Impact
For anyone serious about outcomes over symbolism — substance over style, if you will — that trade strikes me as a no-brainer. I mean, these things are true: A vote's a gigantically symbolic thing, a million bucks ain't what it used to be, and it would be a disaster if everyone did this deal.
But which option gives you a greater impact on the things you care about? Wisely investing a sizable chunk of cash and using the proceeds cleverly (whether you think of them in terms of your additional free time, your shiny new loudspeaker, or even just as your ad buy fund), or casting a single vote over and over and over again among hundreds, thousands, or millions of other single votes?
(via kottke)
Comments
How many journalism students are there in this country? What sort of government programs would be jeopardized if we gave half of them a million dollars apiece?
Uhh, sign me up, looks like I'm going to journalism school! heh heh
I choose to view this point completely opposite of the way the article's authors framed it. A million dollars will put you a long way towards self-sufficiency, at a modest level, forever. Yet, half of these people would forego that in favor of keeping their right to vote. That point alone speaks volumes to people's values.
As to the symbolism of a single vote, I would not agree that a vote is largely symbolic. Votes in the aggregate have value only because votes individually do. I can value the whole only by valuing the part.
I know it's been a long time since you were in school Jeff, but journalism is the new communications. It's the major you take if you don't know what you want to do, but your dad is going to take your car away if you don't pick something. I know this because my niece is a journalism major at San Diego State and recently got a DUI on a bicycle...wearing a toga and a crown of thorns. And the report filed actually said that she attempted to throw the can of Milwaukee's Best she was holding into the bushes when she saw the officers.
She would no doub take the million and throw a mean kegger!
I'm with Steve on this one.
Do you know how much political influence you can BUY with a million dollars? Congresspeople are distressingly cheap, a $100,000 will buy you a key Representative on a key committee and you own that committee and all of its legislation until you are out of money. And Congresspeople stay bought so you normally don't have to worry about competition.
Investing that money wisely will gain you far more influence than a single vote and you can use that influence to gain more money which gives you more influence.
I'd say that those Journalism students are smarter than the researchers asking the questions.
As to the symbolism of a single vote, I would not agree that a vote is largely symbolic. Votes in the aggregate have value only because votes individually do. I can value the whole only by valuing the part.
I don't think that changes the fact that an individual could have a greater impact to change just about anything he wanted to change (or keep the status quo, if that was his thing) by spending a million bucks wisely than by casting one vote.
The game changes drastically if you offer the option to everyone, though, and I don't dispute the philosophical value of having an "everyone decides" society. The agrument I'm making here is a practical one.
I agree with Steve about how to look at this question, but then again I am always amazed that half the time I go to wedding those people stay together *for the entirety of their lives*.
Look, half the people don't vote anyway and many don't care at all about their rights or the Constitution. For them, giving up the right to vote is trivial. I would be like having to give up eating fish for me -something I don't do and I won't miss.
That said, I'd consider it for $100,000,000. That much would allow me to invest, become ultra-rich, and set up a trust to effect real change in this country. I'd miss voting, but it'd be worth it.