KiwiNZ:

Geektastic:

KiwiNZ:

Geektastic:

sdav:

Geektastic:

sdav:

Geektastic:

sdav:

Geektastic:

I'm not 100% convinced by democracy myself: it gives votes to idiots, which is a bad thing. The modern world is far too complex and the cost of rectifying economic mistakes far too great for people who can barely string a sentence together to be allowed an equal say in what happens. At the very least, a 'Voting Licence' should be required, for which you must sit a test to demonstrate a reasonable grasp of economics, foreign policy and so on. Passing a more stringent version of the licence test should be required before you can stand for election, too.

Hmmm I know what you mean but No! Instead of giving votes to only to the "educated" you are better educating everyone equally in the first place.

The reason I don't jump on the band wagon and criticise the government at every opportunity is I know the world is more complex than I will ever (and sometimes care to) understand. I think the current state of mis-information and half truth politics to undermine whoever is in power just for the sake of it is more damaging and gets the country nowhere. The Greens are the worst at it I think. OT again... I'll leave it there!

How can you educate everyone equally? My IQ is almost 140. How can you educate someone whose IQ is say 90 equally to me? How can you educate me equally to someone whose IQ is say 180?

Some people are just stupid. They should not be allowed to vote unless they can prove that they understand what they are being asked to vote on. Otherwise it is too easy for politicians to bribe them with cheaper petrol/beer/fags/houses (insert the bribe du jour here) because they are unable to extrapolate the consequences of what they are being offered.

We expect people to demonstrate minimum levels of skill and understanding when they want to drive a car: why not when they decide on our collective future?

I didn't mean you should educate everyone equally to the same level (poor choice of word on my part). How would that even work? I was meaning you are best to educate all people properly to a decent level in the first place. At no point during school did we get taught how to run a budget or what politics even was. These things should be basic skills and not just taught in specialised classes. I picked up all these things on my own as well as having parents that took an active interest in my education and life in general. Not everyone has this.

People just have different views on politics and what matters to them due to circumstance. How can you so easily compare your intelligence
to someone else's and decide how they vote is right or wrong? I make far more effort than most people I know when I vote - reading through most, but not all policies of parties that interest me (but as a serious, intelligent voter you would consider all your options right?). I also know that it is pretty much rendered irrelevant by someone voting for their mum or dad's party without even knowing who the party leader is but it doesn't matter to me, it's their vote. 

And how do you even begin to measure someone's ability to vote? Do you have to pass a test covering all the ministries in NZ? That's just absurd.

But like I already said, I feel your frustrations and feel like some people's votes are a waste. But who am I to judge what is important to them?

Edit to delete a wild copy and paste...

I'm not suggesting that your approach is wrong - the Voter Test could easily be something you take at 18 with whatever other exams they do in NZ at that age. My point is that demonstrating you understand at least to a reasonable level how governments work, how state finances, taxation and so on work should be a prerequisite for being allowed the privilege to affect their outcomes.

For example, if a politician says to you on your doorstep "I can guarantee that if you vote for me/my party your weekly beers will cost 50% less because we will cut beer tax!" you should at least have demonstrated you will be informed enough to say "And how will you replace the tax income you loose from doing that?" instead of just saying "Chur bro! Sounds pretty sweet aye!"

I think we agree on the same thing in principle just disagree that you lose your right to vote by failing a test.

Demonstrating that you understand how governments work, how state finances, taxation work etc should be part of education at a very young age. But then how do you stop the inevitable criticism of the government in power controlling young minds etc...

You don't lose your right to vote by failing the test. Like driving, you gain your right to vote by passing the test - you have no right to lose until you have done that.

possibly the silliest notion I have seen on these forums 

You think it silly that idiots ought not to have a say in what happens to you and your family? Interesting.

universal suffrage is a basic human right.