[net.politics] Free and Fair Elections

toby@fritz.UUCP (Toby Gottfried) (02/19/86)

The U.S. government is always promoting "free
and fair elections" in countries around the world.
It always seems to me that a prerequisite for
such elections is an informed populace, which is
not always to be found.  However, a recent 
experience shows that these are fewer and farther
between than I thought.

While doing voter registration, it is a sometime
occurrence to be asked, when asking the prospective 
voter for his choice of political party, to be asked 
in return:
		"Which party is Reagan ?"

This should be posted to net.jokes.  Unfortunately,
it is true, which makes it sad.  Given the complexity
of issues facing the electorate today, it would seem
that anyone who doesn't know even the party of the 
president could not have the vaguest idea of what is
going on and who supports what.  

Well, they say a country gets the government it 
deserves.  This may be true.

-- 
Toby Gottfried
 FileNet Corp	 {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!felix!toby
Costa Mesa, CA

kludge@gitpyr.UUCP (03/02/86)

In article <193@fritz.UUCP> toby@fritz.UUCP (Toby Gottfried) writes:
>The U.S. government is always promoting "free
>and fair elections" in countries around the world.

  I don't suppose that anyone remembers Mondale's congratulating
the Phillipine government for an "excellent example to show that
democracy can work in smaller nations."  When this quote was reported,
I was in the Phillipines, where I had been asked by the Minister of
Telecommunications for a stereo equalizer in exchange for a ham radio
license.  The entire American community there laughed out loud, as
did many of the Filipinos.  But it was more appropriate to cry.
   Somehow I am reminded of Emperor Maximillian of Mexico....

-------
Disclaimer: Everything I say is probably a trademark of someone.  But
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Scott Dorsey
Kaptain_kludge
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Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
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