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> Your only recourse is voting (as it should be in a democratic society) And how do we know who to keep in office and who to vote out when there is very little

> Your only recourse is voting (as it should be in a democratic society) And how do we know who to keep in office and who to vote out when there is very little transparency?

cryptoz 13y ago
Obama has been very clear about his love of NSA domestic spying since 2006. He voted numerous times to expand and renew the USA PATRIOT Act. If you didn't want a president with a love of spying on his citizens, you should not have voted for him (if you did) in the primary elections. There were other options, like Dennis Kucinich, who has a proven track record of not voting for the USA PATRIOT Act. You have a point that it may be difficult to vote for the right people, but it's very easy to make a good start. If a politician campaigns on and promises to increase the amount of creepy spying in your country like Obama did between 2006 and 2008, don't vote for him/her.
- cgag 13y ago
  What if the only two choices are both pro-creepy spying?
  - cryptoz 13y ago
    That's why the primary elections are important - by the time we get down to the final two choices, they usually are both in favour of all kinds of evil things. But in the primaries in 2016, we'll probably have 10 choices from each major party, and it's much more likely you'll find someone that matches your views. It's very important to vote in the primary elections in order to not end up with two evils by the main presidential election. The same logic goes for all other elections, too: your state government, and all levels really. Voting for just one president from two choices is hardly voting at all.
    - philwelch 13y ago
      The problem with elections is that however you vote, the majority always wins.
ihsw 13y ago
There has been quite a lot of transparency recently, and many congressional representatives have come out roaring against the NSA's suspicionless data snooping programs. Whether they're playing political football (jumping on the bandwagon) varies from one representative to the next, but they're out there.

> Your only recourse is voting (as it should be in a democratic society) And how do we know who to keep in office and who to vote out when there is very little transparency?

cryptoz 13y ago

Obama has been very clear about his love of NSA domestic spying since 2006. He voted numerous times to expand and renew the USA PATRIOT Act. If you didn't want a president with a love of spying on his citizens, you should not have voted for him (if you did) in the primary elections. There were other options, like Dennis Kucinich, who has a proven track record of not voting for the USA PATRIOT Act. You have a point that it may be difficult to vote for the right people, but it's very easy to make a good start. If a politician campaigns on and promises to increase the amount of creepy spying in your country like Obama did between 2006 and 2008, don't vote for him/her.

cgag 13y ago
What if the only two choices are both pro-creepy spying?
- cryptoz 13y ago
  That's why the primary elections are important - by the time we get down to the final two choices, they usually are both in favour of all kinds of evil things. But in the primaries in 2016, we'll probably have 10 choices from each major party, and it's much more likely you'll find someone that matches your views. It's very important to vote in the primary elections in order to not end up with two evils by the main presidential election. The same logic goes for all other elections, too: your state government, and all levels really. Voting for just one president from two choices is hardly voting at all.
  - philwelch 13y ago
    The problem with elections is that however you vote, the majority always wins.

ihsw 13y ago

There has been quite a lot of transparency recently, and many congressional representatives have come out roaring against the NSA's suspicionless data snooping programs. Whether they're playing political football (jumping on the bandwagon) varies from one representative to the next, but they're out there.