Re: Write-In Ballots

[Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Joe:

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 09:55:57 -0600, you wrote:

>
>Ralph, Paul, Libertarians everywhere:
>
>Thanks for the gentle reminder.
>
>I'm sorry to single out Libertarians, indeed, it's all of our 
>responsibility (even the unaffiliated voters).
>
>I was mixing my concern about this issue with my frustration with Paul 
>Tiger's e-mail (although he did send the email as the outreach director 
>of the Libertarian party), and making too broad a generalization.
>
>After all, "some of my best friends are Libertarians"...

I wouldn't admit to that in public.  People have been drawn and quartered
for less.

>
>I apologize for that, but remain committed to the protection (and 
>extrication) of Our Democracy from the threat of privatization, 
>especially the privatization of our elections!!!

More seriously, I, for one, have absolutely no problem with the
privatization of our elections.

Indeed, should we "socialize" the printer?  How about the paper supplier?
The ink supplier?  The ground on which the trees were grown?

What we need, instead, is the recognition that elections are fundamental to
our way of life and that, as such, the elections must be fair, open, and
trivial for the average citizen to understand.

I would not care if a private firm was hired to count the ballots as long as
you and I can watch the counting and also have the right to hire our buddies
to count the votes, too.

Depending on government to be open and forthcoming is _exactly_ how we got
here.  Our freedoms depend on political power being spread around.
Government using the private sector.  The private sector using government.
The government in opposition to the private sector.  The private sector in
opposition to the government.

Frankly, I'd prefer several private companies counting the ballots compared
to a single government doing so.

>
>Joe
>
>Joe Pezzillo, Citizen Activist
>Boulder, Colorado USA
>jpezzillo@xxxxxxxxx

Ralph Shnelvar, Citizen provocateur
Boulder, Colorado USA
ralphs@xxxxxxxxx

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>On Apr 21, 2005, at 9:47 AM, Ralph Shnelvar wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>> I think you're all the ones who are crazy, (especially you 
>>> Libertarians
>>> who should know better), for wasting so much time on trying to replace
>>> our democracy with machines.
>>
>> I'm sorry, Joe, that was uncalled for.
>>
>> Yes, Libertarians should know better ... but so should everyone else.
>>