A
nytimes.com columnist bravely called for universal participation at the polls
in a thoughtful piece yesterday….
….but
I’m reminding myself that one often should be careful about what one wishes
for….
Charles Blow makes his case that everyone should vote, in a starkly realistic piece
about “voter frustration with Washington.”
I
have believed for several years that America’s 238-year flirtation with republican democracy has been a very sad failure. In the past I too advocated 100% voter
participation, even entertaining the Australian notion of levying a fine on
folks who don’t vote.
But,
lately, as I slowly understand more and more about the disinterest and disdain
so many folks feel about politics and the social contract, I've begun to fear
that the votes of all the apathetic, uninformed citizens might not produce the
beneficial result that I optimistically imagined until a short while ago....
My
optimism about democracy and the future of our democracy is getting pretty
thin….
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