Harp
I'll Lock Up
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- 8,508
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- Chicago, IL US
Of course, I thought and still think often about alternative living, but I never find a solution.
I was a surfer bum on Kaneohe Beach, Oahu, chased wahinies and waves, and gave it all up
Of course, I thought and still think often about alternative living, but I never find a solution.
Yeah, well, we in the U.S. can vote, and the results haven't always been stellar.What I can't swallow is how we Brits are so in love with having a monarchy. A democratic system like our's and we can't vote for our head of state...
Technically the Monarch is a figure head, however, the Monarch is ingrained into every aspect of society. Even our national anthem is a sycophantic address to the Monarch. And the battle cry: For King & country.........charge! Has resulted in just 22 countries on the planet that haven't been invaded by the Brits.Second question: while head of state - does the Queen or King have any meaningful political / policy power or is it just a mainly figure head role owing to a historical nod?
Yeah, well, we in the U.S. can vote, and the results haven't always been stellar.![]()
Yeah, well, we in the U.S. can vote, and the results haven't always been stellar.![]()
Well, to split hairs, we don't vote for our head of state either. We vote for those who vote for our head of state. Can't have the rabble making such a vital decision, after all.
Based on the results of the last several US Presidential elections, since they've all seem very close (both in the Electoral College count and the percentage of the population divide), just about 50% of the country felt that way for the prior eight years and now 50% will feel that way again - only it's now a different 50%.
I don't think the above is political (our elections have all been close and the winning side switched this year - those are facts), but if it is, please just delete.
Quite right too, the masses would probably vote in an actor or a reality TV personality or worse still, a tweep who thinks showing his ignorance is a quality.
As Poutin said, the Americans have no lessons to give to the rest of the world about democracy as 3 times now, the candidate with the least votes has been elected....& he knows the American electoral system inside & out.![]()
Historically Presidential elections have always been close in the popular vote. Only 13 times (out of our 58 elections) has the winner received more than 60% of the vote, and 19 times the winner has received less than 50%. A big deal is made in the media these days about how our country is "divided", but it's really always been that way.
Basically, we have two brands that compete for market share and both are good enough at what they do to not fall below 40%. As one or the other drifts toward the lower band, they change their platform and / or candidates until they get back to or above 50%.
One of the quick-and-dirty ways to tell if an election in a country is really democratic or is "democratic" as in the old USSR or Cuban model is if the winner gets 90+% of the vote.
The highest popular vote percentage ever (at least since 1824 when they started recording the popular vote) is just a tad over 60%. That means at our most cohesive, we're a 60/40 split.
What I can't swallow is how we Brits are so in love with having a monarchy. A democratic system like our's and we can't vote for our head of state. But what really sticks in my craw is the fact that the British Monarch owns one sixth of the entire globe's land mass.
Actually, five times as of last year!Quite right too, the masses would probably vote in an actor or a reality TV personality or worse still, a tweep who thinks showing his ignorance is a quality.
As Putin said, the Americans have no lessons to give to the rest of the world about democracy as 3 times now, the candidate with the least votes has been elected....& he knows the American electoral system inside & out.![]()
Basically, we have two brands that compete for market share...
That's a very good way of looking at it -- it really is the simply the difference between Coke and Pepsi, Ford and Chevrolet, Camel and Lucky Strike. People will argue far into the night that there's a substantial and meaningful difference between any two such rival brands, but in reality that perception was simply planted in their minds and sustained by the incessant drumming of the Boys. Brand X is the only acceptable option, Brand Y is something for Calvin to pee on. Unless Brand Y is the only acceptable option and Calvin pees on Brand X. Call it "Advertocracy."