What Americans, USAans, yanks, beleive.

[Michaelangelica]

Voting is compulsory in Australia at all levels.
We now have a wide range of political opinion represented especially in the senate.

I wish voting was compulsory in the USA too.

It seems such a pity to decide not to have some say in how your country is run and leave it to the fanatical 30%. I can't understand why yanks are still sticking with the Republican Party after the mess they have made and the money they have flushed down the toilet. Obarma should be miles ahead- but he isn't.

Here for example the NSW Liberal Party has been captured (enthralled) by the wealthy USA style Born-again Christian Right; just when everyone is getting sick of the present State Government. But there is no way you can vote Liberal with that happening. If you get really upset you can always join a political party and try to change it.
Here, you always have a choice of the greens, the marijuana party,the shooters party (funded by USA NRA), etc

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

I wish voting was compulsory in the USA too.

So what happens if you don't vote?

EDIT: I found this

Initially the Australian Electoral Commission will write to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a reason for their failure to vote or pay a $20 penalty.

If, within 21 days, the apparent non-voter fails to reply, cannot provide a valid and sufficient reason or declines to pay the penalty, then prosecution proceedings may be instigated. If the matter is dealt with in court and the person is found guilty, he or she may be fined up to $50 plus court costs.

Interesting...

This just would not stand in America. We like freedom you know.

Seriously though, the only event I can think of in American history that has been compulsory has been the war drafts (and that only affected a portion of the population). That didn't go over too well.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Michaelangelica-
It seems such a pity to decide not to have some say in how your country is run and leave it to the fanatical 30%. I can't understand why yanks are still sticking with the Republican Party after the mess they have made and the money they have flushed down the toilet. Obarma should be miles ahead- but he isn't.

I didn't vote for 'em I'm a Libertarian sadly we as of yet haven't
had a candidate worth backing (have we even had one at all?).

Freexy-Seriously though, the only event I can think of in American history that has been compulsory has been the war drafts (and that only affected a portion of the population). That didn't go over too well.

At 18 we have to register with the selective service.

I think we aught to be able to vote @$$holes like Bush out at any time during their term I'd definitly vote for that one

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

I didn't vote for 'em I'm a Libertarian sadly we as of yet haven't
had a candidate worth backing (have we even had one at all?).

I'm (mostly) a Libertarian. I have one main gripe with the platform: the approach to the environment. The candidates for the Libertarian party can be found here:
Barr-Root | Libertarian Party

I have enjoyed reading Bob Barr's editorials in the local paper and agree with his vision of liberty. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with his platform yet, so I can't say whether or not I will support him/them.

At 18 we have to register with the selective service.

Uhhh...yeah...that...

I don't know how I forgot about that considering how angry I was when I was eighteen and signed that stupid paper. It took me a good twenty minutes of arguing with the military personnel sent to the school to get signatures until I acquiesced. You can get out of it by claiming to be a conscientious objector, but you still have to do public service for 2 years. Thanks for reminding me of that...now I'm pissed!

I think we aught to be able to vote @$ like Bush out at any time during their term I'd definitly vote for that one

Well, at least the legislative branch can impeach.

[Michaelangelica]

[quote]

Originally Posted by freeztar

So what happens if you don't vote?

Usually you are just taken to a gulag detention centre like Christmas Island and incarcerated without trial for as long as it takes to teach you a lesson.
But I have heard of people being summarily shot.
Don't believe the government propaganda about $20 fines
The voting age is 18.

There are a lot of dopey people who "vote" though. Makes you wonder how an Oligarchy would work.

This just would not stand in America. We like freedom you know.

Freedom In the USA?
When did that start?

Seriously though, the only event I can think of in American history that has been compulsory has been the war drafts (and that only affected a portion of the population). That didn't go over too well.

Prohibition?
sterilisation?
education? (also compulsory school and college courses)
vaccination?
wrong spelling?
driving on the wrong side of the road?
tax?
licensing?
flag laws?
insurance?
law? (Sixth Amendment’s Compulsory Process Clause)


Yes they say one of the reasons there is not a lot of opposition to the Iraq war is the lack of conscription. It has never been popular here.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Usually you are just taken to a gulag detention centre like Christmas Island and incarcerated without trial for as long as it takes to teach you a lesson.
But I have heard of people being summarily shot.
Don't believe the government propaganda about $20 fines

The voting age is 18.

Why not 25?

Freedom In the USA?
When did that start?

Hey now, we're working on it.

Prohibition?
sterilisation?
education? (also compulsory school and college courses)
vaccination?
wrong spelling?
driving on the wrong side of the road?
tax?
licensing?
flag laws?
insurance?
law? (Sixth Amendment’s Compulsory Process Clause)

None of those are compulsory here. (the sixth amendment is compulsory for the government, not the citizen)

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

Lastly I'm soooooo sick and fkn tired of America being regarded as a wealthy nation.

Yes for the most part we're better of than some '"third-world" nations...

No the majority of americans are not so well off as portreyed by the media...

90% of the people I know and/or work with make ends meet and that's about it (myself included... I'm presently looking for job #2 in hopes of not losing my house...aparently working 60 hours a week isn't enough! Wifey puts in a 50 hour week too. Fuc#ing inflation!!)

How about how the media talks about gas prices, as though it might cut into our discretionary money, but is no big deal, when the reality is, for low income people, the price of gas, just to get to and from work, is taking money out of the food budget. We can not afford to visit friends and family as we did a year ago, and this is taking something as important as food out of our lives. Some of the people in my extended family no longer have cars and are riding bicycles, on streets not designed for bicycle safety. It seems a bycilist is hit at least once a month. Our way of life was affluent compared to Europe, but things are getting more difficult. This might be a good thing. We might begin to relate to the rest of humanity and the difficulties others face, when we experience difficulty ourselves.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

How about how the media talks about gas prices, as though it might cut into our discretionary money, but is no big deal, when the reality is, for low income people, the price of gas, just to get to and from work, is taking money out of the food budget. We can not afford to visit friends and family as we did a year ago, and this is taking something as important as food out of our lives. Some of the people in my extended family no longer have cars and are riding bicycles, on streets not designed for bicycle safety. It seems a bycilist is hit at least once a month. Our way of life was affluent compared to Europe, but things are getting more difficult. This might be a good thing. We might begin to relate to the rest of humanity and the difficulties others face, when we experience difficulty ourselves.

More accurately "when the nation as a whole realizes that things ain't as rosey as they appear in the popular media"...My entire life has been just trying to "make ends meet" and worse not being able to do so.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD View Post
Lastly I'm soooooo sick and fkn tired of America being regarded as a wealthy nation.

Yes for the most part we're better of than some '"third-world" nations...

Sorry this is not true.
Many would live in accommodation you would not keep your lawnmower in.
Perhaps your distribution of wealth and lack of a fair social security & fair health system (& paranoia about socialism) is what is third world.

‘Despite spending $230m (£115m) an hour on healthcare, Americans live shorter lives than citizens of almost every other developed country. And while it has the second-highest income per head in the world, the United States ranks 42nd in terms of life expectancy.
. . .
“Some Americans are living anywhere from 30 to 50 years behind others when it comes to issues we all care about: health, education and standard of living.
. . .
It has 5% of the world’s people but 24% of its prisoners.”’
. . .
You might like to consider why it is that the Democrats do not adopt a more left of centre stance and tackle these issues head on. Is it to do with America’s psyche, its suspicion of government, or perhaps the cowardice of its politicians?

USA: a nation divided by wealth


The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of global household wealth

Pioneering study shows richest 2 percent own half world wealth

% membership world's wealthiest 1%


% membership world's wealthiest top 10%


Population and wealth shares by region.

Average wealth amounted to $144,000 per person in the USA in year 2000, and $181,000 in Japan. Lower down among countries with wealth data are India, with per capita assets of $1,100, and Indonesia with $1,400 per capita.

Wealth is heavily concentrated in North America, Europe, and high income Asia-Pacific countries. People in these countries collectively hold almost 90% of total world wealth.

Regional wealth shares %
Metrics 2.0: Richest 2% Own Half World Wealth; Bottom 50% Own 1% - UN Report

Wealthy North Americans increased allocations to Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. They now invest 27% of assets outside domestic markets compared with 22% in 2005.
. . .
World wealth accelerates 2006 marked a return to growth in private wealth. Worldwide, the number of people with more than US$1 million in net investable assets grew by 8.3% to 9.5 million. Assets held by these high net worth individuals (HNWIs) grew by 11.4% year-on-year to US$37.4 trillion. These strong gains followed a slowdown in growth in 2005.

Wealth continues to consolidate with the assets of the ultra high net worth individuals (those with net investable assets of more than US$30 million) outpacing the wider HNWI population.
Fuelling this strong performance was the powerful combination of robust GDP growth and gains in world stock markets, as market capitalisations accelerated in most regions of the world.

www.citywealthmag.com: The Merrill Lynch Cap Gemini World Wealth report summary

Based in Zurich, Dr Ariel Sergio Goekmen, responsible for the 'Wealthy Families' sector and 'UK resident non-domicile's’ at Credit Suisse is also part of this development.. . .
“Wealthy families generally are very mobile nowadays. I think they form a unique community connected around the globe.”

www.citywealthmag.com: super rich
www.citywealthmag.com: rich list

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

More accurately "when the nation as a whole realizes that things ain't as rosey as they appear in the popular media"...My entire life has been just trying to "make ends meet" and worse not being able to do so.

I can relate to what you are saying. Do you have children? It is really, really bad when we have children and doing our best is not good enough. Jesse Jackson said living in poverty is like living in a war zone, and I know exactly what he is talking about. I am extremely thankful, I raised my children in Oregon, and not L.A., California where I grew up. They would have been in gangs and probably had very short lives. Our quality of life would have been dreadful compared to growing up on a farm in a rural area, not far from a small city. Cheap gas was a major compliment to our lives, because it meant leaving home and seeing how others lived. We never got to travel to Europe, but my kids knew there was more to life then their community in rural Oregon. But still, they had nothing like the advantages of middle class families, as they grew up with the insecurity and low self esteem that comes with relative poverty.

My father's second family had the advantages my professional father could give them, while my sister and I didn't even get child support checks. My mother supported us alone, when women were locked into low wage female work, and men were automatically paid more, just because they were men. When I was 18 I met my father and lived with his family for 3 months. I was impressed by the difference between the reality of his second and the reality of his first family which he abandoned. We live different realities and I feel blessed by what I gain through experiencing both realities. And blessed that although my mother's wages were low, her mother, my grandmother, was a teacher, so I was raised for a love of learning and middle class values.

But in the 1970's recession, I had that "meaningful experience of poverty" I thought those of born white and middle class could never have. I began precieving the law makers and law enforcers as the enemy of the people, and realized I had forgotten how to think "middle class". That was a trip