Take the Money
Via Slashdot, I think this is intended to illustrate an appalling lack of civic-mindedness among voters. But I’m more incredulous at the number of people who wouldn’t take the money:
Only 20 percent said they’d exchange their vote for an iPod touch.
But 66 percent said they’d forfeit their vote for a free ride to NYU. And half said they’d give up the right to vote forever for $1 million.
But they also overwhelmingly lauded the importance of voting.
A million dollars in exchange for never voting again? You’d be an idiot not to take that deal, and I bet that a lot of people who said they wouldn’t take it are lying to the pollsters because they know that’s the answer they’re supposed to give. If there were actually a million dollars on the table, I would be shocked if less than 80 percent of people took it. I mean, look: if you’re feeling guilty about not doing your civic duty, take the money and use half of it to write hundreds of $2300 checks to the politicians you would have voted for. Large campaign contributions have a much bigger impact on the outcome of the election than a single vote does, and you’d have much more freedom to target your contributions in ways that will affect the outcomes of political debates.
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Erik Schmidt
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Henry Miller
