And believe me more than one president has wanted to get rid of the very Justice he'd appointed... usually within a year of being appointed

 

Anywho, the courts here (US) in general have two real problems where judges are concerned that I can see:

 

1) Proactive Judges. It's not a Judge's job to write the law, only to apply the law as written to the case at hand. If something is not there in black and white, it isn't the Judge's right to unilaterally make up the law he or she would like to see in place. All the courts including the Supreme Court have mechanisms in place to remove bad Judges. Sadly, at the federal level it is rarely used and local Judges who _are_ voted into their positions are rarely voted out or replaced due to the same voter apathy that keeps only a third to one half the eligible voters from doing so.

 

2) Most Judges in the lower courts deny Jurors the right to hear all the options available to them when deciding a case. In particular Jurors have the right to release a defendent even though he is guilty of breaking the law if the Jury decides the law itself is wrong. Yep, you can be guilty as hell in the US and the prosecution can have an airtight case, but if the law is decided by the Jury to be a bad one, they can let you run free.

 

But for some reason Judges generally refuse to let that option be included when giving the Jury their instructions and more than one lawyer has been called on the carpet for even daring to mention it.

 

Shade and Sweetwater,

NiGHTs ^_^

[synexo]

I often hear people refer to America as the greatest democracy in the world, so why doesnt everyone vote?

 

America is such a great democracy, nobody really needs to vote.

[StitchInTime]

Hey...it's too cold up there for us yanks anyway! Good beer though...

Obviously you didn't spend much time up here this summer, where the average temp. was something like 90 degrees F., and it felt like over 100. :p

 

As for the beer, thanks! :D

 

Unfortunately Coors has bought Molson; so, I am not sure how much longer it will be good.

 

:thinking:

 

Although, maybe it's just that Americans like our beer so much they bought the company. ;)

[Guest c4evap]

Hey...it's too cold up there for us yanks anyway! Good beer though...

Obviously you didn't spend much time up here this summer, where the average temp. was something like 90 degrees F., and it felt like over 100. :p

 

As for the beer, thanks! :D

 

Unfortunately Coors has bought Molson; so, I am not sure how much longer it will be good.

 

:thinking:

 

Although, maybe it's just that Americans like our beer so much they bought the company. ;)

 

Of course you're correct regarding the summers in Canada. I was refering to the "winters".

 

c4 B)

[GorunNova]

I vote... see the poll? It jumped a small percentage to prove it ;)

 

(Yeah, I know what the question really was, but I don't want to start into an already finished discussion on the merits of voting in a democratic vote, even if you're only voting for your choice of oligarchy ;p)

[negger]

@ChiefRuk: Whos this girl??

[Ruk]

Scarlett Johannson: actress most recently starring in The Island

[hubix]

I vote.

 

But here in Poland averages are also low :(

 

But I heard that in some countries you have to vote. If you don't, you pay a fine :stare:

[StitchInTime]

Of course you're correct regarding the summers in Canada. I was refering to the "winters".

I don't know about that either. Last winter we had no snow until Christmas, and I only had the heat on a few times. Methinks the climate is changing. When I was younger we had five or six months of winter. Now, we barely have three.

[Guest c4evap]

Of course you're correct regarding the summers in Canada. I was refering to the "winters".

I don't know about that either. Last winter we had no snow until Christmas, and I only had the heat on a few times. Methinks the climate is changing. When I was younger we had five or six months of winter. Now, we barely have three.

 

You're correct about the weather changing. We haven't had a spring here in my neck of upstate NY in quite a few years. We go right from winter into summer. Not much of a fall either. The trees change color (it seems) overnight. I'm sure it all started when we landed on the moon...

 

c4 :p

[TFMF]

^^That is somthing that might make me vote - Gloabal Warming - i'd like to see more done about this as it's only going to get worse. Also - more things to help the Enviroment and stuff like that, that lets Earth be 'habitable'

[howiepoohs]

I voted that I dont vote. I also never post in forums either.

[StitchInTime]

We haven't had a spring here in my neck of upstate NY in quite a few years. We go right from winter into summer.

Same here. One day you're shoveling snow, the next day you're turning on the air conditioner.

 

I'm sure it all started when we landed on the moon...

Hmm. Please elaborate.

[jedimartok]

whats the point when your choice is between an idiot or a bigger idiot.

so as you can imagine i dont vote whats the piont when there is nobody you want to vote for.

voting for the sake of voting is dumb.

[phabianh20]

I am proud to vote. I have gladly participated every election since I was 18. I might not always like the outcome, but I dont believe you should complain unless you voted.

[Beawulf]

Last winter we had no snow until Christmas' date=' and I only had the heat on a few times. Methinks the climate is changing[/quote']

 

You're correct about the weather changing. We haven't had a spring here in my neck of upstate NY in quite a few years. We go right from winter into summer.

 

Gloabal Warming - i'd like to see more done about this as it's only going to get worse

 

 

Same here. One day you're shoveling snow' date=' the next day you're turning on the air conditioner.[/quote']

 

I cant stand the fact that people, particularly (in power) in the US, still deny that global warming is happening. There is evidence all around the world that things are changing for the worse.

 

For those of you in the US I implore you to vote in someone who is going to take action before it is too late rather than submitting to the demands of the oil industry and related interest groups.

 

And for those of you in the Australia, I implore you to vote for someone who will not just follow the US in everything, regardless of the environment. It is not too late to join the Kyoto protocol.

 

I feel ashamed to be in one of the two countries who do not consider the global environment to be important enough.

 

*stops self from ranting more* :cyclops:

[Guest c4evap]

I saw that movie "The Day After Tomorrow". I believe it's a blueprint for our future! Seriously!

 

c4 :thinking:

[TFMF]

I agree - just look at all those storms:

 

Storms

 

Can't just be normal

 

Edit: these pictures will change in like a week.

[Pella]

Yes, I vote. I feel it's the least I can do. It's a responsibility and a privilege really, given there are still so many places where people don't have a choice at all, not even a bad one.

 

I rather suspect that voting isn't enough, however. You have to get involved, even if only at the local level, if you want to see things change in a positive way. I recently completed an internship in community development, where I discovered that it really is quite amazing, the influence that people can have if they get together and pool their resources to fight for causes that matter to them. It's a lot easier to do that in a democracy, but to keep the democracy alive, I think you really need to take part in some way.

 

I agree with everything Stitch has said here. I vote and usually I feel it's waste of time - nothing really changes. But it's like he said if you really want to change something voting isn't enough.

 

 

[Guest c4evap]

I say we stand all the politicians, lawyers and corporate execs up against a wall and shoot them all! Then we eat the rich...

 

...that'll teach 'em to f*ck with my planet!

 

c4 :mad: