If you don't vote, are you still a patriotic American?

[kentuck]

Especially in an election as important as this one. No matter how much you may disagree with President Obama, there is a huge difference between he and Mitt Romney. We know which side Mitt Romney is on and who will suffer the most under his policies. We know who will benefit the most under his policies also. It is simply against the interests of common folks to vote for Mitt Romney.

To not vote is to put hardship on Americans who are not deserving of more hardship. I don't know if there should be a fine for not voting, as in some countries, but it does seem to me to be shirking responsibility in a most irresponsible way.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. IMO, the answer is 'no'. The responsibilities for a citizen are 1) pay taxes 2) vote and

3) remain aware of what is happening.

[Deep13]

2. no. nt

[TwilightGardener]

3. I think you can be. It depends on what else you do.

[The Magistrate]

4. I Like The 'Australian System', Sir

Voting ought to be mandatory, in the same way signing up for conscription is for young men: it is a duty owed the polity, which ought not be shirked. Obviously, some people will not cast a serious ballot; there are in Australia votes for nonesense names and cartoon characters turned in, but the proportion is not nearly so large as the number who simply do not vote here. Adopting this system would be of great benefit to our political life. So much of the dark arts of electioneering here are focused on depressing turnout in one segment or another of the populace, and boosting it in another, and it is to this end much of the rawest and roughest efforts are devoted. A mandatory vote system would eliminate this at a stroke.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. I always vote but don't consider myself "patriotic".

I don't consider voting a "duty" but a choice.

"Freedom is the absolute right of all adult men and women to seek permission for their actions only from their own conscience and reason, and to be determined in their actions only by their own will, and consequently to be responsible only to themselves, and then to the society to which they belong, but only insofar as they have made a free decision to belong to it." Mikhail Bakunin

[liberal_at_heart]

24. absolutely

I don't understand this obsession with labeling people patriotic anyway. I think it was started as a tool to intimidate people into doing what others wanted them to do. It's silly. My daughter doesn't say the pledge in the morning at her school. Does that mean she's not patriotic? Frankly I really don't care if people think I or my family is patriotic or not. People's opinions of me do not influence my decisions.

[quinnox]

6. as someone noted in a recent

thread of mine, perhaps being patriotic is not such a good thing after all. One of my favorite quotes was: "At the bottom of all patriotism is war: that is why I am no patriot." I think there is a lot of wisdom in there.

[cynatnite]

7. Yes.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be encouraged. It should be.

I don't think it makes one less of an American because they opt not to vote for whatever reason or perhaps they may have been barred from voting. I know a few people who refuse to vote on principle.

Plenty of Americans are unable to vote due to restrictions the repukes put on them.

[Johonny]

14. I'm pretty sure the point of them denying Americans a chance to vote

is so they go about passing laws to make sure you are less of an American. Not voting and not being able to vote seem to me to certainly be the fastest way to watch certain politicians create a system where you become less of an American. Your only defense mechanism is to, if you can, VOTE. Vote for people that WANT you to vote and want everyone else to be able to vote too. If not rest assured you will wake up one day and discover someone as decided your not American enough anymore.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

8. NOPE

[vaberella]

9. No...to not vote is to spit on the lives that fought and died to vote.

It's to say to them, they're sacrifice was worthless. You are far from unpatriotic, you're just a fuckin' asshole. It's an obligation to vote and to inform yourself about who to vote for.

[PowerToThePeople]

10. I think you can be

If you are participating in trying to help in other ways. Feet on the ground is more valuable than casting a ballet imho.

I can understand how hard liners (either left or right) do not approve of either major party. Actually hard-liners may not even be an appropriate term. Any person not on the Capitalist, Corporatism, Private ownership of the means of production train is shunned in the current system.

I fight against the fascist movement now. They must not be allowed to control the Government of the people, by the people, for the people. If that fight is successful, then I fight the current economic system. This may mean leaving the Democratic party. I will have to see how the party evolves in the struggle against fascism.

[MrYikes]

11. As much as they turn their back on my America, I turn my back on them.

But I am also in favor of mandatory voting for 12 years.

[WilliamPitt]

12. My personal credo.

Americans are all public servants in this democracy, in that the democracy does not work properly if we all do not take part in the system.

Three simple rules:

1. Pay your taxes;

2. Show up for Jury Duty (and I don't give a damn how boring it is, it's vital);

3. VOTE.

That's it. Pretty simple. And all-important. The more you do after that, the better off we all are...but the swath of American's who refuse to do those three simple things own a large budget of blame for why things have gone so wrong. YEAH BUT THE PARTIES ARE THE SAME THE MONEY PEOPLE THE RICH AND THE MEDIA WHAAARGARBLE...shut up. Nature abhors a vacuum...and the assholes filled the vacuum when We The People somehow became convinced that democracy works without our input.

I'm not going to sit here and judge anyone else's patriotism. But in my personal opinion, if you don't hold up you're end of the bargain regarding those three things, I can't say I have as much respect for you as I otherwise would.

[AngryAmish]

13. Yes.

One's vote is one's own to do with as they may. As it is, I think most of the electorate is too dumb to vote, yet we let them. Go to peopleofwalmart.com and THEN tell me that a widespread franchise is a good thing.

[forestpath]

15. It depends.

I would never, ever vote for a candidate who was not pro-choice. I don't care what party they belonged to. And if anybody thought that was unpatriotic of me, too damn bad.

But then I see no particular virtue in being patriotic. It's much too subjective a term for me.

[BarackTheVote]

16. Uninformed people should NOT vote

HOWEVER, to be uninformed is be derelict in your duty as a citizen.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

17. No. And voting should be compulsory. nt

[leftstreet]

22. That might help a third party n/t

[liberal_at_heart]

18. yes

I refuse to sink to the republicans level. There is no gun to anyone's head telling them they have to vote. They are free to not vote. The minute we start using intimidating, degrading, belittling, name calling we turn into them, and I will not do that. I do not like it when they do it to me. I don't like it when dems do it to me for having a different opinion than other dems. I will not do it.

[GoneOffShore]

19. No - n/t

[CakeGrrl]

20. No.

[Ikonoklast]

21. Patrick Henry.

[NCTraveler]

23. yes. nt

[Nye Bevan]

25. I think you can be.

Say someone is a Democrat but feels that they cannot morally cast a vote for Obama due to the drone attacks. I would not impugn their patriotism if they decided to abstain from voting.

[MineralMan]

26. I don't know about patriotic but if you don't vote, you're just a drone.

Letting other people decide for you is very dronish behavior.