Why not. If you vote for Obama, you are supporting him. Therefore, you cannot complain about the decision you made. It follows a similar logic that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain. If you vote for a candidate, you have no right to criticize your candidate.
Then vote third party, but don't not vote at all. If you are too lazy/apathetic to get your ass up and vote, or too cheap to pay for a stamp to send your absentee ballot in then you have no right to complain about the way that things go. As a political science major there is little I hate more than people who don't follow the issues, or those who do and then choose to not vote. It's absolutely ridiculous.
I don't like the two-party system for the same reason. I would encourage you to go for a third-party candidate. Even if it doesn't make a big difference over the next few years, that has a snowball effect and could eventually make the candidate as relevent as the other candidates.
Sure you can. If you hire a workman and he does a poor job, you can complain about him. No contradiction in hiring someone and then being critical of poor performance.
Voting is your right + your responsibility. But I think you have the freedom whether you choose to vote or not, but if you don't then you shouldn't complain that much if things aren't going to your liking. (even though your vote doesn't change that much, being active in the democratic process counts)
So if you hire a highly regarded contractor and, through his own negligence, burns down your house during his work...his negligence is yours? Is that what you believe?
I think you can complain. You can start a "no confidence" in the USA campaign...such as i'm doing here. I think voting for the sake of voting is extremely naive and lessens the value of voting.
WTF?!? By that rational, you shouldnt have the right to bitch about anything in politics if you don't vote.
So we should blame 9/11 on the flight schools that accepted the terrorists as students? *Awaits a twisted rationalization*
Let me look at this from a Christian perspective and they may also help others. First, we have the privilage in this country to actually vote for our representitives. Granted, there may be over 1 million fraudulent votes cast thru ACORN and while that casts the greatest shadow ever in the history of this country (for those who really do love this country and liberty and all it stands for), that's another post for another time. Next, as I study bibilical scriptures, I see nothing that calls us (Christians) to be political activists. What is clearly spelled out is to support the government (not just the left or the right) and to be a model citizen. What is a model citizen in a country with a representitive form of government? On who takes part and votes. Make some attempt to understand the issues (aside from who a church or union tells us to vote for), and then vote our conscience. Then, whomever gets elected is fully entitled to prayers of support until we vote again.
Interesting belief. So, you wouldn't sue this theoretical contractor? You'd accept it as "buyer beware" and buy a new house yourself?
You look at the current state of things in this country. Do you blame people who voted for Bush for the current state of this country? Many people do...they lamblast the "red staters" or "fly overs". Well, the same. Do you think that the fundamentalist christians who voted in Bush have a right to complain about Bush and the way the country is run?
Sure. Plenty of conservatives voted for Bush based on the principles he said he'd uphold and have been disappointed with him. I think they have every right to complain about Bush, if they choose.
