Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. Its a nice gesture, but I am concerned it’ll lead to two Fourth of July’s and further divide the country.
Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
221–230 of 308 posts
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
Make it a holiday and move the election to the day after tax day: "Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders." - Thomas Sowell
I’ve always liked the idea of just reusing the Fourth of July. I think there would be a lot less animosity from the losing parties if everyone was celebrating America on the same day.
I love this idea, but patriotism in the United States is mostly an act. Asking people to back their 'love of country' with an actual deed (especially one that shortens their time at the barbecue) would spoil the illusion.
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never met someone that wanted to vote but couldn't for some reason. Does this actually happen to anyone in reality? This may be a case of preemptive optimization.
Entire counties can get their voting stations reduced to a few places that are super inconvenient for the parts of the county that won’t vote the way the people in control of the voting locations would prefer. Mail vote is a patch for this exploit, not an optimization.
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Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#224Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
No. Make early voting widely available and mail ballots available to anyone who requests one. Stop thinking of elections as a single day. That’ll be much healthier for democracy.
>That’ll be much healthier for democracy. Are you sure about that? This past election wasn't exactly very healthy. Be careful with removing all the pageantry around elections. Symbolism is very important and singular day election days play into that. So does filling in a paper ballot, and going to a polling place with your fellow citizens. Imagine you created an app, wherein you enter your preference (Dem or GOP) and…
This past election wasn't exactly very healthy
What elections were?
We have a rigged two party system. Layer conservatives and liberals stacking the system on top of that and you have an unhealthy democracy pretty much guaranteed. Given the corrupt nature of the leaders of the US, and the corrupt nature of the voters as well if we're being fair, the US has a remarkably smooth functioning system. It's definitely breaking down and showing its cracks, but given the breadth and scale of the assault it's been under for about the past 40 or 50 years, you have to be impressed at how it has held up.
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
I used to think this was true, but I think the last election has proved this theory wrong. The Democrats won, but there was record turnout for both candidates, and it was a lot closer than many were expecting. Republicans are in the process of making it so it doesn’t matter who wins.
I feel this doesn’t account for districts that were Gerry wandered and what would have happened had there been fair drawing of districts I. These communities. This is Where number allocation is more important that how many numbers there are.
well, there's an entire class of seats that by definition can't really be gerrymandered (Senate seats are always statewide).
Those did not flip nearly as hard as polls had projected.
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#227This is a good symbolic gesture, but making election day a federal holiday equivalent in standing with Christmas would have real and positive impact. But the latter never draws the votes in congress, so that should tell us how meaningless this vote truly was.
I've never met someone that wanted to vote but couldn't for some reason. Does this actually happen to anyone in reality? This may be a case of preemptive optimization.
Maybe your friends and family aren't the ones being targeted?
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
"More people voting always hurts , and helps their opponents" has always seemed to me like an admission that is innately anti-democratic, and I don't know how people ever spin it otherwise.
"Requiring ID to vote always hurts " has always seemed to me like an admission that is innately anti-democratic, and I don't know how people ever spin it otherwise.
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Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
If 8 of my dead great-grandparents vote for Mayor Daley, but I vote against, his 8-1 victory isn't democracy.
I think this is a bad faith response to the poster you're responding to.
I'm not trying to respond in bad faith; I'm pointing out, albeit by hyperbole, that "more voting" can still be anti-democratic.
Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
Make it a holiday and move the election to the day after tax day: "Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders." - Thomas Sowell
> "Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders." This is the reason why we have to file tax papers. State & federal can calculate taxes for majority of the people but don't because a group "" want people to suffer and revolt against income tax. All politicians wants to cut spending but just not f…
As the saying goes. Out of sight out of mind.