> What's bothersome is that a police department is allowed to do this.
Well, that's not too surprising. Every party along the chain that has the power to say Yes or No, from the weapon manufacturers, to the US legislature awarding funding, to the DoD, to the state legislatures, to the local police departments, have an obvious incentive to say Yes. The party that has the incentive to say No is the civilian population, but you're fooling yourself if you think they actually have political power. Maybe they should vote harder next time.
Who do you vote for? I vote.. But it doesn't seem to do anything. We have an illusion of choice in this country when it comes to anything that matters. Political parties, banks, oil/gas companies, electricity/natural gas/telecom/internet providers; everything that is critical to living a modern life, we have a handful of choices - sometimes just one. Shampoos, tooth paste, tomato sauce, everything else that doesn't really matter; we've got dozens or hundreds of choices.
Well you're always free to leave. But you don't. And you keep on not voting, and then wonder why your government doesn't represent you. And you know, eventually on that track, you're no longer free to leave either.
But you're indignation shall not brook political engagement! So that's...something.
His implicit assumption is that the act of me voting increases the extent to which government represents me enough to justify the time and effort spent voting (not to mention researching candidates and options). I think that assumption is demonstrably false.
That's a bit of a trick question, because I do not find political authority to be desirable. Thus there could not be a choice that would be acceptable to me.
I ever saw the option "Dissolve the government and just leave everyone to their own devices," on a ballot, I'd be pretty paranoid about it being a trap that would put anyone who voted for it on some sort of special list.
Well, that's not too surprising. Every party along the chain that has the power to say Yes or No, from the weapon manufacturers, to the US legislature awarding funding, to the DoD, to the state legislatures, to the local police departments, have an obvious incentive to say Yes. The party that has the incentive to say No is the civilian population, but you're fooling yourself if you think they actually have political power. Maybe they should vote harder next time.