Life Improvements?

Anna Gregoline | September 2, 2004
Here's a weird one...If you were guaranteed a steadily improving standard of living (in terms of buying power, free time, quality of goods and services, etc.), would you be willing to give up your right to vote?

Anthony Lewis | September 2, 2004
I think I would. We vote to hopefully improve in a lot of those areas. So if I'm guaranteed those improvements...there's no need for me TO vote.

Sure, I'd think long and hard about it, but I honestly think I would, sad to say.

Where are my priorites???

Erik Bates | September 2, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | September 2, 2004
I think this question is complicated for me, because I'd like to say yes, but I don't know all the conditions - is my ever-rising success at the detriment to others? Who is in power? Would the current Administration ever change if they couldn't be voted out?

Anthony Lewis | September 2, 2004
See...when you but conditions on it, my answer would likely change. I would NEVER want success at the expense of others.

Anna Gregoline | September 2, 2004
Ok, so I guess the question is, improving standard of living for everyone, but without the right to change our leaders. Yikes. I'm still afraid.

Melissa Erin | September 3, 2004
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Scott Hardie | September 3, 2004
Assuming that this guarantee is a condition of the hypothetical arrangement and definitely will come true, and isn't just a promise made by some public official who could later break it, then I would probably agree to it. The candidate who could make my later life that fantastic are few and far between, and rarely electable, and it's unlikely my single vote could help them get into office, so the way to affect real positive results in my life would be to accept the trade.

And I recall just writing a few minutes ago in another discussion that when it comes to politics and society, I prefer the idealism of youth over the pragmatism of middle age. :-)