Bearable

considering so many dont vote in Us elections it seems the richest can just buy a presidency.

By DEBORAH HASTINGS, AP National Writer Thu Oct 12, 5:32 PM ET

this appeared on the net for about 10 minutes today then was buried away ,was this intentional?

NEW YORK - Some states have enacted laws that make it harder to vote instead of correcting ballot problems that have plagued various parts of the country since the 2000 election, according to a study released Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Describing their findings as "troubling," voting reform advocates sampled 10 states with past election difficulties. Especially worrisome, the report said, were laws passed by a handful of states, including Arizona and Georgia, that require a government-issued photo identification card and proof of citizenship before being allowed to vote.

Though both state laws were later blocked by judges, "the damage has already been done," confusing would-be voters and severely hampering voter registration drives, said Tova Wang of The Century Foundation think tank, which conducted the survey with Common Cause and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

Also troublesome was a lack of electronic voting policies that could make voting lines in the upcoming midterm contest even longer than those in 2004, according to the survey.

Such delays especially affected Ohio, where people waited hours because of problems with computerized voting.

The study found that the problems with electronic voting were not just malfunctioning machines, but also the lack of available machines. "There were long lines because there were inequitably distributed voting machines," Wang said. Since 2004, most states have only vague guidelines. Florida and Washington, for example, have no formula for determining the number of voting machines in each precinct, the study said.

After the 2004 debacle in Ohio, a law was passed mandating one machine for every 175 registered voters. But it is not enforceable until 2013.

The study contained some good news. Many states have aggressively recruited young people to serve as poll workers — an effort to correct poorly staffed precincts and aging volunteers not familiar with new electronic technology.

But overall, of the studied states, "none have come close to addressing in full the major problems that plagued the system during the last federal election," the survey concluded.

The states were Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

___

On the Net:

http://www.tcf.org/

http://www.commoncause.org/

http://www.civilrights.org/

Top 25 Censored Stories of 2006

#1 Bush Administration Moves to Eliminate Open Government

#2 Media Coverage Fails on Iraq: Fallujah and the Civilian Death

#3 Another Year of Distorted Election Coverage

#4 Surveillance Society Quietly Moves In

#5 U.S. Uses Tsunami to Military Advantage in Southeast Asia

#6 The Real Oil for Food Scam

#7 Journalists Face Unprecedented Dangers to Life and Livelihood

#8 Iraqi Farmers Threatened By Bremer's Mandates

#9 Iran's New Oil Trade System Challenges U.S. Currency

#10 Mountaintop Removal Threatens Ecosystem and Economy

#11 Universal Mental Screening Program Usurps Parental Rights

#12 Military in Iraq Contracts Human Rights Violators

#13 Rich Countries Fail to Live up to Global Pledges

#14 Corporations Win Big on Tort Reform, Justice Suffers

#15 Conservative Plan to Override Academic Freedom in the Classroom

#16 U.S. Plans for Hemispheric Integration Include Canada

#17 U.S. Uses South American Military Bases to Expand Control of the Region

#18 Little Known Stock Fraud Could Weaken U.S. Economy

#19 Child Wards of the State Used in AIDS Experiments

#20 American Indians Sue for Resources; Compensation Provided to Others

#21 New Immigration Plan Favors Business Over People

#22 Nanotechnology Offers Exciting Possibilities But Health Effects Need Scrutiny

#23 Plight of Palestinian Child Detainees Highlights Global Problem

#24 Ethiopian Indigenous Victims of Corporate and Government Resource Aspirations

#25 Homeland Security Was Designed to Fail

Outsourcing the Presidency

Congress today announced that the office of President of the United

States of America will be outsourced to India as of September 22, 2006.

The move is being made to save the President's $400,000 yearly

salary, and also a record $521 billion in deficit expenditures and

related overhead the office has incurred during the last 5years.

"We believe this is a wise move financially. The cost savings should

be significant," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds(R-WA). Reynolds,

with the aid of the Government Accounting Office, has studied

outsourcing of American jobs extensively. "We cannot expect to

remain

competitive on the world stage with the current level of cash

outlay," Reynolds noted.

Mr. Bush was informed by email this morning of his termination.

Preparations for the job move have been underway for sometime.

Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India, will be

assuming the office of President as of 22 September 2006 . Mr. Singh was

born in the United States while his Indian parents were vacationing

at Niagara Falls, thus making him eligible for the position. He will

receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month but with no health coverage

or other benefits.

It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job

responsibilities without a support staff. Due to the time difference

between the US and India, he will be working primarily at night, when

few offices of the US Government will be open. "Working nights will

allow me to keep my day job at the American Express call center,"

stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive interview. "I am excited about this

position. I always hoped I would be President someday."

A Congressional spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be

fully aware of all the issues involved in the office of President,

this should not be a problem because Bush was not familiar with the

issues either. Mr. Singh will rely upon a script tree that will

enable him to respond effectively to most topics of concern. Using

the scanned responses, he can address common concerns without having

to understand the underlying issues at all.

"We know these scripting tools work," stated the spokesperson.

"President Bush has used them successfully for years." Mr. Singh may

have problems with the Texas drawl, but lately Bush has abandoned the

"down home" persona in his effort to appear intelligent and on top

of the Katrina situation.

Bush will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his

final day of employment. Following a two week waiting period, he will

be eligible for $240 a week unemployment compensation for 13 weeks.

Unfortunately he will not be eligible for Medicaid, as his

unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit. Mr. Bush has

been provided the outplacement services of Manpower, Inc. to help

him write a résumé and prepare for his upcoming job transition.

According to Manpower, Mr. Bush may have difficulties in securing a new

position due to limited practical work experience.

A Greeter position at Wal-Mart was suggested due to Bush's extensive

experience shaking hands and his phony smile. Another possibility is

Bush's re-enlistment in the Texas Air National Guard. His prior

records are conspicuously vague but should he choose this option, he

would likely be stationed in Waco, TX for a month, before being sent

to Iraq, a country he has visited.

"I've been there, I know all about Iraq," stated Mr. Bush, who

gained invaluable knowledge of the country in a visit to the Baghdad

Airport's terminal and gift shop.

Sources in Baghdad and Falluja say Mr. Bush would receive a warm

reception from local Iraqis. They have asked to be provided with

details of his arrival so that they might arrange an appropriate

welcome.

If everyone voted over the age of 18 wouldnt this in itself give a better picture of how the country was thinking ,and at the same time break the two party monopoly.

There has to be enough black people to get some voice in government.

Dislocated right shoulder on friday it was reset on friday is still a bit sore how long does it take to recover totally ...thanks nick

Do you think if women were leaders of countries and held positions of power in all governments, and given that most women will have had children at some point do you think the fact of being women and mothers this would stop them urging their people to war and find alternative ways of settling international disputes?

is just a thought!

Ime working on mac ox and in photoshop

is there anyway to resize a batch of jpeg files all to the same size without having to do them one at a time ?

many thanks if you have a soloution.

Also what programm on mac would be best to do house plans on so they maintain accuracy?

Do you find much difference between sons and daughters reactions to finishing high school?

Does peer pressure differ much after 18 years of age?

I see the same questions and the same silly answers so much is it just kids or do they really not read anything anyway and just react.

Its as if their so scared and blind they cant really see any point of view at all,and so many post great responses here you would think some of it would sink in just a little bit by now its 2006 not 1956.

I would be interested to hear of any other gay BI divorced gay couples with children I have 5 all faboulous 23..18..17..13..12

partner has one now 2 years old ..ivf with a lovely lesbian couple also gorgeous and happy ,would love to hear of any others on here ...thanks

and it seems to be getting worse all the time,is it just the apathy of the people that allows it or is it truly an unstopable process now

have done davonex and all the tee tree oil based ones and also pinetar ones does anyone have anything new and faboulous that works?

what was the most romantic one you ever sent ?or what was the best you ever received