Obama gets 2/3th delegates with only 1/2 of the popular votes
November 5th, 2008 by MM2H
If you are a republican and you are unhappy with the outcome of the elections, it is now time to raise your voice and show the US how undemocratic their democratic system is.
You would think: one voice, one vote? Well, that’s true on paper yet with some weir calculations and delegate divisions 52% of the votes manage to get more than 2/3th of the delegates.
And in the US: you need delegates to win, not popular votes.
Just that "popular votes" is a misleading term for your and my vote!
But having said that: Obama played by the rules and won, so no need to start changing the rules now.
For expatriates like me, people that don’t spend all their life in the country they are born in, there is some historical significance when a man who’s grandmother lives in Kenya can become the President of another country that has even been dominated by another race for as long as it existed.
I mean, if we expatriates, relocated people, immigrants and emigrants can actively participate in the democratic process of the community and country we are residing in at any moment, this world would become a better place for all of us.
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What can I do? asks DPM
November 5th, 2008 by MM2H
Well, you could start by beginning at 09.00am. Being the new finance minister, he starts talking about what looks like a complete new budget 2009 in parliament at … 16.30h!
Who wants to read 18 pages at 16.30h and only let debates start when everything has been read?
What can he do?
Scenario’s of what he can do are plenty, let me pick one:
- Send a circular of the new budget to all parliamentarians
- Give people time to study and to come up with a new plan or decent evidence that the budget’s numbers could be ‘wrong"
- Table a debate at 9am and let it go for several days in the long wee hours like what we see in Europe…
What happened?
Of course the opposition wants to debate something huge as a budget which should be for the welfare of all Malaysians, especially in these uncertain economical times.
But the speaker didn’t allow for much debate, so parliamentarians stepped out parliament in protest more than 1 hour later than DPM started reading his budget (which finished at 18.00… that’s right: dinner time!).
What can I do?
DPM being the next PM of Malaysia then has to ask reporters:
what can I do?
referring to the parliamentarians that left parliament…
He can be clear and transparent
- If you are transparent and
- let people know in advance what they can expect and
- how you want them to interact with you according to democratic principles anybody can agree upon,
then a decent debate can start based on facts and studies (no more liwat and Mongolian drama please) according to how Malaysia can tackle these bad economical days together.
More consumer spending needed
There is never a clear cut answer on how to solve an economical crisis.
The theory of a free market where supply meets demand only works, well… in theory.
Najib’s point of view seems to be that when there is more spending, there will be more prosperity. This is a ver well know point of view that started the economical boom of the 1960’s.
Just that in the 60’s, money was pumped into the system by giving loans, and we all know: paying back loans can become a huge problem (look at Iceland that’s now bankrupt for this very reason).
So Najib opted for people to give 3% less their pension fund hoping that money will be used to spend.
Smart when it comes to not putting yourself in debt in order to solve a crisis.
Unclear what happens now:
- to the EPF?
- to what people can take out of their EPF? and
- whether the few extra Ringgits will be used to spend more or added to the savings account?
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Dog urinates on Obama sign
November 3rd, 2008 by MM2H
Dogs don’t care about president candidates: look how this funny dog urinates on an Obama sign.
And some political analyst in favour of the McCain campaign renamed the picture as :"dog lifts leg on Obama Election sign GOOD BOY".
Well, this goes to show that Obama is not only there for all US citizens, he is also there when US citizens need to walk their dogs!
Good, it was getting time that US citizens started walking their dogs, as with their current obesity problem, healthcare can’t survive much.
If a dog lifts his leg on a sign with your name on it, it’s not that "uplifting" but hey, it’s a dirty job and somebody has to do it.
That’s right, somebody has to start cleaning up after the big mess Bush has made in the world and in his own country. Go figure: more than 10 trillion in debt? Congratulations Bush, very good boy indeed, make your daddy proud!
US has 2 options:
- Continue to make a national and international mess and vote McCain.
- Start cleaning up and vote Obama.
If you think dogs lifting their leg on Obama elections signs is funny, then google for the telephone joke the Canadians played on Sarah Palin: as if the French Prime minister really was interested in her, except for what he is known for: a playboy only keeping married to get elected…
Anyway: next time a dog urinates on an Obama sign, it’s because even dogs are now in favour of the person that wants to take on the dirty job.
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