OT: Let me ask our British posters a strange question

[weswood]

Originally Posted by Webstral

The Tea Party confuses me. If the electorate doesn't like what their elected officials are doing, why not put more pressure on those officials? With the number of people flocking to the Tea Party, they easily could bury the incumbents with letters demanding a particular policy. Special interests can provide funding, but they can't provide votes. How a legislator votes on given issues is public record. Wouldn't it be simpler to hold a legislator accountable for how s/he votes than create a whole new party? If the numbers involved in the Tea Party were to sign documents representing a unified position, neither Democrat nor Republican incumbent could ignore them. "We'll vote you out" is the one message to which our elected officials really give their attention.

I understand that most republics have the same problem. We're too busy with our everyday lives to get involved in politics until things go south. Ounces of prevention...

Webstral

I think the TEA Partyis trying to let our elected reps know what they are against and for. Such as a smaller government, less taxes, etc. Yes, we can let the elected officials know by voting them in or out of office, but when the elections are held every four years, that's four years elected offials can run amok doing what they themselves want.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by weswood

Yes, we can let the elected officials know by voting them in or out of office, but when the elections are held every four years, that's four years elected offials can run amok doing what they themselves want.

Isn't that always true? The politicians aren't really interested in the voters until the campaign gets well underway -- and then they are largely interested in mollifying them without really doing anything to hurt the special interests that give them money. That's what the BP hearings in the Senate really are right now -- they're a show for the voters. The politicians aren't really willing to bite the hand that feeds them.

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by weswood

I think the TEA Partyis trying to let our elected reps know what they are against and for. Such as a smaller government, less taxes, etc. Yes, we can let the elected officials know by voting them in or out of office, but when the elections are held every four years, that's four years elected offials can run amok doing what they themselves want.

I agree completely that the Tea Party want their message to be heard, although they seem to have trouble deciding what that message is. (What organization with more than handful of people doesn't face this problem?) We should bear in mind that the entire House of Reps is re-elected every two years. The drawback of this system is that a Rep is on the campaign trail from the moment he is sworn in until the moment the election results come in. A lot of energy is diverted to the endless campaigning. On the other hand, the feeling of vulnerability that arises from the biennial campaign cycle is something the Tea Party is hoping to exploit. Heck, everybody wants to exploit it.

Governors, of course, are elected every four years. I ought to know what the legislative cycle is in every state, but I don't. I suppose it's easy enough to look up, what with the Internet and all.

I'm guilty of encouraging a thread that is becoming political. I may not be the best moderator to moderate or make a decision about where the line is drawn. Perhaps one of the other moderators might make an assessment?

Webstral

[headquarters]

Yeah - I will give it a try :

The thread was about accents ,somehow politics got in .It seems civil enough .Anyways .The assessment :

Try to say your pieces with a New Zeeland accent .



It is WEIRD but beautiful.

They change the E with an I or some such so that the word EXIT will sound like IXIT etc .

No try to do this with the legislative measures towards which the tea party is currently protesting

Anyone from down under that feels I have misrepresented their wonderous English ,please I will take no blindfold .Just let me finish my last fag and get on with it .



( yes ,it is a joke -and Yanks ,fag is slang for a cigarette in case some of you raised an eyebrow )

[pmulcahy11b]

For some reason, I've always had this idea that Headquarters and General Pain are actually the same person. Hmmm...maybe this post belongs in the Conspiracy Theories thread...

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

For some reason, I've always had this idea that Headquarters and General Pain are actually the same person. Hmmm...maybe this post belongs in the Conspiracy Theories thread...

thank GOD ALmighty thats not the case .

( have you seen his picture ?!?!?!? )

But we have been gaming for 18 years and our brains "absurd recepteors "are finely tuned in sync .

Other than that - I would love to be at the heart of a conspiracy theory .

As for GP -he already thinks he is in one....

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by headquarters

thank GOD ALmighty thats not the case .

( have you seen his picture ?!?!?!? )

But we have been gaming for 18 years and our brains "absurd recepteors "are finely tuned in sync .

Other than that - I would love to be at the heart of a conspiracy theory .

As for GP -he already thinks he is in one....

Also -please take a look at our subforums and tell me : did the same man write these ?

I would have to strive to attain the same mastery of grammar and misspellings that the good General has . Really put an effort in to work my way down to that level.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by headquarters

Also -please take a look at our subforums and tell me : did the same man write these ?

I would have to strive to attain the same mastery of grammar and misspellings that the good General has . Really put an effort in to work my way down to that level.

OK, maybe you're both Higgins? Or Robin Masters?

Never mind, that's an old reference -- put "Magnum PI" into Google or Wikipedia and you'll understand...