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Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:04 pm
by Exeres
Need Runes4 wrote:BARACK "HE'S SANE" OBAMA!!!!!
That joke took me longer than it should have.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:12 pm
by SaintCrazy
I really want to attach a sitcom laugh track to the debate.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 5:52 pm
by Syobon
Belgium is apparently one of the few countries with vote duty. Thought that law would be more widespread.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 5:54 pm
by Tetrunes
Vote...duty?

In American Government I learned there's like a 97% voter turnout rate there, and that the U.S. has somewhere along the lines of 42%

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 5:58 pm
by Syobon
You have to go vote here if you're elegible or you get a fine. Of course, nothing stops you from voting blank.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:00 pm
by Tetrunes
That seems a bit extreme, if you have an excuse, would you still get the fine?

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:07 pm
by Syobon
If it's a good one, like you're in the hospital or incredibly sick, and you would need a doctors' note.

e: The fine is less than 50 euros btw.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:11 pm
by Tetrunes
Oh, cool, thanks.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:36 pm
by Lambeth
Syobon wrote:If it's a good one, like you're in the hospital or incredibly sick, and you would need a doctors' note.

e: The fine is less than 50 euros btw.
Can you early vote or something like you can in the states?

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:51 pm
by Syobon
I don't think so but you can have someone vote for you if you if you have a proper reason. In fact I think you have to if you can't make it.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:54 pm
by Madican
So apparently that flyer in the Funny Pictures thread of Republicans bashing a Senatorial candidate for playing World of Warcraft is real.

Really? This is the kind of thing politicians need to stoop to? No fun allowed apparently.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:34 pm
by Exeres
Okay the WoW thing isn't a problem, but if those quotes are actually from her, I'd also be kind of iffy about letting her represent me.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:45 pm
by BurntToShreds
Vote Duty is a very bad idea, in my opinion. Even if you can submit a blank ballot, you could still possibly have a large amount of people who don't know anything about the candidates just casting their vote so they don't get fined. The chances of this happening are even worse in Australia, which has roughly twice the population of Belgium and has mandatory voting as well.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:04 pm
by Syobon
It doesn't matter if they're educated or not, their votes matter. And most people at least try to keep up a bit with politics if they know they have to vote.

Re: The Current Events Thread

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:47 pm
by BurntToShreds
How does an uneducated person's vote actually matter if they don't know what the person they're voting for is supporting? What's the difference between allowing people to submit a blank ballot and just making voting voluntary? It's like, "I don't like either candidates, why is the government wasting my time by forcing me to come here and turn in a blank?"