From: brian@coombs.anu.edu.au (Brian)
Newsgroups: aus.politics
Subject: Re: Compulsory Voting
Date: 6 Nov 92 03:57:11 GMT
Organization: Australian National University
NNTP-Posting-Host: 150.203.76.2

suter@fawlty8.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr D. Suter) writes:

>In article <brian.720945926@coombs> brian@coombs.anu.edu.au (Brian) writes:
>>suter@fawlty8.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr D. Suter) writes:
>>>>
>>>>	And has been explained here many times Australia does NOT have a 
>>>>"compulsory voting system".  It does have a compulsory _attendance_at_the_
>>>>polling_station_system.  In other words, you are required by law to attend
>>>>a polling station and have your name marked off.  If you decide to vote,
>>>>thats up to you.  You are not required by law to even take a ballot paper
>>>>if you should choose not to.
>>
>>>So what difference does that make. 
>>
>>	It MEANS that we DO NOT HAVE A COMPULSORY VOTING SYSTEM.  C
>The electoral office says different.
>>Are you claiming that you should not be compelled by society to attend
>>particular places if societ decides that is best?  If you do, then you'd
>>better perhaps explain why then we have compulsory education, compulsory
>>driving tests (if you want to drive) and other aspects of our lives which
>>we accept as needing some degree of regulation.


>NO. So why suggest i am?

	Obviously, unless you state otherwise you must be against all forms
of compulsion which our society applies to the individual IMO.  I see no
difference between compulsory voting and compuslory education - both are things
desired by society and so society has imposed them upon us.  Tell me David,
how much do you know about the background of why compuslory voting wa
introduced into Oz?

>>
>>>					It's still undemocratic to make
>>>people do something that makes no difference to the welfare of
>>>others. The obvious INTENT (and indeed they don't proclaim from
>>>the tree tops that you don't actually need to vote, hence
>>>adding deception to the crime) 
>>
>>	Nor do they deny it.  If you are too stupid to work it out, then you
>>deserve to be considered one of the sheep IMO. 

>Well you've just won arrogant bastard of the year award. Happy. Gee 
>all these people talking about compassion and democracy and then they
>are happy to sanction such.

	David, lifes tough, and I don't try and rail too much against it.
What I said might sound arrogant, but what do you want, everything handed
to you a platter?  Just as the government expects you to aquaint yourself
with any other piece of legislation it enacts, obviously you are expected
to find out about the electoral acts as well.  I'd recommend that you get
a copy for yourself and read it.  It might save us all quite a bit of
bandwidth, OK?


>>
>>>					is to make people vote. As I've
>>>said before, if the govt cam out and made it clear through
>>>advertisements that voting itself is not compulsory then
>>>the whole system would die a natural death - people would
>>>rightly object to be required to go to a polling booth
>>>just to have their names ticked off. Instead, the system
>>>hoodwinks the ill-educated and unaware people (the very people
>>>they claim to be defending) into going out to the polls and voting.
>>>>
>>	Look mate, you might not like it, but having compulsory attendance
>>at the polling station does not make Oz an undemocratic country.
>Certainly makes it less democratic until your sanction the right
>to abstain.


	As I said in another message David, you do have the right to abstain.
However you DO NOT have the right NOT to attend a polling booth.  When are
you going to see the subtle difference? 

>>	David, the only person who is seeing conspiracies is yourself.
>Funny - I thought you were the one that suggested that making
>voting non-compulsory and/or allowing non-compulsory registration
>makes us open to such exploitation. 

	Really?  Where did I make such a statement?  Unless you can produce 
such a statement from me I'd recommend that you apologise.  I do believe that you
have, in your zealous rush to attack all and sundry who have offered an
alternative opinion to your own, you have mixed me up with someone else. 

>					Must have been dreaming.
>Damn, some bastards are inserting conspiracy theories into your
>writings - y'now suggesting we've got all sorts of people
>waiting in the wings to swoop just in case we ever make voting
>optional.

	Oh, please do grow up David.  First insults, now delusions of 
paranioa.  I'd recommend you stop and read what people are saying.


--
Brian Ross_____Brian@Coombs.anu.edu.au________________________________________
	"Three discoveries are essential to the contented and civilised life -
sex, wine, and bookshops, by no means necessarily in that order."
_________________________________Tony Baker, Adelaide Review, October 1992____
Newsgroups: aus.politics