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It's a simple economic calculation. Let's say I have $130k+ in college loans. Would voting for a particular person (or a set of people over the rest of my life

by jmole 9y ago

It's a simple economic calculation. Let's say I have $130k+ in college loans. Would voting for a particular person (or a set of people over the rest of my life) give me $130k+ in direct benefits? Probably not. The more poignant conclusion here is that our votes are actually worth very little. Another conclusion is that "values" are more important than money, and we vote to establish values, not to make money.

newsmania 9y ago
Your right to vote does a lot more for you than get you money, it can keep you alive! For one it could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated and people forced to go due in Vietnam. Additionally it could keep you out of jail.
- Analemma_ 9y ago
  > For one it could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated and people forced to go due in Vietnam. Could it, though? Remember, if you’re not in a swing state, your Presidential vote is literallly— not figuratively, literally— worthless. Same goes for your Congressional vote if you’re in one of the increasingly-common gerrymandered districts. And even if that’s not he case, the odds of your vote making a tangible policy difference are remote at best. Sounds to me like Millenials are making an entirely rational calculation on their votes’ value.
- thisisdave 9y ago
  >voting could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated ... only in the unlikely event that my vote changes the outcome of an election, and the candidate I voted for would also be able to affect such a big legislative change. Millenials as a group might be worse off if many traded away their right to vote, but that's not the same thing as saying that individuals benefit in a tangible way from that right.
mc32 9y ago
Consider that btwn 43 and 52% of eligible voters don't vote during the presidential cycle. It's not surprising that some of those might never care to vote --given that some never vote while being eligible, it's not a stretch that some people might consider it more attractive to get a debt forgiven than to vote if they were hesitant to vote anyway.

by jmole 9y ago

newsmania 9y ago

Your right to vote does a lot more for you than get you money, it can keep you alive! For one it could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated and people forced to go due in Vietnam. Additionally it could keep you out of jail.

Analemma_ 9y ago
> For one it could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated and people forced to go due in Vietnam. Could it, though? Remember, if you’re not in a swing state, your Presidential vote is literallly— not figuratively, literally— worthless. Same goes for your Congressional vote if you’re in one of the increasingly-common gerrymandered districts. And even if that’s not he case, the odds of your vote making a tangible policy difference are remote at best. Sounds to me like Millenials are making an entirely rational calculation on their votes’ value.
thisisdave 9y ago
>voting could reduce the likelihood of the draft being reinstated ... only in the unlikely event that my vote changes the outcome of an election, and the candidate I voted for would also be able to affect such a big legislative change. Millenials as a group might be worse off if many traded away their right to vote, but that's not the same thing as saying that individuals benefit in a tangible way from that right.

mc32 9y ago

Consider that btwn 43 and 52% of eligible voters don't vote during the presidential cycle. It's not surprising that some of those might never care to vote --given that some never vote while being eligible, it's not a stretch that some people might consider it more attractive to get a debt forgiven than to vote if they were hesitant to vote anyway.