powder Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 the following is an article written by the political columnist in the local newspaper in my small city here in Canada (federal election coming up). this reporter is also interesting in having a discussion with me about anarchy, thinking that it would make for a good article. I know these are the same old cliches and patented arguments for voting but I would still like to hear your best rebuttals. Exercise voting freedoms I know people who don’t vote and are so stubborn in their beliefs it’s pointless to try and convince them otherwise. They’ll grumble and complain, express deeply held opinions on the country’s political leaders — an attitude that can be summed up pretty much by “a pox on them all.” They’ll disagree when told they have no right to complain if they do nothing to shape the system. Here’s the thing, though; it’s that kind of attitude that has given rise to the perplexingly large number of bigots who cherry-pick the Bible and now believe they can be the president of the United States. It’s that attitude that gives rise to the truly silly debate I see on my Facebook page between a couple of avowed right-wingers and an equally rabid pair of left-wingers who seem to think logical political discourse is to fling insults at each other. A caller this week said his belief in the obligation we all have to vote comes from history — and from the thousands of Canadians who died in places like Vimy, Ypres, Passchendaele and, more recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the caller put it, he votes because of the sacrifices the Canadian military have made. Frankly, that’s good enough for me but I belong to the generation that was impacted by the Second World War, who met Americans fleeing their country to avoid the Vietnam War. I’ve listened to the stories of Canadians who survived and came home, many of them disabled physically or mentally. Those reasons aren’t always good enough for the younger set, that lost group of souls so disillusioned with society that they don’t take the time to vote. It’s possible many of them will never be swayed from their stance — but let’s try anyhow. Reasons to vote: • Government creates the infrastructure we live in. • Government sets the rules that guide our economy — you know, that place where jobs come from. • Government even influences where you vacation; when our dollar dips, a lot of places look less inviting. • Government tells you who our enemies are — and, in this election, if that’s not enough reason to go out and vote, I don’t know what is. • Government decides how much privacy — another human right — we actually have and, again, that is a major issue in this federal election. Finally, the best reason to vote? Because we have the freedom so many others in the world do not have.
Matthew Ed Moran Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 The structure of this article is SO confusing to me. This guy clearly is a WRITER first and a PHILOSOPHER second. He just throws his thesis in at the end of the article. Don't we learn in HIGH SCHOOL that the thesis/argument comes at the BEGINNING? This guy probably has like a really average IQ. Sorry if I sound snarky, but I feel really ANNOYED by this article. If you can't even follow a basic high school format of argumentation - stay out of the battle-field! Anyway I hope I can help you a bit. "Government creates the infrastructure we live in." No, government steals the infrastructure we live in. This would be like saying "I created a fine piece of art!" when all I did was steal it from an artist and sell it. "Government sets the rules that guide our economy — you know, that place where jobs come from." The "economy" doesn't exist. PEOPLE exist. The economy isn't guided. PEOPLE are guided. The only "guiding" that government gives people is that they better pay their taxes and follow government orders or really bad things will happen to them! "that places where jobs come from" is just an emotional plea to Rs who are afraid of having to compete in a market that doesn't give them welfare, unemployment insurance, unions, SS, medicare, medicaid, ETC ETC ETC "Government even influences where you vacation; when our dollar dips, a lot of places look less inviting." Great point! The government has devalued the currency by 95% over the last 100 years! "Government tells you who our enemies are — and, in this election, if that’s not enough reason to go out and vote, I don’t know what is." LOL "Government decides how much privacy — another human right — we actually have and, again, that is a major issue in this federal election." Can I please just do hanky panky without the NSA watching me via webcam?! "Because we have the freedom so many others in the world do not have." YOU-ESS-AYE, YOU-ESS-AYE
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