Early reports from the US election campaign are suggesting computer voting machines are changing the votes of those who are selecting President Obama to those of his rival Mitt Romney. What a disaster! Even if it is only a few votes, and I’m not sure how widespread the problem is, then it is unacceptable. The fact that one of the states having problems is Ohio, a vital swing state which may decided the occupant of the White House for the next four years is of concern especially if the result is in doubt.
No one is particularly willing to concede tight electoral races nowadays and with every party quick to jump their lawyers into the fray if there are irregularities then it may be a long wait to declare a winner if it’s close.
Why do we even have computer voting? I know they have used it in the past couple of Presidential elections and had problems and there were even some places at our local ACT election a few weeks back which were using it. I don’t agree with it.
Yes I know, we have to move with the times and computer voting obviously makes it easier to tally results with less manpower, blah blah blah but I don’t care.
I think something so important as an election to decide who runs a country, a state or even a local council shouldn’t be decided by people voting via machines they don’t like or understand. What is wrong with putting your candidate down on a piece of paper and putting it in the ballot box and having someone count it by hand? I think the basic approach is the best and with the amount of money spent on election campaigns in this day and age is paying a few more people to count votes really going to break the bank? I don’t think so. Bring me a pen and paper!
So who would I like to see win? Well of course it really doesn’t concern me being an Australian and I like to keep things politics free on my blog but I will break protocol for today and endorse President Obama for re-election.
I don’t think Mitt Romney is a bad candidate actually and would probably be a competent enough President but I think the current incumbent could think himself a tad unlucky if he finds himself out of a job at the end of the day.
The problem with modern day politics and Australia is just as bad in this regard, is the absolute divide between the left and right of the political spectrum which exists at the moment. No one is willing to be bi-partisan on any subject except perhaps the Afghan war and who would know if decisions being made are right or wrong due to the wailing, moaning and hue and cry which comes from the opposition parties of all ilks when the government tries to move forward. That is before we even talk about the character assassination of our politicians which occurs each day.
It’s possibly been always so but the alacrity to which people are prepared to jump on a band wagon and show complete disregard for a point of view and a lack of respect to those giving it is alarming. Perhaps the modern age with social media being to the forefront of our culture has served to make a problem which has always been there worse.
I had to have a laugh reading a story in the New Zealand Herald by an expatriate American living in Auckland who was discussing experiencing a US election from afar. The writer certainly appeared to be a Democrat although it was never implicitly stated and the author remarked of President Obama’s international popularity that they had never run into anyone in New Zealand who would have supported Romney.
Of course this provoked a conservative response from several people who obviously won’t be joining the union movement any time soon who asserted in bold terms their dislike for Obama and one in particular who was sure that another four years of this President would see the end of American culture and influence! Yeah, sure. Thanks for your participation and intelligent response.
Conservative parties and supporters around the world really seem to have swung hard to the right over the last couple of decades and there always seems to be opinion among them that the world will end if someone liberal minded and socially progressive assumes the mantle of power. Well, it won’t. In fact some things might even improve.
I read a book many years ago called “The Son of the Morning Star”, a biography of George Armstrong Custer, he of Little Big Horn fame and there is some suggestion that old Audie (Custer’s nickname) fancied a shot at the top job and his precipitous attack at the Little Big Horn which lead to his demise was designed to win him such fame that he would be catapulted into the big chair at the next election.
The author of the biography wasn’t particularly enamored with Custer’s abilities as a soldier and he contemplated what sort of America would result from such a President. His conclusion was that the country would survive. It had survived bigger crisis and incompetent Presidents before and would do so again.
The Sioux and Cheyenne and Custer’s ego prevented the world from seeing what that chapter might produce but I do tend to agree with that last statement.
The world isn’t going to fall apart simply because someone you don’t like is elected to high office. The world runs on too much of a level track for politicians in most democratic nations to be introducing reforms which are too radical for a sovereign state to survive. They have army’s of advisers to steer them in the right direction and even if missteps are made, things never get too far off course.
So my advice whether you are Australian, American, British or from any other country where you vote for a particular party to form government, don’t get too hung up on the result. The sun will come up again tomorrow and I’m sure it won’t be as bad as what you think it may be. We will survive.
Have a nice day.
No one is particularly willing to concede tight electoral races nowadays and with every party quick to jump their lawyers into the fray if there are irregularities then it may be a long wait to declare a winner if it’s close.
Why do we even have computer voting? I know they have used it in the past couple of Presidential elections and had problems and there were even some places at our local ACT election a few weeks back which were using it. I don’t agree with it.
Yes I know, we have to move with the times and computer voting obviously makes it easier to tally results with less manpower, blah blah blah but I don’t care.
I think something so important as an election to decide who runs a country, a state or even a local council shouldn’t be decided by people voting via machines they don’t like or understand. What is wrong with putting your candidate down on a piece of paper and putting it in the ballot box and having someone count it by hand? I think the basic approach is the best and with the amount of money spent on election campaigns in this day and age is paying a few more people to count votes really going to break the bank? I don’t think so. Bring me a pen and paper!
So who would I like to see win? Well of course it really doesn’t concern me being an Australian and I like to keep things politics free on my blog but I will break protocol for today and endorse President Obama for re-election.
I don’t think Mitt Romney is a bad candidate actually and would probably be a competent enough President but I think the current incumbent could think himself a tad unlucky if he finds himself out of a job at the end of the day.
The problem with modern day politics and Australia is just as bad in this regard, is the absolute divide between the left and right of the political spectrum which exists at the moment. No one is willing to be bi-partisan on any subject except perhaps the Afghan war and who would know if decisions being made are right or wrong due to the wailing, moaning and hue and cry which comes from the opposition parties of all ilks when the government tries to move forward. That is before we even talk about the character assassination of our politicians which occurs each day.
It’s possibly been always so but the alacrity to which people are prepared to jump on a band wagon and show complete disregard for a point of view and a lack of respect to those giving it is alarming. Perhaps the modern age with social media being to the forefront of our culture has served to make a problem which has always been there worse.
I had to have a laugh reading a story in the New Zealand Herald by an expatriate American living in Auckland who was discussing experiencing a US election from afar. The writer certainly appeared to be a Democrat although it was never implicitly stated and the author remarked of President Obama’s international popularity that they had never run into anyone in New Zealand who would have supported Romney.
Of course this provoked a conservative response from several people who obviously won’t be joining the union movement any time soon who asserted in bold terms their dislike for Obama and one in particular who was sure that another four years of this President would see the end of American culture and influence! Yeah, sure. Thanks for your participation and intelligent response.
Conservative parties and supporters around the world really seem to have swung hard to the right over the last couple of decades and there always seems to be opinion among them that the world will end if someone liberal minded and socially progressive assumes the mantle of power. Well, it won’t. In fact some things might even improve.
I read a book many years ago called “The Son of the Morning Star”, a biography of George Armstrong Custer, he of Little Big Horn fame and there is some suggestion that old Audie (Custer’s nickname) fancied a shot at the top job and his precipitous attack at the Little Big Horn which lead to his demise was designed to win him such fame that he would be catapulted into the big chair at the next election.
The author of the biography wasn’t particularly enamored with Custer’s abilities as a soldier and he contemplated what sort of America would result from such a President. His conclusion was that the country would survive. It had survived bigger crisis and incompetent Presidents before and would do so again.
The Sioux and Cheyenne and Custer’s ego prevented the world from seeing what that chapter might produce but I do tend to agree with that last statement.
The world isn’t going to fall apart simply because someone you don’t like is elected to high office. The world runs on too much of a level track for politicians in most democratic nations to be introducing reforms which are too radical for a sovereign state to survive. They have army’s of advisers to steer them in the right direction and even if missteps are made, things never get too far off course.
So my advice whether you are Australian, American, British or from any other country where you vote for a particular party to form government, don’t get too hung up on the result. The sun will come up again tomorrow and I’m sure it won’t be as bad as what you think it may be. We will survive.
Have a nice day.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 