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October 2, 2008 at 16:18:00
Promoted to Headline (H3) on 10/2/08: by Joan Brunwasser Page 1 of 2 page(s) |
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“Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” -
Pen and Paper vs. Electronic Voting Machine
I love fall! At this time of year, in the Midwest where I grew up, leaves are already changing color. I remember walking home from school, shuffling merrily through crackling mounds of leaves, conveniently piled at the curb. The air smelled like burning leaves (and those infernal blowers had not yet been invented).
I loved shopping for school clothes. I dithered every year about exactly what to wear on that first day of school, when we were all eager to make a good impression – ostensibly, on our teachers, but really on one another.
Most of all, I loved getting new school supplies. I relished the chance to wander the aisles of my favorite stores, carefully perusing before finally choosing the best pens and pencils, the most pristine packages of notebook paper, the coolest notebook, and the book bag with the most pockets.
Even getting a new Chandler’s assignment notebook was a thrill, its very emptiness hinting of promise. Back then, Chandler’s came in only one or two colors. Nevertheless, picking out a new one to fill up signaled, in a tangible way, a fresh start. I was so eager with anticipation that I usually tossed and turned the night before the first day of school. Those were the days!
Fast forward to the present. I no longer take my children, now grown up, to buy school supplies. Apparently, however, I have subconsciously refused to let go of this annual ritual. This may explain why, at the tail end of summer, I feel an irresistible urge to head out for office supplies.
I’m sure that all professionals obsess about their tools of the trade. Being a writer, I am very particular about the writing implements I use. I check each item carefully. If I have a choice, I prefer not to buy goods made in China. I also check to see if the manufacturer offers any warranties or guarantees of quality.
I'm going to reproduce below the exact wording of the guarantees I saw, for reasons that will become apparent later.
• Zebra Pen Corp. (Indonesia): Zebra Pen Corp. guarantees the performance of this writing instrument. If it fails to perform properly, please return it to Zebra Pen Corp. for repair or replacement.
• Sharpie highlighter, (USA): If your product does not perform properly, please return for replacement.
• BIC pens (France): If you are not satisfied with the performance of this product, please return it to BIC and we will gladly replace it at no cost to you.
• Parker pens (USA): Your PARKER writing instrument is guaranteed for two years from the date of original purchase against defects in materials or workmanship. If found to be defective within the warranty period, your PARKER product will be repaired or replaced free of charge.
• Foray ballpoint pens (India): Our products have been tested by third party, independent research specialists and are guaranteed to be free of defects in materials and workmanship, or your money back!
On this shopping trip, I spent no more than $20 for a year’s supply of pens. The most expensive item I bought cost just a few dollars. Yet each package came with a guarantee. Right there in black and white: Satisfaction guaranteed, via repair, exchange, or refund.
Our infamous electronic voting machines, on the other hand, come with no such guarantees. Remind me again, just why the companies that design them can't stand behind their products or give us our money back? Exactly what kind of contracts did our designated representatives sign, what was in the small print, and what kind of accountability was written in there (or not)? We should examine those contracts and see what we all signed on for. That information has not been made readily available to the public. I wonder why not.
Privatizing our elections was a bad idea and investing in electronic voting machines has proven to be a colossal waste of money. Our voting system, with machines that constantly malfunction and remain vulnerable to hacking, is both unworkable and fiscally irresponsible. We're not just talking about machinery; we're talking about the vote-counting apparatus that is the basis of our democratic way of life.
High-tech isn’t always better. The pen that NASA began using in 1965 was developed by the Fisher Pen Co., which invested $1 million in its design and production. While the Russian space program now uses those same space pens, the Russians initially solved the problem quite simply – by using grease pencils! 
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| 9 comments |
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Good points, Joan.
I'm picky about pens too. And I've also noticed that my pens record what I write EXACTLY as I write it. For example I wrote some notes a few days ago with one of my favorite pens, an Office Depot black ink fine point rollerball, and in checking them over today I found that everything is still the same as when I wrote it and that nothing has been mysteriously changed. Funny, before the days of electronic voting, I used to take something like that for granted. ;) by Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments) on Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 at 7:03:48 PM  (0+)
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i'm with you
i tried to make my point simply. but it is very stark that a package worth no more than a couple of dollars has an ironclad guarantee. and what has our $4 billion tax dollars bought us? nothing in terms of safer, more reliable, more accurate, more transparent elections. that's for darn sure. by Joan Brunwasser (206 articles, 3757 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 751 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 at 7:09:13 PM (0+)
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Throw it out!
It does not make any difference to me if there is a guarantee or not. If I buy something and it does not function as claimed, it winds up on the counter of the place I purchased it or in the trash can. Then I go get something that DOES WORK! Just because I paid too much for it does not mean that it will do the job anyway. Reality sucks, sometimes. Veteran, '66-68 by Roger (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 465 comments [22 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 at 7:58:17 PM (0+)
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damn right - genius lies in simplicity
"the voting industry sells crap" ~ Douglas Kellner, NY State Board of Elections Commissioner. shoddy products; the results aren't worth the paper they're written on. expensive, hackable, unreliable - they can't even freaking count the vote. Palm Beach County, D.C., New Jersey - all this year - they can't count the vote. the internal memory disagrees with itself. what a boondoggle. who thought up this lame idea? Convicted felon Bob Ney. Help America's Vote Disappear Act by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 at 10:52:54 PM (0+)
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I asked the question once....
There was an election integrity panel here in San Diego with some very knolwedgeable people and I asked why we can't sue the voting machine vendors and get our money back. They told me that there is no "lemon law" for voting machines the way that there is for cars. How clever of Congress, eh? They give us crappy voting machines, the voting machines "elect" crooked politicians, the crooked politicians wreck our economy, and then they ask us to bail them out. We should tell them to go demand the money back on the crappy voting machines. $4 billion isn't going to go far to meet their claimed $700 billion bailout need, but it's a start and it would be a sign of good faith. Good faith? Congress? What in the world am I talking about? ROFL! by Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments) on Friday, Oct 3, 2008 at 1:35:34 AM (0+)
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those contracts
that's why i bring up the point about examining those contracts. what was Congress thinking? what were the municipalities signing, in all of our names? it's mind boggling. i read that convicted felon Bob Ney, one of the major perpetrators of HAVA which brought us these machines, is now out of prison. I wonder if he's allowed to vote... Wouldn't it be great if he got bushelbaskets of mail, emails, etc from angry voters? As Nancy Tobi called it: HAVA: the gift that keeps on giving by Joan Brunwasser (206 articles, 3757 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 751 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Oct 3, 2008 at 7:03:13 AM (0+)
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If you like Pens!
We at PenVote.com have created a Pen and Paper voting system. Good news is the EAC 2009 guidelines will allow us to get certification in the USA. Bad news, only Europe and Latin America have expressed interest. by Steve Hilsman (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Friday, Oct 3, 2008 at 10:35:34 AM (0+)
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Reply: i'd like to hear more about this
can you give more details? either write me or write it up for OpEdNews. those of us interested in the possibility of transparent, secure, reliable and accurate elections woud very much like to know about this. by Joan Brunwasser (206 articles, 3757 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 751 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Oct 4, 2008 at 10:08:07 PM (0+)
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a true story
In Canada, we still use paper ballots. During a past election, someone grabbed a ballot box and threw it in the local sewer outfall before the ballots had been counted. The Elections Canada officials were able to easily identify which citizens had placed votes in that particular box and called them back to vote over again a few days later. Problem solved. Or maybe you guys could do as Fidel Castro suggested and have Cubans come over and count your votes for you. Most Cubans are quite numerate. by lwarman (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 98 comments [7 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Oct 3, 2008 at 7:13:17 PM (0+)
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