Queries about the “urban legend” that all members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election in 2010:
It’s a quadruple leap year.
I will admit that when I first saw the claim in this Snopes column yesterday (yes, I check Snopes semi-regularly) I had a moment of “What are the odds of that?” before I remembered that Representatives only serve a two year term.
Actually, it’s true though I don’t remember the exact circumstances the last time year 2010 rolled around. Perhaps it was only half that number. It was during the previous Mayan calendar long count. My memory seems to diminish each time ressurection rolls around.
I think the election of all 435 representatives in 2008 was the first time as well. Also the years 2006, 2004, …
While teaching, I’ve said things to the effect that “if we don’t like like our leaders, we can vote them out,” and had responses to the effect that “they only come up for re-election like, once every ten years or something.”
On another occasion, when I mentioned that something was not the President’s responsibility, but congress’s, she asked “Who elects them?”
On a couple of other occasions, students were under the impression that Presidents can “order” state governments to do things, like a CEO ordering a middle manager.
I teach at a college.
There’s a lot of stupid in the world.
With the end of the world coming with the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, I assumed that would coincide with a full reelection of the House of Representatives. Now people are saying a full reelection is happening in 2010? This can only mean one thing: our attempts to align our timescale with that of the Mayans is off by two years and thus their grim premonitions will come to pass…next year.
OH GOD WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!
While this is obviously neither the intent nor the wording of the Constitution, it is in fact the reality. Ever heard of highway funds?
:smack:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: democracy simply doesn’t work. [Okay, in reality, I can understand being confused about this for a minute or two if you haven’t thought about it recently, but if they’re getting enough questions about this that they feel it merits an entry, that’s not so good.]
Agreed. It’s the worst form of Government- as Sir Winston Churchill said- except for all the others that have been tried.
That’s because y’all haven’t tried letting me be supreme dictator and just doing what I tell you to do. I’m dead serious: if it wasn’t for all y’all recalcitrant motherfuckers, we’d have a damn fine world. Do what I tell you to, and I’d end war, crime, and drug addiction, and go a long way toward eliminating hunger and poverty.
The best form of government is right here, and it’s a shitload better than democracy. Y’all just need to give it a chance.
:dubious: Ever heard of Congress?
Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in Maryland during the Civil War. I believe Maryland officials were bound by his executive order.
Plus, Presidents can tell states what to do with their national guardsmen.
Quoting Pratchett :
“Vimes had once discussed the Ephebian idea of ‘democracy’ with Carrot, and had been rather interested in the idea that everyone had a vote until he found out that while he, Vimes, would have a vote, there was no way in the rules that anyone could prevent Nobby Nobbs from having one as well. Vimes could see the flaw there straight away. *.”
- : to people who aren’t Pratchett fans : an abysmally stupid and dishonest character.
Point of order - is this a reference to an obscure novelty song from the 1980’s with a ton of fish-related puns?
Funds are appropriated by Congress.
And a couple states successfully held out on the highway funds issue for several decades.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way LHoD, but I’d prefer to elect **Skald **as supreme dictator. 
Oh, come now… let’s not malign Nobby… he’s not that stupid.
I think he did it as commander-in-chief rather thatn presindet
Only in downtown Atlantis, in a rented Stingray.
While there is much truth to what you say, their ideas were more along the lines of “The federal government is above the states, so Obama is Schwarzenegger’s boss and can give him orders of any kind at any time.”
That’s pretty much how it works in Australia, even though the various State premiers like to pretend it isn’t.