You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 06:46:50

I would choose a large island nation. In 20 years I'd have the world's greatest spaceport and nono-technologies R&D facilities!!
Cobra, do you want to be vice-chancelor?

:laugh: Depends on the coup potential.

Looks like some of us dictators would be genuinely trying to better the lot of our people through responsible means, while others would be forcing technological advancement, and doing a little ego stroking in the process.

Dictators? We're crossing into super-villain territory now.
:;):

clark · 2004-06-21 07:35:16

The problem with being the number two man in a dictatorship is that you are the natural heir to the throne. Which means the number one man tends to see you as the greatest threat to the throne.

All of the work with all of the paranoia. Think carefully Cobra. :laugh:

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 07:38:32

All of the work with all of the paranoia. Think carefully Cobra.

Depends on the immediate coup potential.

Palomar · 2004-06-21 07:54:08

*And if I don't WANT to be dictator of a 3rd world country?
What are you going to do about it? Hmmmmm? ???

--Cindy :;):

clark · 2004-06-21 07:57:53

Okay, we will make Cindy the Pope.

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 07:58:01

*And if I don't WANT to be dictator of a 3rd world country?
What are you going to do about it? Hmmmmm?

Wait until you abdicate, then annex the territory on the pretense of supplying humanitarian aid.

PurduesUSAFguy · 2004-06-21 13:05:50

Whats your I.Q., think your smarter than every one else?
PurduesUsafGuy.
I.Q. is just your learning capicity, people with low I.Q can do just as well as High I.Q. You jsut have work with what you have, you cant change I.Q by studing.
People with 115 to 120 are smart, 50 to 100 are special needs. You sound like to me that you are a intolerant biget that gets off by sending hanidcap people to a concentration camps to be killed.
What kind of human are you, a monster?
Nazi, pinko commie!
In my country people that have an I.Q. over 150 would be sent to think tanks, to come up with better ideas for the world. My plane would be biplane, I would fire on people that are not workig hard enough.

wow,
I can't belive you took that seriously, lol, I was being sarcastic, you know dictators do horrible absurd things, so I was trying to think of outlandish absurd things. lol

clark · 2004-06-21 13:22:19

you know dictators do horrible absurd things, so I was trying to think of outlandish absurd things.

like invade iraq.

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 13:27:38

Like the Ayatollah did?

Oh, you mean that guy that's up for election this year, don't you? Some dictator...

clark · 2004-06-21 13:30:45

Presidents are elected. Dictators are chosen.

But now that you mention it, both dictators that have invaded Iraq are fundamentalist.

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 13:45:42

Presidents are elected. Dictators are chosen.

Sooo... You're saying that an election wherein the incumbent party repeatedly modifies the tabulation procedure after numerous recounts in order to favor themselves is legit, but if a court orders them to stay within the bounds and procedures specified in law isn't?

Interesting... ???

clark · 2004-06-21 13:54:49

Because said court is completely impartial and without any allegiance to any party lines.

Or perhaps having a sibling of one of the presidential canadaties control the procedures within the deciding locality for the election has no bearing on the matter either.

At least he didn't inhale. All he did was ditch duty and snort. Good man. :hm:

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 13:59:16

Yes, it was certainly a debacle, and the fact that it happened under Jeb's watch looks fishy. But the Court, very closely balanced, decided that Florida must adhere to its own laws.

The alternative position has at its core the acceptance that it's okay to modify election law and procedure on the fly until you get the desired results.

clark · 2004-06-21 14:03:23

Or, the alternative position is that 9 people, along party lines, can decide who leads the free world, and take us to war...

Sometimes kids are as wise as Solomon. It's called a "do-over".

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 14:10:54

Sometimes kids are as wise as Solomon. It's called a "do-over".

And how, precisely, would that work?

"Uh, this is all F'd up, we're gonna try this voting thing again next week. Sorry about the inconvenience. Do over."

Were I a dictator we'd have elections every four years, and they'd always be so close as to require recounts, and we'd always make sure no one gets disenfranchised, which of course means that when in doubt they voted Cobra, or meant to... and isn't that what really counts?

clark · 2004-06-21 14:15:00

"Uh, this is all F'd up, we're gonna try this voting thing again next week. Sorry about the inconvenience. Do over."

You're right, of course. Having to close the bars down for another day! My god, what was I thinking?!

I wouldn't take as much issue if the court had been a bit more unanimous in its determination. The fact that the decision was along party lines, and that there were a lot of f'd up issues surrounding the whole process should have us all concerned.

Freaking florida. Where's Byron, I want to yell at him. :angry: :laugh:

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 14:26:44

I wouldn't take as much issue if the court had been a bit more unanimous in its determination. The fact that the decision was along party lines, and that there were a lot of f'd up issues surrounding the whole process should have us all concerned.

Don't get me wrong, I'm deeply concerned. Just not over this in particular. Florida 2000 was just a symptom of the greater problems in American politics. Increasingly it's becoming about what's good for a particular party, rather than the country. Ideologic civil war of a sort.

C M Edwards · 2004-06-21 15:01:58

I must be alone in my idea that the United States Electoral College actually fulfilled the function we've been asking it to do for the past 220 years...

But that's ok, because in case any of you ever do run for president and our Electoral College doesn't work, a US presidential candidate still has legal recourse. You can take your case to the only court with constitutionally defined jurisdiction in the matter:

The United States Congress.

Since this hasn't happened in the past 100 years (much less since the year 2000), I must assume that previous candidates were generally satisfied with the outcomes of elections to date. Just be sure to keep it out of the courts -- the US Supreme Court has a habit of throwing out the decisions of lower courts without jurisdiction. :sleep:

Cobra Commander · 2004-06-21 15:11:57

I must be alone in my idea that the United States Electoral College actually fulfilled the function we've been asking it to do for the past 220 years...

The Electoral College has already been in essence bypassed. It has long since become a rubber-stamp of the popular vote within the state, one of the last vestiges of the federal union described in the Constitution.

Initially, when states were sovereign, the Electoral College was a way for the people of a state, through the state government, to vote for the President. Now, it's just a remnant that confuses some and annoys most of the rest. People didn't vote drectly for President because the federal government wasn't a national government as we think of today, but a sort of North American UN for lack of a better example.

The Electoral College can't really be said to have fulfilled its function in 2000 since in essence its function has been stripped. Though it is why all the Gore camp's "popular vote" ranting/whining was nonsense.

Timeslicer · 2004-06-22 00:18:39

If I were dictator - I'd:

0) Write a constitution preventing all levels of government from interfering with a few fundamental rights and a few contingent rights, and tightly specifying the powers of national government - especially limiting exercise of military power other than in defense.

1) Create a national military loyal to the Constitution, rather than to me. Shoot any officers who violate this.

2) Break the nation up into a reasonable number of regions that - so long as they sustain some honest form of democracy and respect the constitutional rights of their people - would have minimal interference from me. Interfere instantly and severely with any that don't. Encourage the people of these regions to allow even more freedom than the Constitution requires.

Space doesn't come into it until AFTER I retire in favor of the newly elected President and council of regional leaders, none of which could be me, as required by my Constitution.

As my final act as El Presidente, I would order myself frozen for 30 years, during which time my small nation would become one of the richest places on earth and I would become known as the Beloved Founder. Upon thawing out, I'd suggest that my grateful nation use their wealth and the much advanced technology of the day to send me and 10000 eager volunteers out to the space frontier.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#26 2004-06-21 06:46:50

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#27 2004-06-21 07:35:16

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#28 2004-06-21 07:38:32

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#29 2004-06-21 07:54:08

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#30 2004-06-21 07:57:53

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#31 2004-06-21 07:58:01

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#32 2004-06-21 13:05:50

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#33 2004-06-21 13:22:19

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#34 2004-06-21 13:27:38

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#35 2004-06-21 13:30:45

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#36 2004-06-21 13:45:42

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#37 2004-06-21 13:54:49

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#38 2004-06-21 13:59:16

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#39 2004-06-21 14:03:23

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#40 2004-06-21 14:10:54

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#41 2004-06-21 14:15:00

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#42 2004-06-21 14:26:44

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#43 2004-06-21 15:01:58

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#44 2004-06-21 15:11:57

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

#45 2004-06-22 00:18:39

Re: You are Dictator - of a troublesome Third World country

Board footer