On Tue, 03 Nov 1998 10:14:47 -0500 "Charles Brown"
<CharlesB at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us> writes:
>
>
>Speaking of election day, the NYT,
>November 3 has a front page story that
>says in part:
>
>"Bored, Dispirited, Disgusted, Most Won't Vote"
>
>By Dirk Johnson
>
>....For all the handicapping about the races
>between Democrats and Republicans on
>Tuesday, there is little doubt what most
>Americans will effectively choose: none of
>the above.
>
> It is a virtual certainty that fewer than
>half of all eligible voters will visit
>the polls on Tuesday; some political
>analysts say the number could plummet
>to about one-third."
>
>________
>Charles: It is not just the current
>election. MOST OF THE PEOPLE
>DO NOT VOTE MOST OF THE TIME.
>This has been the case for quite
>a while now. The largest turnouts
>are for Presidential elections and
>that is barely 50%. Other elections
>are less.
>
The situation is actually much worse than that because only about 70% of people who are eligible to vote are in fact registered, so when you talk about a 50% turnout in presidential election that works out to a turnout of only 35% of people, eleigible to vote. Furthermore, the situation is much worse in the African-American community where not only fewer people are registered but given the large percentage of African-American males who are being convicted as felons with the result that a growing percentage of African-Americans are being permanently disenfranchised since in most states convicted felons permanently lose their right to vote.
>It seems to me a
>reasonable interpretation of this
>to say that the MAJORITY are
>saying the electoral system does
>not work. It is common for
>some people to decry those who
>don't vote as irresponsible. There
>is some truth to this. But what doesn't
>get emphasized enough is that by
>the "democratic" system , the majority
>"rules" , and by this standard the American
>voting system itself has been ruled
>as a failure.
>
The American political system works fine for the small
minority who are wealthy and are quite happy keeping
it the way it is. It provides a democratic cover for is
in reality oligarchic rule.
>The American political system is in crisis
>and doesn't admit it.
>
Isn't it up to us to intensify such a crisis by exposing the myths that legitimate the existing system?
Jim Farmelant
> Charles Brown
>
>Detroit
>
>>>> Paul Henry Rosenberg <rad at gte.net> 11/03 9:47 AM >>>
>Louis Proyect wrote:
>
>> Speaking of Chris, he asked me to circulate this:
>>
>> It gives me great pleasure to provide
>> information on a fascinating new book dealing with
>> Ayn Rand.
>>
>> On February 2, 1999, on the 94th anniversary
>> of Ayn Rand's birth, Penn State Press will release a
>> landmark anthology, co-edited by Mimi Reisel
>> Gladstein and Chris Matthew Sciabarra (me), entitled:
>> FEMINIST INTERPRETATIONS OF AYN RAND
>>
>> The Feminist book is part of the Penn State
>> Press series, "Re-Reading the Canon." Recent and
>> forthcoming volumes in the series include those
>> devoted to Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Descartes. The
>> inclusion of Rand in this series should erase any
>> doubts that her work is legitimate and worthy of
>> engagement, examination, and critique.
>
>Thanks, Lou. We all need a good laugh on election day.
>
>--
>Paul Rosenberg
>Reason and Democracy
>rad at gte.net
>
>"Let's put the information BACK into the information age!"
>
>
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