EVERY VOTE COUNTS.
As anyone with a functioning brain knows – politics is a dirty game. Political parties and candidates running for office will do anything to win an election. Once they win the election they will do anything to stay in power. When most office-holders are sworn in they should wear latex gloves while holding the bible so not to leave fingerprints. When they are asked to swear to uphold the constitution or by-laws, instead of saying, “I do.” They should really say, “Can I get back to you on that.” Or, at least cross their fingers behind their backs when being sworn in.
History is replete with cases of stolen elections, stuffed ballot boxes, people voting more than once, voters who have been dead for years showing up at polling places and blatant intimidation by political bosses. Sadly these things happen more often than not. Could anyone imagine forty-years ago that a Presidential election would be decided by a politically motivated Supreme Court? Is it any wonder that many good and honorable candidates choose not to make a career of politics? It’s a dirty business and getting worse.
All politicians love the sound of their voices. They can and do talk ad nauseam at the drop of a special interest’s hat. Most of it is blather. Have you ever watched a Senate hearing on C-Span? Senators puff themselves up and tell some witness that they just have a few questions they want answered….then proceed to make speeches instead of asking a single question. I know how to stop this practice – when a Senator begins babbling one of their staff should stand up and hit them upside the head with a pig bladder.
It’s always fun to hear about politicians and political parties who have their chains yanked by a voter. Those folks have no humor and take great umbrage when they’re made to look like the fools they are. That just happened in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand was never thought of as a hotbed of practical jokers. The country is in the midst of a hotly contested election. The ruling Labour Party (they spell things funnily in New Zealand) holds a one-seat, election-night majority over the opposition National Party pending coalition talks and the counting of absentee ballots, but neither of the major parties has an outright majority. The third leading party – The Sheep Party’s only comment was, “Baaaaaaaaaaa.”
This tight election may be decided by one voter. That’s what’s got the Electoral Enrollment Center upset. The New Zealand Electoral Enrollment Center is about as competent as FEMA has been recently. Here’s the whole story:
Peter Rhodes of Queenstown decided to register his best friend Toby to vote in the national election. Toby had never voted before in any election. It was almost inevitable that New Zealand’s election would turn into a dog fight when you look at one of the country’s 2.83 million voters – Toby the Jack Russell terrier.
Toby became a registered voter after Peter Rhodes completed an enrollment form in the dog’s name, giving his occupation as “rodent exterminator” and his age as 28. Rhodes signed the form with a squiggle and Toby’s paw print before returning it to the Electoral Enrollment Center. Little did Peter realize that Toby could be the one deciding who New Zealand’s Prime Minister would be.
Rhodes, an aviation safety specialist said he was trying to make a humorous point about local government bureaucracy and was shocked to receive written confirmation of Toby’s enrollment in the electorate on New Zealand’s South Island.
Voting is not compulsory in New Zealand and Rhodes said Toby had elected not to vote. “The only roll he’s interested in is a dog roll and the occasional juicy rat.”
It’s nice to know that even in New Zealand politicians has no sense of humor. Electoral Enrollment Center manager Murray Wicks was more angry than amused that an application filed by a dog had slipped through the center’s checking system. “It’s an offense, and whoever’s done it will be in the hands of the police,” he said. Wicks said Rhodes could be charged with misleading a registrar of elections, making a fraudulent enrollment and making a false declaration.
I somehow feel that if dogs were allowed to vote, guys like Tom Delay would never have been elected.
History is replete with cases of stolen elections, stuffed ballot boxes, people voting more than once, voters who have been dead for years showing up at polling places and blatant intimidation by political bosses. Sadly these things happen more often than not. Could anyone imagine forty-years ago that a Presidential election would be decided by a politically motivated Supreme Court? Is it any wonder that many good and honorable candidates choose not to make a career of politics? It’s a dirty business and getting worse.
All politicians love the sound of their voices. They can and do talk ad nauseam at the drop of a special interest’s hat. Most of it is blather. Have you ever watched a Senate hearing on C-Span? Senators puff themselves up and tell some witness that they just have a few questions they want answered….then proceed to make speeches instead of asking a single question. I know how to stop this practice – when a Senator begins babbling one of their staff should stand up and hit them upside the head with a pig bladder.
It’s always fun to hear about politicians and political parties who have their chains yanked by a voter. Those folks have no humor and take great umbrage when they’re made to look like the fools they are. That just happened in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand was never thought of as a hotbed of practical jokers. The country is in the midst of a hotly contested election. The ruling Labour Party (they spell things funnily in New Zealand) holds a one-seat, election-night majority over the opposition National Party pending coalition talks and the counting of absentee ballots, but neither of the major parties has an outright majority. The third leading party – The Sheep Party’s only comment was, “Baaaaaaaaaaa.”
This tight election may be decided by one voter. That’s what’s got the Electoral Enrollment Center upset. The New Zealand Electoral Enrollment Center is about as competent as FEMA has been recently. Here’s the whole story:
Peter Rhodes of Queenstown decided to register his best friend Toby to vote in the national election. Toby had never voted before in any election. It was almost inevitable that New Zealand’s election would turn into a dog fight when you look at one of the country’s 2.83 million voters – Toby the Jack Russell terrier.
Toby became a registered voter after Peter Rhodes completed an enrollment form in the dog’s name, giving his occupation as “rodent exterminator” and his age as 28. Rhodes signed the form with a squiggle and Toby’s paw print before returning it to the Electoral Enrollment Center. Little did Peter realize that Toby could be the one deciding who New Zealand’s Prime Minister would be.
Rhodes, an aviation safety specialist said he was trying to make a humorous point about local government bureaucracy and was shocked to receive written confirmation of Toby’s enrollment in the electorate on New Zealand’s South Island.
Voting is not compulsory in New Zealand and Rhodes said Toby had elected not to vote. “The only roll he’s interested in is a dog roll and the occasional juicy rat.”
It’s nice to know that even in New Zealand politicians has no sense of humor. Electoral Enrollment Center manager Murray Wicks was more angry than amused that an application filed by a dog had slipped through the center’s checking system. “It’s an offense, and whoever’s done it will be in the hands of the police,” he said. Wicks said Rhodes could be charged with misleading a registrar of elections, making a fraudulent enrollment and making a false declaration.
I somehow feel that if dogs were allowed to vote, guys like Tom Delay would never have been elected.
posted by THE RANTING OLD GEEZER at 5:54 PM
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