Dynamic and meaningful way? I'm afraid I am going to have to say that is false as well. When you go to a supermarket and you buy a particular brand of toilet paper, that small act is far more dynamic and meaningful than voting.
From your POV perhaps. I simply don't agree. But, I'll defend your right to feel that way!
At best when you vote, you vote for a bundle of ideas.
A comprimise, I agree. But, there are always one or two main differences between candidates that provides me meaningful choice. Abortion, War, Taxes, Social issues etc..
In reality however, you are voting for a career politician. This is someone who is going to spend a minimum of the next couple of years in office doing whatever they can to promote their career. They become part of the government, and the government becomes their pet. They are going to do everything in their power to cram that pet so full of dog food, it is coming out its ears.
A partially true statement. It is why the vote is important. Get enough upset folks to vote them out and elect citizen legislators it that is your want
A noble proposition, but in reality this just doesn't work. People have succumbed to what is known as "rational ignorance." Rational igornance is the product of the fact that an individual vote is virtually meaningless within the hundreds of thousands of votes that are cast. For this reason the vast majority of voters simply don't want to take the time to actually figure out what is going on. People are ignorant of the facts, ignorant of logic, and simply do not want to take the time to study an alternative voice. For this reason it takes an aweful lot to get voted out of office, people just figure they should keep things the way they are. This is why the incumbancy rate is about 90% for "representatives."
No, Cunningham does not represent you, and you just said he doesn't so why are you denying that he doesn't? If he doesn't represent you then admit it, don't try to claim something is true just because it fits into your idea of democracy. You are not represented by Cunningham and I am not represented by George Bush.
Semantics. He won't vote for my positions in Congress but, neither will I vote for him in elections. If enough of us here oppose his 'track record' we'll succeed in voting him out. He is my Representative in Congress. But, I like him as a person. We both were in VF96 way back when...
As I said above, your idea is noble, but in real life rational ignorance kills it.
Think of it this way. In any other area of life would you have someone making decisions on your behalf who you didn't like or agree with? No way! You aren't going to hire a lawyer who is going to set out to lose your case, you aren't going to hire a real estate agent who is going to try to get the lowest possible price for your home, you aren't going to hire security guards who are likely to rob your store etc. etc.
No... in law I choose me. But, I like me.. The issue here, however, is our form of government and that the process for making choices is and has been in place. You must work withing the parameters of it to change it. You don't like it but, you don't have a means to change it. I do!... Well, you could try an outside the process gambit.. but, it is unlikely you'd succeed.
That is like saying you want to work within the parameters of a fixed card game to make it honest again. You seem to not understand what I am getting at. "Representative" democracy is fradulent from the get go, if it wasn't we wouldn't be in the horrible mess we are in today with the IRS, Federal Reserve, massive deficits and all the interventionist alphabet agencies such as OSHA which have enacted regulatations costing businesses over $900 billion a year. Pray tell, if "representative" democracy is such a legitimate process how has it created a government which consumes about 40% of the GDP? Not even the most corrupt, most organized criminal organization could EVER even conceive of such a heist.
In the free market we hire people to act on our behalf in a peaceful, non-coercive manner. For some stupid reason we make an exception in politics, and now we have people such as yourself running around claiming that someone who they disagree with completely actually represents them!
Again, Duke IS my Representative. It is what he is called. He does not agree with all or many of my positions but, he agrees with the positions of enough folks to get reelected.
If you are totally unable to deal within the system to try and change it then ... OH Well.. such is life, I guess. I'll let it go there. You are citizen who dislikes his government system and that is fine by me. I figure you can be and think as you wish. But, I don't think you've much of a voice about the system when you are not a part of its mechanics. I further suppose, reflectively, that you do have a right to complain and gripe and all that but, not about the candidates or their positions. I say this because regardless of what they may do something will not be as you'd see it and they, therefore, don't represent you. Find the person who does and get her/him to listen.
Someone in office who represents my views is literally an oxymoron. If there is someone in office who represented my views they would immediately resign. And once again, you keep talking about "change from within", and I keep telling you that change from within a fraudulent operation is absurd. When a card game is rigged you don't try to change it, you get up and walk away. Hence, not voting.
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