Paper ballots NOW!!! Hand counts NOW!!! Impeachment NOW!!! nt

[In Truth We Trust]

[La Coliniere]

1. add: Corporations are not legal persons NOW!!!

[In Truth We Trust]

5. Agreed- NOW!

[ClassWarrior]

8. Yes!! NOW!! Have you read "26 Words?"....

How Corporate Law Inhibits Social Responsibility
by Robert Hinkley (originally published at www.commondreams.org )

<snip>

In Maine, where I live, this duty of directors is in Section 716 of the business corporation act, which reads:

...the directors and officers of a corporation shall exercise their powers and discharge their duties with a view to the interests of the corporation and of the shareholders...

Although the wording of this provision differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, its legal effect does not. This provision is the motive behind all corporate actions everywhere in the world. Distilled to its essence, it says that the people who run corporations have a legal duty to shareholders, and that duty is to make money. Failing this duty can leave directors and officers open to being sued by shareholders.

<snip>

The specific change I suggest is simple: add 26 words to corporate law and thus create what I call the "Code for Corporate Citizenship." In Maine, this would mean amending section 716 to add the following clause. Directors and officers would still have a duty to make money for shareholders,

...but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, the public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.

This simple amendment would effect a dramatic change in the underlying mechanism that drives corporate malfeasance.

<snip>

-----

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0119-04.htm

NGU.

[Greyhound]

21. Ah, the sticky wicket.

Corporations were ruled legal entities under the 14th amendment. Messing with the 14th, in these times, is a dodgy situation at best. What if we've got a "states rights" SCOTUS? Where would that go?
BTW I agree with you completely. :shrug:

[Carolab]

2. I wonder what would happen if gangs of us ran around saying that

out loud over and over...you know, marching down the street?

Like every day, people from all over doing it? Using megaphones?

Think anyone would pay attention?

I do.

[Fridays Child]

4. As far as political discussions go...

...whether our own or those we watch on TV, the response to every stupid, distracting statement the right wing utters should be, "What does this have to do with impeaching B*sh?" or "What does this have to do with verifiable voting systems?"

We need to get him outta here and make sure this shit never happens again.

[In Truth We Trust]

7. I had enough and I'm not waiting for any of our so-called reps to do their

job. I plan to become a one person protest and I will make a sign and picket local corporate media about the truth and their lack of reporting it.

Paper ballots Now!
Hand counts NOW!
Impeachment NOW!

[Fridays Child]

3. Out of Iraq NOW!!!

[In Truth We Trust]

6. Most definitley agree-NOW!

[ClassWarrior]

9. Voting Rights Amendment NOW!!!!!

NGU.

[leftofthedial]

10. universal healthcare NOW!!!

[beaconess]

11. Paper ballots aren't a pancea - Florida used paper ballots in 2000 n/t

[ClassWarrior]

12. Paper ballots AND hand counting ARE a solution, however.

NGU.

[beaconess]

13. Really?

How do you think that will work logistically?

[ClassWarrior]

15. Ask Australia.

NGU.

[beaconess]

16. I asked you., not Australia But if you don't want to explain, never mind.

But since Australia has about 1/16th the population of the United States, it does not automatically and without explanation lend itself as a model for the U.S. electoral process.

[ClassWarrior]

18. Fortunately, we have 50 mini-governments all smaller than Australia.

They're called states, and within those states are congressional districts, and within those are precincts and wards. See how that works? We don't need to set one guy to counting the whole country.

NGU.

[beaconess]

22. I know exactly how it works - the same people who oversee the voting

machines will now control the hand count.

How is this any more reliable than letting Diebold control the machines? Hand counting isn't any more reliable than electronic voting if the wrong people are in charge of it.

Bottom line - we need true election reform at every level of the process. Paper ballots and hand counts are only a small part of the solution - and certainly will not result in the changes we're seeking without the additional, complicated, expensive and long-term changes we need.

[ClassWarrior]

23. No. Ya think??

When did I ever say it was the whole solution?

Sheesh.

NGU.

[Carolab]

24. Because it's hard to steal TENS OF THOUSANDS of votes if you hand count

MUCH easier with machines.

Also, ask Canada. They hand-count national and provisional races.

http://www.wheresthepaper.org / (This also is a great source for EXPERT opinions on why computers should not and need not be involved in our elections.)

Here's a quote from the above: "Paper Ballots. Studies show that elections conducted with hand-marked hand-counted paper ballots are the most accurate. National and provincial elections in Canada use hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots, and Canadians expect (and get) precise counts of voters, votes, and ballots with no discrepancies."

They usually get the results on election night

Plus, experts from CalTech and MIT studied all forms of voting systems and concluded hand-counted paper ballots are by far safer and more accurate.

Hand-counted paper ballots were found to be the best and most accurate way of voting, according to the Voting Technology Project conducted by political scientists at Caltech and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Voting Technology Project compared the reliability of voting systems used nationwide from 1988 to 2000 and came to a remarkable conclusion: "The most stunning thing in our work was that hand-counted paper ballots were better than anything else," project director Stephen Ansolabehere said. The Study: http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~voting/CalTech_MIT_Report_Version2.pdf

[In Truth We Trust]

20. They did not hand count every ballot though- did they?!! The SC stepped in

improperly and stopped the State of Fla. SC from allowing a full recount. A true count and this five year nightmare would never have occured!

[ClassWarrior]

25. Frickin' activist judges!!

Our Extreme Court. ~blechhh~

NGU.

[WHAT]

14. My only voice is to...

nominate.

[faithnotgreed]

17. absolutely

[Joe Chi Minh]

19. Does this Canadian joke,

which I found in the Humour thread remind you of anything?

"When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 C. The Russians used a pencil".

What's the betting Diebold were the main contractors NASA turned to!