Democracy

Pleasant evening. 2 diet cokes, 2 light beers, home by 915. The other day at work we were discussing ways to improve the democratic process, particularly ways to restrict voting eligibility. One of my colleagues thought that anyone who couldn't name two novels by Dostoevsky shouldn't be allowed to vote (I hesitated on that for a moment until I figured out I'd be able to pass).

As I was driving around outer suburban Melbourne this evening (I even went to Nunawading!) I thought of another one. People who habitually drive with foglights on really shouldn't be allowed to have a say in the process. And if they drive with really bright foggies on during the day they could be taken aside and shot by goons from the Peoples' League for Taste and Decency.

On a completely unrelated note, I remember being struck just before the last US Presidential election at how many people said they hadn't made up their minds yet, and this was with less than a week to go. One thing that I thought could safely be said about the current President was that he was very easy to form a view on, either for or against, and someone who was still undecided after the first four years probably shouldn't be voting anyway. But of course in the US, as in most civilized countries, people who don't care aren't forced to vote.

Australia has compulsory voting, and Australians are very attached to the notion. It's even a crime to attempt to persuade someone not to vote here. I was once thrown off the electoral roll because I didn't have a permanent address, and in a desperate compromise with the AEC managed to get re-enrolled as an 'Itinerant Voter'. Which is the category for the homeless, the mentally ill and so forth. They explained it to me along the lines of I could turn up in any electorate and vote, so the obvious play was to go the most marginal one in the country and sell my vote. Which I didn't do, only because it would have required a bit of effort on my part. My writing this may violate the electoral act, in which case you can come and visit me in prison.