Our apathy is astounding.

[dawgman]

Now by the use of the word "our" I don't mean DU.

I am listening to a radio program and people are calling and talking about what fires them up to vote. People are calling and sounding despondent, saying things like; "I lost my job and can't get health care for my child." Consistently these same people are asked the question well how did you vote on such and such, or have you written to your representatives? Inevitably the callers give an excuse about why they couldn't.

It is infuriating. Don't just complain, do something. Write your representatives let them know how you feel, if they don't respond accordingly, work to have them voted out of office.

I am so tired of the apathy of the modern voter. Think of how long African-Americans had to struggle to get the right to vote. They fought and died for that right. Same with women. Now most don't even use the right that is THE most fundamental in our society.

[curlyred]

1. Local issues, as well

We just had a bond issue fail to fund a new high school and remodel the old building......out of a district with 40,000 registered voters less than 8,000 voted.

I find it hard to take issue with the people who against this bond issue, when so many people ccan't be bothered to vote regarding the education of their children.

We do love to complain, but when it comes to actually DOING SOMETHING.....well, we all have something else to do. If Dems can come up with a solution to apathy, then we can take back our country.

[truthspeaker]

4. the people I work with love to complain

about how we haven't gotten raises in two years, the executives make millions, jobs are being outsourced to Panama and Ireland, our health plan is changing so we pay more for prescriptions (but the company contribution is not going up). Then they go and vote Republican because they don't want the Democrats to raise their taxes.

[dawgman]

10. one guy called and said what got his

blood boiling were taxes, traffic, and teachers. Teachers need more money, transportation needs to be fixed and taxes need to be lowered. WHAAAAAA?! That just seems a little incongruous to me. If you lower taxes how the hell are you supposed to pay for the other things. He said those were the only three issues he cared about.

[ShimokitaJer]

12. and they all begin with "T"

What an astounding coincidence! I'm sure he has explored all the issues thoroughly and come up with just those three that just happened to all begin with the same letter. What are the odds?

One more reason for voter apathy: disgust with sound bite opinions

[FlaGranny]

15. He's a teacher,

driving over bad roads to get to work, and he resents taxes because he pays so much more of them percentage wise than that rich industrialist across town?

[dawgman]

17. No he was a rich industrialist across town

He owned a business with 150 employees. Or so he claimed. No reason to distrust him though.

[GAspnes]

7. I used to carpool a lot in the 80's

and made sure that the day of the school bond issue vote, I was driving. On the way to work I stopped at the town hall where the voting stations were set up and told everyone to go in and vote 'Yes' on the bond issue, or they were walking the rest of the way to the office.

The bond issue passed.

Some times people need a push. Or a shove.

[Zeke]

8. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CONTRIBUTE TO THE DU FUND DRIVE! :)

[dawgman]

11. I wish I could. When I find work I plan on doing so.

But I have been laid off for 6 mos. and money is kind of tight.

On edit: I realize how similar that sounds to my complaint. But I am literally about $20 from losing my apartment every month.

[ShimokitaJer]

2. It's that modern cynicism

I'd imagine the reason why these people don't take action is that they genuinely don't believe it can do any good. Most people simply don't see the connection between who is in government and their lives. That's why groups like the elderly, the military and the unions, for whom the connection between policy and the day-to-day is clearer, tend to vote in higher numbers.

I hate to give in to the cynicism myself, but I think this is right where the Republicans want the voters to be. They wan people fired up about religion, or gay marriage, or abortion, but they don't want people thinking that their corporate sellouts have anything to do with individuals loss of job/benefits/whatever. As long as fewer people are thinking, there will be fewer Democrats.

[BuckeFushe]

5. After watching the Rethuglican cynicism during the talkathon

and how the Republican members of the Senate hold their constituents in such high esteem, is it any wonder why people are discouraged? The members of the Senate, for the most part, are completely detached from the electorate, and anyone with an active brain cell can see that.

[redqueen]

3. Comfort and Cynicism

As long as people are relatively comfortable, they won't seek out reasons to get themselves worked up. Consider that we work longer hours and have less vacation than other western countries. People are stressed and just want to avoid unpleasantness if they can, so they do. :shrug:

Also a lot of people look at our government as being corrupt (which it mostly is) and figure they can't change anything anyway. :(

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Because they know their reps no longer work for them...

...is the biggest reason they don't.

Take for example what happened when several people at the company I worked at called our representative when we found out our jobs were being outsourced overseas.

Our representative basically parrotted the corporate line that the reason these jobs were leaving the US was because US workers had allowed our skills to lag.

Not only was it insulting, it was damned lie. You get a couple of answers like that and you realize that it's not worth getting yourself worked up into a froth when the fucktard in office basically blows you off.

[ShimokitaJer]

9. I think you (or they) have that backwards

It's not that they don't vote because their reps don't work for them.

It's that their reps don't work for them because they don't bother voting against those reps. Or they continue to vote for the same reps no matter what.

If people weren't so damned apathetic, gerrymandering would be meaningless.

[dawgman]

13. that's exactly right. People don't vote. The Vote is our way of

controlling the Reps. If Those whose jobs were outsourced formed a league of VOTERS and demanded to get attention from the Representatives, who work for US, they would be heard.

[Liberal Veteran]

18. While I don't disagree, getting beyond the feeling of powerlessness...

...especially amongst people who are focused on survival is a difficult thing.

[dawgman]

22. UNderstood but how can the sort of change that is necessary

for the disenfrachised of the country happen when the only instrument of change is voting and that instrument is denied by the very people who need the change. The power lies with the proles. ONly the disenfranchised can change things and they are too apathetic to do so...

[JNelson6563]

14. Action item

Letters to the editor along the lines of what has been written here in this thread.

Recruit friends to join your effort.

Julie

[dawgman]

16. done and done nt

[rucky]

19. That Show Probably Did Some Good

people feel powerless. they bother to call into a radio show - knowing the topic. It's the first step, and now maybe they will vote. We need to applaud these people for calling in.

lotsa people feel defeated and don't know what their options are. When they say that voting won't help, it means they see their situation as hopeless.

We need to show sympathy & support, and reassure people that we ARE on their side. They are not alone. There IS hope in Democracy. We can help give people that hope.

[Kanary]

26. "We need to show sympathy & support, "

" and reassure people that we ARE on their side."

Exactly. We live in a cold society, with not much caring being shown. No wonder people just turn away.

When I said here that I didn't see any of the candidates (except Kucinich) actually talking about poor and disabled people, I was told to go ahead and vote for Bush. Didn't exactly make me feel like my vote mattered to anyone, even among the "underground".

While a lot of what you say is true, I think we also need to start looking at how the Dems have taken for granted the votes of minorities, poor folx, and others lost in the shuffle. Showing some sympathy and support and reassurance would be a very good start.

Kanary

[Norcom]

20. Whats interesting is that

black males had the right to vote before women.

[dawgman]

21. What's insteresting about that?

Please elaborate...welcome to DU.

[Norcom]

25. Whats interesting?

I was commenting on the observation made about the struggles that each group made to get the right to vote and I was pointing out which got it first.

[adriennel]

23. it's close

Women in the Utah territory were given the vote in 1870. Congress revoked it in 1887.

[leftofthedial]

24. yeah? So what? I don't care.

You're right. In this society today, we no longer get the government we deserve, we get the government that the lowest common denominator desrves.

The government, such as it is, is the only thing protecting us from the corporatistsw and oligarchs. Therefore, we are screwed.

Murkans are politically and intellectually LAZY.

[laura888]

27. They have to see a politician that addresses their needs...

...in the media...

As Bernie Sanders said recently at an event involving Media Reform, when do you get to see the news that a person who is employed through a union gets 30% more than a non-union job?

you see all the time the news that investing in mutual funds is a good idea...

but really, the news that UNIONS can change financial lives - this just doesn't get out there.

MEDIA REFORM.