Comments on: Slacker Uprising by Michael Moore Sept 23rd – Trailer and Review http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/ Your Daily Techology News, Tutorials and How To's Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:29:48 -0700 hourly 1 By: ExPatriate http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/comment-page-1/#comment-20458 ExPatriate Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:39:05 +0000 http://www.livecrunch.com/?p=919#comment-20458 Polls are open early and close late. Mark, do you really believe that solves the problems of many working voters? If you are working poor and have a job that you have to drive to early and drive home from late, what kind of help is it to have polls open early and late? If you are working poor and have invalid and/or aging relatives to look after, then you may think twice about standing in a long line to vote, because someone will be going without their medication. If you are too poor to own a car (Gaw-dam that's awful poor!) then you also might not have what it takes to walk 3 or 6 or 12 blocks to your nearest polling booth. Or if you have a car and unfortunately, you sleep in it because you have no fixed address, then if you drive to your nearest polling booth, they won't let you vote anyway, early or late. If you think it's such a simple matter to vote, because polls are open early and late, why not help some of the folks I have mentioned above to get out and vote? Surely, Mark, you have some time, early in the day, or later? Maybe you even work in a job where you can take the day off, because your boss recognises that individual votes are the fundamental atoms of your democratic universe. Do I sound maybe a little angry or cynical? I remember too well the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) TV shots of long lines of voters in Ohio, in 2004, stretching around the corner in the late gloom and foul weather, voting late and later, because there were not enough polling stations in their unsalubrious neighbourhoods. I wondered how many of those folks finally made it into the polling booths. Then the TV switched to voter fraud in the Republic of Georgia, and how in that struggling democracy, truth would out, even though corrupt politicians and party officials did their best to thwart destiny. If you do happen to think that you have the world's greatest democracy, Mark, does it behoove you to do a bit more to advocate for it? More than simply poointing out what to many in your land is a meaningless fact about polls opening early and closing late? Ex-Pat from Oz Polls are open early and close late. Mark, do you really believe that solves the problems of many working voters?

If you are working poor and have a job that you have to drive to early and drive home from late, what kind of help is it to have polls open early and late?

If you are working poor and have invalid and/or aging relatives to look after, then you may think twice about standing in a long line to vote, because someone will be going without their medication.

If you are too poor to own a car (Gaw-dam that’s awful poor!) then you also might not have what it takes to walk 3 or 6 or 12 blocks to your nearest polling booth.

Or if you have a car and unfortunately, you sleep in it because you have no fixed address, then if you drive to your nearest polling booth, they won’t let you vote anyway, early or late.

If you think it’s such a simple matter to vote, because polls are open early and late, why not help some of the folks I have mentioned above to get out and vote?

Surely, Mark, you have some time, early in the day, or later? Maybe you even work in a job where you can take the day off, because your boss recognises that individual votes are the fundamental atoms of your democratic universe.

Do I sound maybe a little angry or cynical? I remember too well the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) TV shots of long lines of voters in Ohio, in 2004, stretching around the corner in the late gloom and foul weather, voting late and later, because there were not enough polling stations in their unsalubrious neighbourhoods. I wondered how many of those folks finally made it into the polling booths.

Then the TV switched to voter fraud in the Republic of Georgia, and how in that struggling democracy, truth would out, even though corrupt politicians and party officials did their best to thwart destiny.

If you do happen to think that you have the world’s greatest democracy, Mark, does it behoove you to do a bit more to advocate for it? More than simply poointing out what to many in your land is a meaningless fact about polls opening early and closing late?

Ex-Pat from Oz

]]> By: links for 2008-09-06 - Kevin Bondelli’s Youth Vote Blog http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/comment-page-1/#comment-19933 links for 2008-09-06 - Kevin Bondelli’s Youth Vote Blog Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:33:38 +0000 http://www.livecrunch.com/?p=919#comment-19933 [...] Slacker Uprising by Michael Moore Sept 23rd - Trailer and Review [...] [...] Slacker Uprising by Michael Moore Sept 23rd – Trailer and Review [...]

]]> By: Kevin Mason http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/comment-page-1/#comment-19888 Kevin Mason Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:46:12 +0000 http://www.livecrunch.com/?p=919#comment-19888 I don't see it that way. Polls are now open early and close late. If people really care to vote they can find a way. Plus, in many states absentee voting rules have been changed to accommodate those who can't get to the polls on election day. Sadly apathy still rules. I don’t see it that way. Polls are now open early and close late. If people really care to vote they can find a way. Plus, in many states absentee voting rules have been changed to accommodate those who can’t get to the polls on election day. Sadly apathy still rules.

]]> By: live crunch http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/comment-page-1/#comment-19878 live crunch Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:24:57 +0000 http://www.livecrunch.com/?p=919#comment-19878 @Vadim: VLADIM I TOTALLY AGREE!! @Vadim: VLADIM I TOTALLY AGREE!!

]]> By: Vadim http://www.livecrunch.com/2008/09/05/slacker-uprising-by-michael-moore-sept-23rd-trailer-and-review/comment-page-1/#comment-19876 Vadim Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:02:30 +0000 http://www.livecrunch.com/?p=919#comment-19876 Moore doesn't really address the fact that the biggest reason Americans don't go to the polls is not apathy but business. Election day is held during working hours on a Tuesday, which makes it very difficult for many Americans to find time to cast their vote. If the US government really wanted to improve voter turnout, they would make Election Day a national holiday: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/make-election-day-a-national-holiday Moore doesn’t really address the fact that the biggest reason Americans don’t go to the polls is not apathy but business. Election day is held during working hours on a Tuesday, which makes it very difficult for many Americans to find time to cast their vote.

If the US government really wanted to improve voter turnout, they would make Election Day a national holiday: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/make-election-day-a-national-holiday

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