Today is the primary election for Duluth School Board and City Council.
At 10:30 I was the 36th voter in my precinct. My wife is an election worker in another precinct. At about 11:00 she said they had about 45 voters.
In the 2012 election, Duluth had an average of over 1600 voters per precinct, and that was with a turnout of over 70 percent.
If we can't even show up for local elections, do we deserve a democracy?
And this happens all over the world. George W. Bush was elected because many Democrats didn't show up in Florida in 2000. Morsi was elected in Egypt because many boycotted the elections. North Carolina has a Republican legislature because only 44% showed up in 2012, probably mostly Republican activists.
If you don't vote, please don't complain about potholes, taxes, schools, or anything else that government does.
See also "If you don't vote, you have only yourself to blame", Reader Weekly, 2004-10-28.
Showing posts with label city council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label city council. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Monday, April 02, 2012
Politics done right
This evening we attended the State of the City address by Duluth Mayor Don Ness. It was a really upbeat address on all the obstacles the city has overcome – unfunded pension liabilities, sewer overflow problems, street repair backlog, and others. But Don did not take all the credit. He praised the City Council for all the work they've done to come up with solutions. He praised the city employees for all the efforts they have made. And he praised businesses and citizens for the contributions they have made.
Now the process was not all sweetness and light; there were many disagreements. But the council and the city administration worked to arrive at solutions rather than gain political points. If we could only have pragmatic governance at the state and federal levels.
Disclaimer: Don Ness and I are long-time acquaintances. When he was a city councilor and ran Rep. Jim Oberstar's Duluth office, I would drop in at Oberstar's office about once a month for a chat with Don. I also had a bit of "clout" because I often wrote for the "Reader Weekly", a local, widely-read newspaper. I contributed to Don's campaigns, and I sent him lots of emails with suggestions or comments about city government. However, I now send him few emails; I figure he has enough feedback and suggestions from hundreds of others.
I think this is how the writers of the Constitution envisioned government. Most of the towns were smaller than Duluth is now, and even the big cities weren't that much bigger. Now we have cities bigger than the United States was in 1787. Some of these are very difficult to manage and are overburdened with competing interests.
Now the process was not all sweetness and light; there were many disagreements. But the council and the city administration worked to arrive at solutions rather than gain political points. If we could only have pragmatic governance at the state and federal levels.
Disclaimer: Don Ness and I are long-time acquaintances. When he was a city councilor and ran Rep. Jim Oberstar's Duluth office, I would drop in at Oberstar's office about once a month for a chat with Don. I also had a bit of "clout" because I often wrote for the "Reader Weekly", a local, widely-read newspaper. I contributed to Don's campaigns, and I sent him lots of emails with suggestions or comments about city government. However, I now send him few emails; I figure he has enough feedback and suggestions from hundreds of others.
I think this is how the writers of the Constitution envisioned government. Most of the towns were smaller than Duluth is now, and even the big cities weren't that much bigger. Now we have cities bigger than the United States was in 1787. Some of these are very difficult to manage and are overburdened with competing interests.
Monday, November 07, 2011
If you do nothing else on November 8, VOTE
Many localities and states throughout the United States will have elections for city, county, and school officials as well as referenda on taxes and constitutions. Whoever you favor or whatever your stance on referenda, be sure to show up and vote. Don't let the oligarchy that we've had for over 30 years decide our future.
Oligarchy? Aren't we a democracy? Only in theory, not in practice. The turnout in most elections has been pathetic and few have been elected with a majority of the eligible voters. Sixty percent of a sixty percent is not a landslide; it is a travesty. The oligarchs too often claim they have a mandate when less then forty percent of the eligible voters supported them. BTW, this includes President Obama too. See "Wisconsin - 'I don't give a damn wins again'".
On each and every election day, please give a damn!
To my readers outside the U.S., remember to vote when your elections occur.
To my readers in the few countries without elections, your turn may be coming. I saw a video a year or two ago where ten-year-old students were campaigning for class president. This in a country where their parents can't vote for the nation's president. What will these kids demand when they are adults?
Oligarchy? Aren't we a democracy? Only in theory, not in practice. The turnout in most elections has been pathetic and few have been elected with a majority of the eligible voters. Sixty percent of a sixty percent is not a landslide; it is a travesty. The oligarchs too often claim they have a mandate when less then forty percent of the eligible voters supported them. BTW, this includes President Obama too. See "Wisconsin - 'I don't give a damn wins again'".
On each and every election day, please give a damn!
To my readers outside the U.S., remember to vote when your elections occur.
To my readers in the few countries without elections, your turn may be coming. I saw a video a year or two ago where ten-year-old students were campaigning for class president. This in a country where their parents can't vote for the nation's president. What will these kids demand when they are adults?
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