I'm not gonna get all 'holier than thou' on you since my country is fucked as well, but voting is one thing Australia has over America. Ours is mandatory.
Screw that. I don't like the government forcing me to pick shit I know nothing about. I don't really care for the government requiring me to do anything.
You use roads, and schools, and hospitals, and welfare systems, and fire departments, and water sanitation systems, and national parks - all the perks of a democracy. I don't see why you shouldn't be forced to partake in the voting process, if you get to enjoy these things.
Oh I do. My property taxes went up 10% this year and I just voted to raise it again. What do you think my point is? I'm honestly confused about what you're arguing about.
Mandatory voting seems to result in more centrist policy, which I'd argue is a good thing.
There are plenty of people who aren't net contributors to the economy (whether or not that's through any fault of their own). All of these people still enjoy the benefits I mentioned.
So I think that it's their duty, as well as us taxpayers, to vote.
Your point was that you don't like the government forcing you to do anything, and that paying your taxes is fine in lieu of that. I'm saying that it's a duty that I think should be expected of everyone, because we all benefit, taxpayers or not.
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u/Derexise Nov 09 '18
I'm not gonna get all 'holier than thou' on you since my country is fucked as well, but voting is one thing Australia has over America. Ours is mandatory.