Fly in the ointment of democracy
As most people around the world know, there is to be a US election in the fall. Much to the relief of many, George W. has completed his two stints. So has that weasel Dick Cheney (arguably the scariest and most evil looking dude around), and a new era will begin. What it will look like is anybody’s guess at this juncture.So, in thinking about that forthcoming election and its significance, Americans must be aware that much of what happens outside their geo-political realm will be based on what happens in the US election.
This has brought me to the realization that there is a flaw in all of this. If what happens in the US is going to impact me, as a Canadian, for example, so why don’t I get a say in the election?
There is a big fly in the ointment of world governance. That fly being that elections in democracies are restricted to the citizenry of that country. That’s just not right. It may have been right in 1850, but this is a different world; one in which we are in direct and instant touch with what is going on elsewhere. So, we should all get a say.
In that, I have a cunning plan, as Baldrick on the wonderful Blackadder was wont to say. My plan is this: everybody who lives in a democratic state gets to become an auxiliary citizen of all other democracies around the world. And, in being an auxiliary, he or she would get half a vote. So, if say 1.5 million Canadians vote for Obama, should he get the nomination, that would earn him 750,000 votes. Clever, eh?
And, think about it. Many of us travel. How nice it would be to go to a country and to know that you had a say in that country’s government of the day. Think that Gordon Brown guy in the UK is a bit of an anal jerk who became more obsessed with being rid of Tony Blair rather than doing the nation’s business? Throw the bum out. Believe that Sarkozy in France is more concerned about dallying with his hottie mistress rather than fixing that nation’s manifold problems? Have a say in replacing him. Believe that Putin in Russia is a tin-pot dictator who wants to hold sway for life? In the first place, he does. In the second place, maybe we should have a say in keeping that from happening.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. It’s a modest proposal, but one that just might have merit.
posted by Ian Lidster at
11:59 AM
14 Comments:
You know what really scares me about the US election? That so few American citizens will vote...
Electronic computerized voting, or paper ballot? :)
Actually, Ian, even though I'm usually not much on conspiracy theories, I sincerely wonder how much effect those of us who did vote against Shrub had during the past two elections. A good many people had hidden fingers pressing on the scales, it seems. However, we shall go try again.
Your plan has a great deal of merit, recognizing that countries are interdependent. Unfortunately, I frequently wonder what percentage of U.S. citizens care what's going on in the rest of the world or how the U.S. is perceived by others.
I agree with Tanya.
It seems all eyes are on Amercia, but Americans have no idea about the rest of the world. Nor do a lot of them seem to care, or watch what happens in their own country.
I almost bought it til the Swift reference. Didn't Baldric also come up with wearing underwear on your head and shoving pencils up your nose? I seem to remember that one flopped.
I think this would be fair, so long as they could show they understood the issues in those countries. Hang on, that would exclude most of the voting population in the country itself!
"That plan is so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel" (quotes the fellow Black Adder fan).
Seriously though...an interesting thought, do you think the Palestinian election would have been different if other countries had partial votes? But what about the total world domination that could come out of populous countries like China or India?
Then again, could it be much worse than it's been with just us Yanks voting?
I think everyone should use their half a vote and vote for ME!!
I'd do a good job...creme brulee and rhubarb for breakfast everyday.
:)
Maybe you could vote socialized medicine in here. That would be wonderful.
Year ago, my then 3-year old daughter broke her leg in a park in Toronto and we took her to Sick Children's Hospital where they took X-rays, put her in a cast and gave her excellent care for the magnificent sum of $30. Six weeks later, back in the U.S., a doctor cut off her cast with something like a chain saw and charged us about $300.
We could do worse than to emulate our Canadian neighbors.
I will trade you my vote for a Canadian high flow shower head. Oh wait. I can buy one when I go there in June! But guess what? If you wanted to vote for Obama, you already HAVE my vote. (And Jazz, I do vote - I even did the whole delegate thing once.)
Slight problem Ian, if we had that then other countries will expect a quid pro quo, China might be out because I'm not sure it's a democracy, but India is and a half vote by all the Indians is more than all the votes in Canada. Come to that half votes for all the Americans should do the same thing. There are 220,600,000 Americans of voting age, 135,889,600 registered voters and 80,588,000 who turned out versus 33,390,141 of Canadian citizens. We might end up with Dubya as Prime Minister... ;o(
In answer to BB's comment:
ACK!!!!!!
your cunning plan has some merit, but will go over like a lead balloon with my american brothers and sisters... come to think of it, with most other folk, too
yep, I was thinking along the same lines as bb - do you really want the folks who voted in bush to have a say in other elections?
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