Young People & Politics:
"POINT TO PONDER:
'Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves-and the only way they could do this is by not voting.' Franklin D. Roosevelt "
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Political Speech - iRights
Political Speech - iRights:*
Thousands Sign Up to Sell Votes
Political Speech
9/22/00; 2:27:06 PM 'Boasting of the more than 6,000 Americans who have signed up to auction off their presidential votes to the highest bidder -- illegal activity under the laws of every state in the union -- Voteauction is now detailing its plans to begin an outreach campaign.
'Using its 'Voter Empowerment Kits' and 'Action Teams,' the company claims in a press release that it can reach more potential customers and facilitate voter fraud without the intervention of an online middleman.'
I really don't know how to react to this site's antics... amusement? disgust? horror? Most (post-)modern art attempts to provoke that reaction, and fails miserably, so by the art community's standards, Voteauction.com is one of the best pieces of art I've seen in a long time. (I suppose this is a relatively unusual way of looking at it )"
I found this tidbit interesting:
'The profile of both sides of the Internet auction does jibe with the history of vote-buying in America, said Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist and author of the 1996 book Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics.
'Especially telling is the fact that the payoff-per-vote, as tallied on the site, is settling into the $10-$20 range -- the amount of cash an individual vote tends to command in other, non-Internet-based schemes.
'"It always seems to be about $20," Sabato said. "That must be the going rate. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Because 10 bucks is not what it used to be. With 20 bucks you can get a pretty good meal, if you know where to go. And I think that's how some people conceive of it. Their vote may be worth a meal. It's sad, but that may be true."'
Thousands Sign Up to Sell Votes
Political Speech
9/22/00; 2:27:06 PM 'Boasting of the more than 6,000 Americans who have signed up to auction off their presidential votes to the highest bidder -- illegal activity under the laws of every state in the union -- Voteauction is now detailing its plans to begin an outreach campaign.
'Using its 'Voter Empowerment Kits' and 'Action Teams,' the company claims in a press release that it can reach more potential customers and facilitate voter fraud without the intervention of an online middleman.'
I really don't know how to react to this site's antics... amusement? disgust? horror? Most (post-)modern art attempts to provoke that reaction, and fails miserably, so by the art community's standards, Voteauction.com is one of the best pieces of art I've seen in a long time. (I suppose this is a relatively unusual way of looking at it )"
I found this tidbit interesting:
'The profile of both sides of the Internet auction does jibe with the history of vote-buying in America, said Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist and author of the 1996 book Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics.
'Especially telling is the fact that the payoff-per-vote, as tallied on the site, is settling into the $10-$20 range -- the amount of cash an individual vote tends to command in other, non-Internet-based schemes.
'"It always seems to be about $20," Sabato said. "That must be the going rate. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Because 10 bucks is not what it used to be. With 20 bucks you can get a pretty good meal, if you know where to go. And I think that's how some people conceive of it. Their vote may be worth a meal. It's sad, but that may be true."'
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