Two AMA VPs announce retirement

That's Enron style accounting, you would not be so lucky as to get away with it Ed! :) mk

If you fail to vote and can't provide a valid excuse, the fine is about $50. There's always been some debate regarding freedom not to vote, but most Australians are OK with the idea.

In fact, compulsory voting was introduced after WW1 - the rationale at the time was that 60,000 Australians had died defending freedom and there was an obligation on every Australian to repay that sacrifice by participating in the democratic process.

Just to put that into perspective as to why it was a compelling argument at the time, that was 60,000 young men out of Australia's total population of about 4.6 million people. The equivalent proportion of US people today would be 3.8 million young men.

Since then, voter turnout is usually 95% or more, which means that the elected representatives are a true indication of what Australian's wanted. Not just the choice of the rich and educated.

The "I don't give a f*ck" people tend to turn up, sign off and do an informal vote.

Thanks for the info.

Perhaps the "I don't give a f**K people should be conscripted into the military until they do give a F**K!

OK, lets put it in marketing terms. Incentive to vote is $5.00 off your dues. And raise dues to $63.00.

Red S.

And the rest of you would starve to death in two years!

And if it were not for people that DID give a F**K, you wouldn't be living in a democracy, TWIT!

RS

Realistically, which by-law change would be easier to get done? A voting penalty, or term limits?

Red-

Why do you think it would be a good thing for the members that don't care how the organization is run to vote? Seems to me it it would just encourage more votes for incumbents, either because of name recognition or "I don't have any problem with AMA so the incumbent must be okay." It would get more votes cast, but I doubt it would encourage any more real participation.

Abel

Well you don't need a by-law change to change the dues rate. Do you recall voting for the last dues increase?

Red S.

Well we will never know until we try it. If it doesn't help then cancel it and try something else. Better than setting on our hands and doing nothing but grousing about the problem.

Red S.

My all-time favorite bumper sticker: "Stupidity should be painful"!

Without term limits, if it does just what Mr. Pranger believes, there would be no incentive for the incumbents to change it!

I don't mind it the way it is now. Those that don't vote come on here and piss on about how bad it is! They got what they deserved.

From some examples I've seen, it usually is...

Unfortunately the ignoranuses never seem to connect the pain to the cause. :-) But in a world where it seems we are worshiping it as a virtue I guess we can expect little more.

"Abel Pranger" wrote in >

Abel, did you just say you didn't have a prob.........OH, I re-read. Ya had me for a second there. :) mk

Red, As much as I wish that would work, I have seen no evidence that would change anything very much. Might be better to just leave dues as they are and give a $5 credit on next years dues for each registered vote card returned. One of the problems with that (and your) idea is that the vote would no longer be private which leads to some sort of force.

Nothing will work unless we try it. Presently your vote ballots seem to be coded so that you can't vote twice, but you are right, there is no technology that would allow the firm presently counting the votes to send a report back to Muncie as to who voted. Oh woe, no hope, no ideas worth trying. The AMA and all of modeling is doomed.

Red S.

"Six_O'Clock_High" > recall

Ha ha, good one Ed ! You sound just like my Dad.