States' Rights? Trump to Ban California from Making Its Own Laws

xbacksideslider said:
So,is your answer “Vote! Or else!” . . . . some kind of mandatory voting scheme?
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Not necessarily John, not voting is also your right if you believe the politicians do not deserve your vote although that leads to the argument that your complaints about the current administration carry less weight. I would be in favour of the Politicians in parliament representing the proportion of the vote they receive, unfortunately this would lead to a hung parliament (it’s a pity sometimes that is not literal!)
Our system needs reform but it is unlikely to happen whilst those in charge enjoy their power through the current system.
 
Craig said:
Canada is “first past the post” as well , our youngish PM had promised to look at this system and possibly change it during his first election .... several early unrelated mis-steps changed his tune .... he now governs within a minority government .... I guess it a wait and see situation at this point ....
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Do we really expect the turkeys to vote for thanksgiving or Christmas?
 
Eljahara,
I don’t follow your meaning then.

Is first past the post actually a problem if it’s just the result of those who, for whatever reasons, don’t vote?

I wouldn’t want peer pressure voting or open (non-secret) balloting.
 
In Australia, voting is compulsory, but our defence forces are based upon volunteers. Some of the kids fail to register to vote, yet most feign grief on Anzac Day. I am not militarist, but I recognise the military has a role to play in maintaining democracy, when the capitalist system fails.
 
Yikes!

How do you define “when the capitalist system fails?”

And then, how does such military define the “democracy” that it “maintains?”
 
Watched/listened to the news this morning for about 30 minutes... soured the taste of my coffee, so took a ride before it warmed up. Things were better then. Cold is a matter of perspective.
 
xbacksideslider said:
Eljahara,
I don’t follow your meaning then.

Is first past the post actually a problem if it’s just the result of those who, for whatever reasons, don’t vote?

I wouldn’t want peer pressure voting or open (non-secret) balloting.
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Sorry John..
FPTP is a problem because even if everyone votes the govt could gain power through a minority of the voters.
E.g
Candidate 1 34%
Candidate 2 33%
Candidate 3 33%
Candidate 1 is elected - if this is repeated across enough candidates then you get a Govt elected on a minority of the vote.
The fact that some don't exercise their right to vote simply adds to the number who are potentially unhappy with the government which is installed “not representing them” There are many who would say that if you don’t vote then you have no right to complain but not voting could be a “choice” which says NONE OF THE ABOVE - unfortunately not on the ballot paper.
I agree, compulsory voting or pressure to vote is not what I would like to see either - if voting does become compulsory then none of the above has to be an option so people can make a proactive choice. Unfortunately this will not happen whilst the current system keeps the current politician in parliament.
John

Edit: There are 650 seats in the U.K. parliament, the government won 365 seats so gained 56% of the seats with 44% of the vote. That’s the problem with FPTP
 
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The FPTP system is not perfect, but compared with the shaky voting system of other countries around the world, you get to have a general election at 5years maximum and if the government was no good- you can kick them out. There are people in other countries who would love to have the UK system.
 
Thanks Eljahara I needed that explananstion.

There are some Libertearians, Being a minority party, who advocate cumulative voting. That is a system where each voter votes for more than one candidate in order of preference with their first preference more heavily weighted than their next, and so on down the list. You do not dilute your first choice by voting for other lesser evils.

Then when all the votes are tabulated each candidate gets a total weighted score such that it’s not “winner take all” or “first to pass the post” and the winner is determined by total weighted score.
 
I’m no mathematician, but my feeling is that with a cumulative voting process, lots of people could agree on people they’d vote for 2nd or 3rd, but people of apposing views (in the U.K. that might be Labour and Conservative voters) would put their candidate first and the opposition last.

I think you could therefore get the primary candidates being split, and other candidates getting a majority through being 2nd.

Which would mean that the vast majority get a leader they didn’t vote for, or want.
 
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Bernhard said:
The FPTP system is not perfect, but compared with the shaky voting system of other countries around the world, you get to have a general election at 5years maximum and if the government was no good- you can kick them out. There are people in other countries who would love to have the UK system.
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True Bernhard
I guess this has removed the “Government by committee” that we have had over the last few years but we now have no opposition leaving the Govt able to do what they want unchallenged for 5 years. Regardless of who is in power, there will always be a majority who say I didn’t vote for them....
As you say we at least have a choice.

An aside- Do others think that Rebecca Long Bailey always looks soooo angry?
John
 
FPTP is not perfect but does give you a Govt with a mandate for its manifesto, you may not like it but it was the most popular and is a published document. Proportional representation gives no one but the politicians a say in the policies, once the result is in the horse trading behind closed doors begins and the electorate have no say. The Scottish Greens with 0.6% of the vote agreed to support the SNP 46.5% to form a majority Government, that 0.6% gets the Greens a lot more than 0.6% of the policies.
 
lazyeye6 said:
It is a very fine line between service to and disservice to the people.
That workers can no longer find jobs that will support a family or pay for college education for their kids is not a phenomenon
unique to California. This is a national trend that started in the 1960s when a family began needing two incomes to be middle class.
Now, even two incomes doesn't equate to middle class unless they are professional grade salaries. This is the dumbing down
of American life styles as the rest of the world's life styles are upgraded and a result of globalization. If the USA were to stand alone
as an economy with living wages for all (call it patriotic socialism ;>) ) then prices would rise for the products we consume. We have
gone way too far down the rabbit hole of globalization to ever hope to extract ourselves from it.
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The biggest problem is we all, liberals And conservatives, academics and pundits, the welfare class and the working poor (I'm one of those) and the wealthy, subscribe to the Scrooge McDuck theory of wealth. More later. Someday. Not sure when....
 
Pick any model/ideology you like, be it conservative, liberal, socialist, capitalist, communist, republican, democrat, etc., ad nauseam. The common denominator among all of these classes is greed. There will always be a working class, the poor and the grand elite few at the top of the food chain who enjoy the spoils of what the working class has produced; it's human nature.

We in the working class really don't "need" our Norton motorcycles; we want them. Is that not greed?
 
If it is greed then I plead guilty ,I love getting out on the Commando , I go into shed daily in off season just to have a look , I may glance at the Italians as well .... so guess I’m greedy .... ‘bout all I got to show for life accumulation other than the necessities ....
 
Craig said:
If it is greed then I plead guilty ,I love getting out on the Commando , I go into shed daily in off season just to have a look , I may glance at the Italians as well .... so guess I’m greedy .... ‘bout all I got to show for life accumulation other than the necessities ....
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I'm guilty a well. ;)
 
Checked your profile page 998 , our lives mirror each other’s in a lot of ways .... other than your great weather and that damn Vincent , haha!
 
Motorcycles ain't greed... Turn on coffee, grab keys, let little dogs out, unlock back shed/open, check battery in Baby & look her over, come in and wait to ensure no rain before a ride.

Maybe try watching a bit of news until they start the political crap, which takes about fifteen seconds to exhaust all traces of truth moving into left or right spin. A ride can successfully purge the soul of all trace of the BS for the day, but must be repeated often. Preferably on English iron, but any scoot really shall suffice if needs be.
 
Craig said:
Checked your profile page 998 , our lives mirror each other’s in a lot of ways .... other than your great weather and that damn Vincent , haha!
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Peter Egan did a piece a few decades back entitled "Common Threads" regarding motorcyclists. It's a good read.

Yes, California has great weather and great roads to ride from the Pacific ocean to the high Sierra Nevada mountains. It is near perfect for motorcycling as long as the urban areas can be avoided--a lot of crazy cage drivers lurk in the cities, and it seems they are all in a hurry to get someplace.

I see you are in Nova Scotia. We watch the Oak Island show here. Years ago, I remember reading an article on the treasure hunt and was immediately hooked when the show aired. :)

The term "damn Vincent" has been uttered here on occasion, but it was never the fault of the bike nor the Stevenage firm. :D

Regards,
~998cc
 
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