I didn't finish my prior post, as friends dropped by early to go out. It seemed to me that the young man had trouble figuring out for whom to vote and decided to sell his vote, which is why I proposed that punishment. I might add that instead of an essay, he could have created a video, etc.

OK, now to finish what I started, I see that others have wrote along the same lines. Here is a "quote" attributed to that great muckraker, I F Stone, but I couldn't find it directly...People vote every four years, but money votes every day.

Here is a direct quote of his, "Rich people march on Washington every day", to point out the difference between corporations' daily march on Washington versus the citizen marches on Washington put on by organizations.

Americans have prided themselves on how their nation has not been corrupt like other nations. They're right; our politicians don't take "bribes" in office, they take "contributions".

IMO this young man did indeed technically sell his vote and needs a lesson in citizenship, but then our elected leaders sadly seem to be in need of a citizenship lesson, too.

they could buy my vote

if McCain came to me and said "ill give you 500k for you to vote for me"










let me think
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sold!

So if selling your vote is so bad, why not sell your entire identity instead?

Apart from causing a major hick up for officials with multiple applications for ID papers for multiple people, they'll also have to contend with multiple votes from the same identity.

We are all aware there are many people called John Smith. It's the identification numbers given to each Mr. Smith that makes any difference, so why not sell those details.

Might also go towards upsetting chip implants and other stuff.


just a thought

I'm on the electoral roll but have always abstained as a voter...regerdless of the party you vote for, the machinery that governs behind the scenes always remains the same...well, that's my philosophy anyway.

But I'll be following in this guy's footsteps and offering the highest ebay bidder the opportunity to sway my decision to vote for a particular candidate in any and all subsequent elections, be it local by-election or national governing party election...consider it a 'privatisation' of the lobby process

What I'm intending is, in my view, neither immoral nor illegal, I am merely allowing myself to be influenced by other factors aside from election-time rhetorical promises...and should I be charged with a similar crime such as mentioned in the OP, then I will cite the many cases of MPs in Parliament who have accepted favours in return for the same

...anyone remember the 'cash for honours' scandal? why was that investigation and attendant charges dropped against the high ranking Labour Party members and Peers in the House of Lords? if that is accepted as a legal precedent, then I will act accordingly, and improve my financial situation at the same time.