[GTJ]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

So Japan will vote in a new crop of pampered and corrupt empty suits to replace the current crop. Is it any wonder why so few people bother to vote?

The only thing election season means to people in Japan are speaker trucks, posters, and the usual speeches detailing the usual promises, which, as usual, are never kept. Instead of wasting time and expense on elections, the names of qualified people should be put into a hat. Kimu Taku can put draw the lucky winner on "Cooking with SMAP", then at least the majority of people in Japan will be watching and will know who the prime minister and other ministers are without having to do an internet search. And maybe the country will end up with a leader who doesn't have to sell his soul to the highest bidders to get "elected".

Yes.

People here have been waiting to see what "change" is occurring in America after last year's election, and they are not surprised to see that there hasn't been any. American war spending is now higher than it was when Bush was in office, the troops are still in Iraq, and health care reform is progressing as well as it did back in 1991.

No.

I take it from your other posts you're not living in America? I've come back to America for a few months back in May. I'm headed back to Japan in a few weeks, but I've had time to see what the President has been doing: a lot. Can you take a second to appreciate the sheer amount of f*ckups he's got on his place from the Bush administration to fix? The economy, healthcare, and the war are the big ones.

The war, he's "fixed". The troops will be out within a year. It's already passed in congress, it's done.

Healthcare is what he's tackling right now. In the beginning, the AMA was severely against his proposals, but now they're backing him fully. The bills are in congress right now, the only problem is congress wants to take their vacation so they don't think they can finish working on them by then. Lazy punks. Many (retarded) people are screaming and crying and calling the President a socialist and complaining about national healthcare. Well, it's not like privatized healthcare has done a whole lot of good, and he's NOT socialist, but if he WERE... it's not like capitalism has done us a whole lot of good, looking at the current situation, now has it? Irresponsible people are given too much power and too much freedom. But that's another discussion.

The economy is slowly getting better in America, and in other parts of the world, too. The President and his cabinet are working hard on that, and I hear new news about it every day. It took us years to get into this mess, he said, and it's going to take more than just a few months to get us out.

What kind of instant pudding-type magic were you expecting? At least he's doing GOOD, not going the opposite direction and ignoring his country's needs like the previous administration.

Most young Japanese people I know whine and complain, asking why they can't have a PM like Obama. Why? Because they DON'T VOTE. That's why.
*I* voted.