Cheney - Palin 2012 - Democratic Underground

The last time I looked, our entire voting system was run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by a handful of rightwing Puke corporations, with virtually no audit/recount controls. As far as I know, this has not changed. Half the voting systems in the country have no audit at all (no automatic handcount as a check on machine fraud), either because they have no paper trail at all or they have no requirement to count any percentage of the paper ballots. The other half of the states may have a paper ballot, but they do a meager and inadequate 1% audit. Experts whom I respect say that 10% is the minimum audit needed to detect fraud.

A little corpo/fascist "news" narrative, and the thing is done. And we have no recourse against it. Zero. Zip. None.

By contrast, Venezuela uses electronic voting, but it is an OPEN SOURCE code system--anyone may review the code by which the votes are tabulating--and they handcount a whopping 55% of the votes as a check on machine fraud. That's why they have universal free medical care, universal free college education, use of the country's oil resource to benefit the poor, and had a sizzling near 10% economic growth rate over the last five years (2003-2008), with the most growth in the private sector (not including oil), and meanwhile the Chavez government put aside $40 billion in international cash reserves for a 'rainy day'--such as the Bushwhacks' Financial 9/11 last September. Venezuela landed on its feet, while our economy slid into Great Depression II.*

How did our system of counting votes become almost totally non-transparent, and placed in the control of private corporations, some of whose far rightwing connections would make your hair stand on end? The Anthrax Congress did it by appropriating $3.9 billion dollars to fast-track these diabolical voting machines all over the country during the 2002 to 2004 period, with no controls whatsoever on their use. There was a lot of corruption of election officials and state legislators. Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia--the big three--heavily lobbied for no audit/recount controls and got their way most of the time, as well as lobbying for purchasing of these highly expensive systems which need constant upgrades and maintenance. Our Democratic leaders were quiet as mouses while this occurred.

How do we fix it? The best bet is at the state/local level, where control over voting systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some potential influence. Your county voting registrar, for instance, may live down the street from you. Congress ain't going to fix it. They did it to us--our own party included. They are not going to undo it. And they live far away, in rich neighborhoods in fancy houses that most of us can't get near, and inside the cauldron of corruption we call our nation's capitol. Have they fixed it? No. Is there any prospect at all that our 'Democratic' Congress will do so? None. You can ask yourselves why. I won't go into what I think about why. I'm just saying, this IS the situation.

There are a lot of things wrong with our election system. But this is the ultimate bar to reform, as well as a just about guaranteed weapon for installing future dictators. There are only two reasons for near complete non-transparency in vote counting: preventing reform and electing really bad people. These are what it was for. These are what it does.

Until we change this, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin could easily--EASILY!--be the next President and Vice President of the U.S.

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*Venezuela has a bit of an inflation problem, but the bolivars in circulation are solidly backed and a careful devaluation, combined with government stimulus, is expected to steady the inflation problem. Don't know about you, but I'd rather have a bit of inflation right now than a dead economy and Great Depression II. Inflation helps the "little guy"--if it doesn't go too far. Depression does not. That's why financial fascists like Rotters, the New York Times, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal and others are always railing against inflation and issuing dire warnings about it. The Chavez government has defied all dire predictions, and is doing just fine. It enjoys a continued approval rating in the 60% range.

Why not just...	begin_within	Sep-01-09 10:27 PM	#1
Save on jet fuel, staff, and other things -	autorank	Sep-01-09 10:28 PM	#2
I also did this one last year:	begin_within	Sep-01-09 10:48 PM	#7
Well... thats just disturbing	Ohio Joe	Sep-02-09 07:15 AM	#23
You are the superior craftsman!	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:40 PM	#31
Looks kinda like Harry Potter.	BuyingThyme	Sep-01-09 10:30 PM	#4
Beauty!	H2O Man	Sep-02-09 06:35 AM	#20
Vicious and Vacuous 2012.	saltpoint	Sep-01-09 10:29 PM	#3
Great Minds?	Me.	Sep-01-09 10:38 PM	#5
It's funny watching republicans actively choosing the worst people possible....	BlooInBloo	Sep-01-09 10:39 PM	#6
Every time I think they won't go any lower	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:41 AM	#13
When really it would make so much	skier_	Sep-02-09 12:37 PM	#30
Great, now how am I going to fall asleep tonight?!	ihavenobias	Sep-01-09 10:50 PM	#8
In a word	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:42 AM	#14
Palin/Cheney?	Kazak	Sep-01-09 11:08 PM	#9
More likely	Profprileasn	Sep-02-09 07:28 AM	#25
Dick's on top	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:37 PM	#29
Go ahead Dick. Take her hunting.	lpbk2713	Sep-01-09 11:13 PM	#10
Bwaa haa haa haa! Indeed!	DemoTex	Sep-01-09 11:29 PM	#12
The terrifying thing is that it can be EASILY done!	Peace Patriot	Sep-01-09 11:26 PM	#11
55% hand count to check	autorank	Sep-03-09 02:50 AM	#35
All good, until the first debate with OUR President.	DCKit	Sep-02-09 02:13 AM	#15
She may not be back from Hong Kong by then.	Contrary1	Sep-02-09 02:22 AM	#16
Palin won't do it. She's through with being second banana on the	Cleita	Sep-02-09 02:24 AM	#17
We should be so lucky	DFW	Sep-02-09 02:42 AM	#18
EEK!!	formercia	Sep-02-09 05:22 AM	#19
The Dream Team - if you enjoy nightmares.	LeftishBrit	Sep-02-09 06:59 AM	#22
Argh. Sounds like the plot of a horror film.	LeftishBrit	Sep-02-09 06:58 AM	#21
With Beck as WH communications "director"	n2doc	Sep-02-09 07:26 AM	#24
???	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:48 PM	#32
LOL either I suppose might work, but the first would rhyme better.	n2doc	Sep-02-09 01:42 PM	#33
He certainly has better moves;)	autorank	Sep-03-09 02:47 AM	#34
The Troll and The Doll = Troll Doll '12...	VOX	Sep-02-09 08:09 AM	#26
I think of Palin dressed in leather with a riding crop	formercia	Sep-02-09 08:39 AM	#27
I really like the way you think!	autorank	Sep-02-09 12:36 PM	#28