Giving up the right to vote for an Ipod?

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rocklobster

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I just heard something pretty disturbing. A recent survey found out that kids would rather have iPods than a right to vote. What do you folks think about this?
 
Sounds like an Esau selling his birthright for a pot of stew kind of thing. Sounds good in the short term but has serious long term consequences.
 
I read your post and assumed this was a GOP plot…lol

I wouldn’t be surprised if kids would give up their vote for an ipod, xbox, etc…
 
JDHallKY said:
They were students at New York University, I believe.
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It would be helpful if someone has a link to a report on the actual survey for context. I saw “kids” and thought “of course they would say that, they are children”. I don’t consider university students to be “kids” in that sense, perhaps as I have a 7 year old.
 
Peregrino said:
I read your post and assumed this was a GOP plot…
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Quite possibly, when one considers that those young people who are thoughtful and responsible enough to realize the value of franchise are probably also thoughtful and responsible enough not to vote democrat.
 
I have only heard a little about this, but am I the only one thinking that if they are willing to give up the right to vote, that they probably aren’t going to vote with any wisdom in the first place?

It seems to me that votes are only good if someone is truly convicted in their beliefs. There seems to be such a frenzy around voting. It doesn’t seem to matter what you think, but rather that you just get out and vote.

I guess my position is, if they are willing to give their right up, and someone is willing to pay, go for it. If you are truly convicted in what you believe, then you won’t give up your vote for anything.

:twocents:
 
rocklobster said:
I just heard something pretty disturbing. A recent survey found out that kids would rather have iPods than a right to vote. What do you folks think about this?
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How big a hard drive? And does that include free downloads from the iTunes store?

Given that many probably weren’t planning to vote anyway and others feel that the “right” to vote in our rigged system is dubious at best, why not get something in return for giving it up? After all, your vote doesn’t really make any difference.

Personally, I’d want at least a laptop in return for giving up my franchise.
 
didymus said:
…After all, your vote doesn’t really make any difference…
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Perhaps yours doesn’t but mine does. There have been local races and issues in which I have voted that were decided by one vote.
 
Sure, they might say that, but when the rubber meets the road, would they really do it? I’d like to think that they’re intelligent enough that they know the right to vote cannot be traded or taken away.

That’s what I’d like to think, anyway.
 
I found the story you’re apparently referring to on the NY Times Freakonomics blog.

tinyurl.com/2tvem3
Is it Smarter to Sell Your Vote or to Cast it?
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By Ryan Hagen
Half of N.Y.U. students say they would sell their right to vote for $1 million, according to a poll published yesterday by the Washington Square News.
Sixty-six percent said they would trade their voting rights for a free four-year ride at N.Y.U. (roughly $160,000, including room and board). Twenty percent would give up the vote for an iPod Touch (value: $299).
We know that voting doesn’t make good economic sense. Dubner and Levitt have written about the utility — or is it futility? — of voting here, here and here. But is it smarter to sell your vote than to cast it?
George W. Bush spent $345 million to win re-election in 2004, according to opensecrets.org, a cost of around $5.56 a vote. John Kerry spent just over $5.24 per vote. Those numbers don’t include third party spending, but for the sake of a hypothetical let’s just say votes in a presidential election cost $5.50 apiece. It should follow that selling your one vote for $1 million could buy you enough influence to capture 181,818 more. So maybe this poll doesn’t demonstrate youth apathy, it demonstrates youth economic savvy. (Then again, if you’re a fringe candidate, it’s possible to spend vast sums in politics without having any impact whatsoever.)
But how about you? Would you sell your vote for $1 million, or an iPod Touch, or free college tuition? And what would democracy look like if you could?
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That’s why kids can’t vote.
What you are looking at is the development of the capacity to reason and project consequences. The ability to think (reason) is not fully developed in most people until the early to mid 20’s. Some people take even longer, and others never get there at all even though they attain great age.

Matthew
 
Newbie2 said:
Sure, they might say that, but when the rubber meets the road, would they really do it? I’d like to think that they’re intelligent enough that they know the right to vote cannot be traded or taken away.

That’s what I’d like to think, anyway.
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Dream on. 🙂 I’d like to think it also, but history has other evidence. Personally I am glad they don’t vote.
 
It doesn’t surprise me a bit. That just the way kids are. I think giving the right to vote to 18-year olds was a mistake. Until they’ve been in the world for a while, all most kids do is:

a. Vote the same as Mom and Dad
b. Vote exactly the opposite as Mom and Dad
c. Vote for who their high school or college profess tells them to vote for.
 
My daughter wants both. She reminds us regularly that she’ll be able to vote in the presidential election after this one (2008) and that she wants an ipod for her upcoming birthday.
 
jmcdzzz said:
It doesn’t surprise me a bit. That just the way kids are. I think giving the right to vote to 18-year olds was a mistake. Until they’ve been in the world for a while, all most kids do is:

a. Vote the same as Mom and Dad
b. Vote exactly the opposite as Mom and Dad
c. Vote for who their high school or college profess tells them to vote for.
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Unfortunately there are plenty of folks much older than 18 who do exactly the same. They vote for whoever their local paper tells them to vote for, or their favorite pundit, or their favorite religious figure, etc. All too often the votes are based on a single issue.

It’s an imperfect system, but it’s the best one we know of so far.
 
I believe a great deal of this is caused by kids not knowing the history of this country (or humanity for that matter) and certaininly not being able to understand it.

When you have a large portion of the population, specificaly the younger generation, not being able to answer some of the most basic questions concerning American History is it any wonder that their vote does not matter to them?

The ignorance of quite a bit of today’s youth in regards to historical knowledge and understanding is disturbing. I’ve worked with many kids in high school who can’t even remember information that they learned in an American History class they were currently taking. Call me old fashioned but I believe most people should know who we fought in the Revolution and why.

To many young people, their vote is just a switch they flick, on out of hundreds of millions, because they have no understanding of what its like not to be able to voice your opinion or have the basic freedoms they take for granted.

When some people can’t locate Europe on a map, that’s funny, but when someone is willing to give up the rights men have dies to protect for cash, thats just sad.

I wish kids would be taught and actually understand this Concept we call the United States of America.
 
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