Conflict of Interest?

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mama
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Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by mama »

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/2 ... de=1269325


A private equity company run by fervent supporters of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney bought the third-largest voting machine company in the country last July, raising concerns about the appearance of impropriety, if not the possibility of impropriety itself.



Petition for Attorney General to investigate

http://www.change.org/petitions/attorne ... es-in-ohio

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billy.pilgrim
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by billy.pilgrim »

one of my biggest complaints about obama (I have many) is that he didn't start a discussion about removing all computer type voting machines from our elections.

while it is a state problem, the discussion can start at the national level. the machines can be hacked and simply aren't needed. with 10 days for the states to certify the presidential election, the votes could be hand counted with observers from all interested parties watching. no reason anyone has to know the final outcome immediately.
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

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Paper ballots? Hand counted? Puh-leeze. If there are security issues, address them as security issues. Surely returning to a method that originated the term "stuffing the ballot box" isn't the answer. Remember the Florida "chad" mess wasn't because of the technology, it was because the paper ballot was designed poorly. I know - I voted there that year and had I not been paying close attention would have punched the wrong place. So are you saying nobody knows how to make a voting system hack-resistant, or they're not bothering to try?

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billy.pilgrim
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by billy.pilgrim »

O Really wrote:Paper ballots? Hand counted? Puh-leeze. If there are security issues, address them as security issues. Surely returning to a method that originated the term "stuffing the ballot box" isn't the answer. Remember the Florida "chad" mess wasn't because of the technology, it was because the paper ballot was designed poorly. I know - I voted there that year and had I not been paying close attention would have punched the wrong place. So are you saying nobody knows how to make a voting system hack-resistant, or they're not bothering to try?

the crooks are as good as the locks - always have been, always will be. as you were in Fla, you may be aware that the little ol leon county conducted a test and concluded that hacking the computer machines was easy

I don't know if paper ballots are the answer but it could be made accountable with both sides observing all counting.

I vote in Fla as well and the chad situation distorted the vote, the Fla Sup Court recognized it and ordered a recount, the republicon US sup court voted to appoint their choice for president, while faux made people laugh at hanging and pregnant chads

to this day, I bet less than half the voters know what a hanging or pregnant chad is or how they would cause an improper count
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Reality
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

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Mama has joined Bungalow's world of nut jobs.

Hey Mama, let's work one nut job accusation at a time. I thought we were still working the Obama let Stevens get wasted because he was gay accusation.

Get in line.

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Tertius
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by Tertius »

billy.pilgrim wrote:one of my biggest complaints about obama (I have many) is that he didn't start a discussion about removing all computer type voting machines from our elections.

while it is a state problem, the discussion can start at the national level. the machines can be hacked and simply aren't needed. with 10 days for the states to certify the presidential election, the votes could be hand counted with observers from all interested parties watching. no reason anyone has to know the final outcome immediately.
I trust the machines more than I do paper ballots.

Please describe how the machines can be hacked.

mama
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by mama »

Reality wrote:Mama has joined Bungalow's world of nut jobs.

Hey Mama, let's work one nut job accusation at a time. I thought we were still working the Obama let Stevens get wasted because he was gay accusation.

Get in line.
Oh yeah! Wellll,I'm tellin' you mama on you!

That's how I talk to ignurnt pubbies. :-0?>

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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by bannination »

O Really wrote:Paper ballots? Hand counted? Puh-leeze. If there are security issues, address them as security issues. Surely returning to a method that originated the term "stuffing the ballot box" isn't the answer. Remember the Florida "chad" mess wasn't because of the technology, it was because the paper ballot was designed poorly. I know - I voted there that year and had I not been paying close attention would have punched the wrong place. So are you saying nobody knows how to make a voting system hack-resistant, or they're not bothering to try?

There are ways to make them hack resistant of course. For some reason they don't bother. It's always been a bit fishy. I think the problem is the people buying the machines have no idea what they are buying nor are qualified enough to understand the security implications.

For instance.... diebold ATM's are extremely secure..... their voting machines aren't. Isn't that extremely odd? (They call themselves something other than diebold now for their voting machines because it was exposed so widely.)

I'd trust a hand counted paper ballot that can be verified over an electronic vote than intentionally has no serious verification capabilities.

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Wneglia
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by Wneglia »

A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama.


"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything." - Uncle Joe
Image

:mrgreen:

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

I dunno, man. Our offices are pretty much paperless; courts accept - and some require - electronic filings; I can transfer money electronically to all my offshore and Swiss accounts; ;) receive and pay bills; yada. You'd think voting process would be important enough for somebody to put their Silicon Valley mind to it, wouldn't you?

If we had national ID, issued around age 2, retinal scan or whatever, you wouldn't even need to register to vote. Get scanned, vote for the Dem. National database (like the fingerprints) would boot out dupes, though not necessarily dopes. It's way beyond my tech knowledge, but paper isn't much better than dipping our finger in the inkwell.

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Wneglia
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by Wneglia »

Vrede wrote:I am able to edit electronic medical records - Det.Thorn's nightmare. :twisted:
I hope that your ability to edit those records, doesn't mean an ability to alter the facts.

I think EMR's have tracking abilities to see who's looking and if changes are made.

:mrgreen:

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Re: Conflict of Interest?

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Wneglia wrote:
Vrede wrote:I am able to edit electronic medical records - Det.Thorn's nightmare. :twisted:
I hope that your ability to edit those records, doesn't mean an ability to alter the facts.

I think EMR's have tracking abilities to see who's looking and if changes are made.

:mrgreen:
Ain't that the truth. :roll:

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

Vrede wrote:I am able to edit electronic medical records - Det.Thorn's nightmare. :twisted:
Yeah, and that's something else. Why do you have to fill out paper forms ad infinitim? I took my wife to Mission for some tests and they went through a long in-process. They decided she needed an additional test in a different part of the building later on in the day. So we went home and came back. Since we "left the premises" she had to go through the same rigmarole again for the other tests. They couldn't just access her file? In the same hospital? Must be the feather-bedding medical techs' union or something.

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billy.pilgrim
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by billy.pilgrim »

Tertius wrote:
billy.pilgrim wrote:one of my biggest complaints about obama (I have many) is that he didn't start a discussion about removing all computer type voting machines from our elections.

while it is a state problem, the discussion can start at the national level. the machines can be hacked and simply aren't needed. with 10 days for the states to certify the presidential election, the votes could be hand counted with observers from all interested parties watching. no reason anyone has to know the final outcome immediately.
I trust the machines more than I do paper ballots.

Please describe how the machines can be hacked.

I don't have a clue

but I do trust my own eyes before I trust a machine

the leon county computer tech hacked the leon county voting machines in a test - he did it in seconds without detection. I saw his demonstration on one of the news mag type shows - maybe 60 min.

if some county employee can do it, I imagine that the real hackers wouldn't have a problem

and as for machines counting votes, the old punch cards give a different count depending on which way the cards are inserted
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

Wneglia wrote:A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama.


"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything." - Uncle Joe

:mrgreen:
I know only enough Russian to recognize Stalin's name. What does the rest of the poster say?

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Wneglia
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by Wneglia »

O Really wrote:
Wneglia wrote:A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama.


"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything." - Uncle Joe

:mrgreen:
I know only enough Russian to recognize Stalin's name. What does the rest of the poster say?
"Like the other thousands who have died, I plan to vote for Comrade Obama"

Just kidding. Damn O Really-you made me work hard for that one. It translates to "Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin" Isn't Google wonderful. If I ever get another pet, I'm gonna name it "Google".

:mrgreen:

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

Vrede wrote: O Really, I'm convinced that computers have led to more paper, not less. The whole nutty system is a mystery to me.
Only because they keep giving people printers and copiers. ;)
But look, you can take your car down to the local shop for its inspection. They look at he car (or not) and enter the required data that says you've had the inspection. By the time you get home, you can access the DMV and order your sticker - they already have your inspection on file. And even "paper" records don't have to be real paper. There's document management systems like DocuShare and others that take care of filing, retrieval, and disposal, even for something that started out its life as dead tree. Look at electronic filing for taxes. Make fun of the IRS if you like, but they've got the process of running their hands in our pocket down pat. If I can get paid, pay them, get refunded back to my bank and never see a page of paper, it seems I should be able to go get a butt-scan without filling out reams of paper.

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

Wneglia wrote:
O Really wrote:
Wneglia wrote:A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama.


"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything." - Uncle Joe

:mrgreen:
I know only enough Russian to recognize Stalin's name. What does the rest of the poster say?
"Like the other thousands who have died, I plan to vote for Comrade Obama"

:mrgreen:
Yes, that or maybe "Josef Vissarionovich Stalin"
Did you think I wouldn't look?

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Wneglia
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by Wneglia »


O Really, I'm convinced that computers have led to more paper, not less. The whole nutty system is a mystery to me.
You are right in that there is more paperwork, and also much, much more expense. Unintended consequences of government mandates

:mrgreen:

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O Really
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Re: Conflict of Interest?

Unread post by O Really »

All arguments undoubtedly written by Luddites, whether or not factually correct. That's what happens when things get put together piece-meal. But aren't standardized diagnostic codings better than descriptions? And overall, the angst of common data usage for billing went away, didn't it? You don't have to file claims 5 different ways for 5 insurance carriers any more, do you? What would make us think that some of these systems are better than others and eventually there will be a uniform system that works and is cross-compatible everywhere? Look at it as a goal - everybody can just keep on pushing paper, or can work toward something like having an updatable "flash drive type" thing with all records, all prescriptions, yada that when they come to your office you plug it in an know everything about them any previous service provider knew.

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