Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 11, 2014

Got caught, huh, Luann?! ;)

Better get on with your patriotic duty, Luann.

Does Australia have a law that requires registered voters (I am assuming they have to be registered) to vote in their elections? ;)

If you lie, you have to remember it forever, as it’s the other person’s belief it’s your truth…

In America, it’s compulsory to lie to make yourself look better.(I’m ashamed of you, Bernice. )

And now, a few words from Friedrich Nietzsche:

Yes, In Australia voting is compulsory. Down here we think it odd that politicians have to also waste effort just encouraging people to vote! Seems to work well. (We can still get dropkick politicians voted in).

Just a quick “Hi and Bye” this evening. Have to get up rreeeaaaalllllyyyyyy early Tuesday! ’Nite all! ;)-——————————————————————“The salvation of mankind lies only in making everything the concern of all.”(Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1918-?)

Luann isn’t well informed enough to lie. She doesn’t know the names of any of the candidates or even what offices were up for election. “I voted for that guy – you know, him – for Governor – er, I mean Senator, or Congressman, or Secretary of, er, whatever he was running for.”

Quill is 19 or 20, isn’t he? So he’s voted, maybe even when he was back in Australia.

Just lie Luann, or she will never let you forget…

“well, I meant to register and then vote, but I’ve just been so overwhelmed with all my schoolwork at Pitt CC that I haven’t had any time for anything else!!!”

Are we going to have a week of strips about Luann learning how important it is to vote … the week after Election Day, when it’s too late for her, or the readers, to do anything about it?

Just say the people I want to vote is NOT on the list.

“In America, it’s compulsory to lie to make yourself look better.”^

Really? What America are you in? Or maybe you’re a politician, that’s true for them.-Or a salesman.

Thanks to all our Vets!-How many of you out there can remember when it was called “Armistice Day” in the USA?

Don’t feel bad Luann. More than half the people in this country don’t vote, but they sure don’t have any trouble voicing their opinion regardless of how screwy it is.

And to Gary 13. Thanks for the thanks. Can you give me a job. You see while I was over in Iraq fighting Bushes war all the jobs were being taken up by well wishers now I have to scrounge for what’s left.

“And I had to study really hard just to remember the title.”

Remember when Delta met Barack Obama during the Pitt HS field trip to Washington? It was not one of the strip’s finest moments.

Compulsory voting in Australia is a light-touch compulsion. If you get a letter asking why you did not vote, almost any excuse will do (such as illness or being out of the country — you can do an absentee vote at any polling booth in the country). If you happen to get a fine, it’s in the order of $20, I think. (When I last actually checked, it was $2, but that was quite some years ago.)

But it does the trick — turnout is usually in the order of the mid-90s, which means the result is a fair reflection of how Australians actually feel. Greg only spent two years in this country in the 1970s — he has retained a wonderful insight into it!

Well Lu, a LOT of People Fought and DIED to Give You Kids the Right to Vote, and this Is Probably her FIRST Time Voting, So Delta Kinda got a Point.

Howsome Ever, Voters USUALLY Only Get “STOKED” When THEIR Party WINS…..,

Not only is voting compulsory in Australia, there are no queues lined up waiting to vote when the polls close.How does the USA muck up democracy so badly?Don’t get me wrong, I love the USA, but as we’ve seen Quill do, valid criticism of friends is a form of loving.Also, Australian elections are always on a Saturday. That’s a radical idea that enables most people to find the time to walk to the nearest polling station.

It all depends if you are a politician or not (lying, that is).

Lying to look good is not restricted to politicians. Jason Blair and Dan Rather come quickly to mind from the fourth estate.

I guess Bernice was not like most Americans trying to send a clear message to Obama. Even Michelle Obama was tweeting people to vote for democrats, regardless of who they are or what their positions on issues are.

Honesty is the best policy for you, Luann. Just admit to Delta that you didn’t vote because you were too ignorant of the issues and candidates in your district (and maybe too distracted by your pursuit of Quill). Delta will scold, then forgive you.

Obama, if he truly believes that the 66% of the people that did not bother to vote were all democrats, would probably prefer a compulsory voting law.

Come on Delta. Has Luann ever struck you as being that type of person?

Those who do not know what they are doing are being patriotic by not voting. Think there ought to be a test on Adam Smith or Hayek before issuing a voter i.d. card.

Registration in Australia is pretty easy. Done once (updated if you change address). I can’t recall needing to bring ID to vote, the staff just cross your name off the local list of voters. Last election I had to spend 10 seconds in the queue.

I think Evans needs to “retire” Delta to the relics of their friend that drifted apart by being so far away… really though, how important has she been to the strip? As bad as it sounds, she IS the token black of the strip… she’s also the token nag/bully/Mini Mussolini forcing all her friend to do what she wants, thinking it is a good thing.

Evans inadvertently has shown just how unimportant Delta is to this strip by having her move away… if he wanted to bring her back into the fold; why not have a “twist” story arc with her, it would have been nice if she would have called and not mentioned voting at all… to have her smitten by some guy that is a complete opposite of herself… to where she shows that “LIFE GETS IN THE WAY” and she forgot to vote and isn’t even upset about it.

But to continue the arc he has started, just goes to show, he has no new options for her… and people like that in real life end up doing nothing, because they get devastated when their “dream” doesn’t happen right out of the chute.

Evans… her name is DELTA for Pete’s sake… make that name mean more than being the token you use for “political” commentaries… I’m sorry if your candidate or party lost, but when people read “LuAnn”, they don’t want the Drudge Report.

How long has Delta known Luann? Of course she knows Luann has no interest in Government, or in anything at all other than boys. Delta is just rubbing that in, by pointing out that her other BFF Bernice not only voted but also devoted a lot of time to it, by researching the issues seriously (as everyone knew she would). If Luann says, “Oh yeah, I voted,” Delta will know right away that she’s lying because, well. Luann.

Happy Veteran’s Day. Thanks to all who have & are serving!

I agree with your idea. Incentives always work better than penalties.

I’m interested to hear that there was a voter guide issued in Mr. Evans’ area. We didn’t get one here in Central Florida. To find out what a candidate actually stood for, I had to Google a lot of them. -It was particularly interesting with regard to voting to retain judges (local court judges run for office here). The judges are not allowed to run as partisan figures, and can’t say anything about how they would decide certain types of cases, so it isn’t the easiest vote to cast. I looked at how they ruled on particular cases to help me decide, and ended up voting against retaining any of them…

Thought this arc was going to be about growing… apart. After high school, my non-close friends still wanted to talk about high school issues ("Quill’s making spaghetti) whereas I was into university issues (politics, the arts). We didn’t see each other for 30 years. * Hope this strip means Delta isn’t making the same mistake.

“Just so you know, leaving a comment on a comic strip actually makes more of a difference to the country than voting does”*JC – I disagree with that statement. 1) One vote does make a difference at least in close elections. 2) Also, the fact that someone in your precinct voted means that politicians will pay more attention to the people in your precinct. 3) It seems to me that if a person reoutinely votes, that person is more likely to pay attention to how their elected officials act in office.

JC – But a comment on a comic strip blog can make a difference too, you’re right there.

“Iwould rather limit voting to those who are paying attention.…”*So would Knute be allowed to vote? Who is to say whether he is dumb or just joking? Would you have a pre-screening exam?

And comic strips can make a difference, sometimes. If the strip had shown Luann (OK, realistically, Bernice) registering to vote right after her 18th birthday, it might have prompted some young readers of this strip to register, too (and it would have fit right in with the whole idea of now showing the characters doing things to start their new lives as adults). But hey, Vegamite spaghetti!

Actually, Delata should be able to see if Luann voted. It’s public record. For those who are misunderstanding my statement, it is the fact that you voted, not how you voted that is recorded.

i thought Quill couldn’t cook? remember the food truck?

Delta doesn’t seem to know Luann very well.

The sure-fire way to get Luann to vote would be for the ballot to include a category for “cutest boy”.

@argyyhree Thanks, but I have a comfortable retirement. My pain is for the thousands of veterans who have lost everything from their leg to their life fighting the wars the greedy old men start and the young healthy young men fight. I just think that saying thank you once a year, as heartfelt as it might be, is sort of an empty gesture when you are out of work or can’t get the VA, and don’t get me started on them, to give you the time of day is reprehensible.

RE: Vegamite spaghetti!Except for Luann’s attempt at a joke (to which Quill! shot her a “criminy! Is she still hanging on to THAT line?” look), there is no evidence that Vegamite is in any way an ingrediant in the spaghetti sauce (dumping a cup of salt in would have the same effect). Either Luann is so oblivious as to have not noticed the oil can of Fosters on the counter, or she doesn’t want to let on that Quill! is cooking with an alcoholic beverage (I used to use Coors myself, after I realized that was it’s best use beyond not purchasing).On another topic: Is anyone still laboring under the delusion that young people actually read this comic?

Just another way a certain party has shown that it “supports the troops”. That, and coming up short on the issuance of body and vehicle armor early in Bush War One.

“Delta should already know Luann didn’t vote..”-———————————-Delta knows danged well that Luann didn’t vote, and she’s being sarcastic in thanking her for doing so.

One of the first things I did when I turned 21 was to register to vote. I’m 67 now and have only missed two elections since then, both one-issue city or county measures. One was because I got home from work too late and the other because I was overwhelmed with four kids needing to be in four places at one time. I took my little ones with me as an example. It’s a bit disturbing to me when my kids don’t vote (though I think they usually do), because when I was their age, you could knoy vote absentee if you were going to be physically out of the area that day. Now, anyone can get a mail-in ballot. JUST VOTE!!!

“I had read that the early vehicle armor was just men doing gerry rigs.”-——————————————————-That’s right, soldiers salvaging any scrap of metal to weld onto their vehicles to deflect IEDs because Rumsfeld wanted to do the war on the cheap, and figured that once Iraqui tanks had been neutralized all the troops would have to fear was small arms fire. But, hey, they would be welcomed as liberators, right? So even that wouldn’t be necessary.http://www.foxnews.com/story/2003/10/24/us-troops-in-iraq-have-limited-body-armor/

Seems like the Evans’ couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge Veteran’s day, heck perfect day to make a joke about being unpatriotic. Get on with your bad self, Luann, let that inner beauty shine.

Delta didn’t do a very good job if she didn’t even contact her ditziest friends to remind them to vote before the election.

I’ll paraphrase the comedian who said:“Here’s Jimmy Carter, what, 108 years old, off in Africa helping to remove parasites from children’s feet, and George Bush is back at his ranch, painting still lifes and giving interviews about them.”

I guess Clinton get’s a free pass for not killing Bin Laden when he had the opportunity to?

The last couple of days, I couldn’t figure out if Greg was running a cooking show or a political forum. Happy Veteran’s day.

@gweedo That’s great. It’s people like you that are making a difference. Thanks and I salute you and the DVA..

I bet you believe in the myth of the “Welfare Queen”, don’t you?

Don’t feel bad Luann, I didn’t register or vote until I was 25.

Am I the only one who feels that this data base is an invasion of privacy?

Currently most states allow you to vote early if you can show reason why it would be too difficult for you to come to the polls on election day. That restriction should be lifted, so you would simply have a one- or two-week time window to go to the Bureau of Elections (or whatever it’s called in your jurisdiction) and vote then, just because you would prefer to do so, You could still go to your local precinct and vote on election day if you’d rather do that, of course.

True Dat!

In the USA, the November 11 day of remembrance was changed to “All Veterans’ Day” from “Armistice Day” in 1954. My grandmother (whose brothers served in the Army in WWI) always referred to it by that original name, though. (She always talked about “The War Between The States” by that name, too, since her Dad had been a Confederate soldier.)

I can remember when it was very difficult to get either an absentee ballot or to vote early in Florida. You had to submit reasons for each, like, for example, proof that you worked night shift or were the sole caretaker of a child or disabled person, or you were on jury duty.-I had a friend who was dying of cancer in a hospice and she wanted her one last time of voting. I actually had to get a doctor’s statement notarized about her health situation so I could bring her a ballot and she could vote early (and she was unconscious by voting day, so it was literally her last time voting.)-I’m very glad that Florida is no longer as rigid about demanding proof that you have to vote early or absentee. The last time I voted early, I was in line with some nurses whose shifts overlapped regular voting time, and a firefighter who would be working a 24 hour shift on election day.- I now vote absentee to avoid standing in lines; the arthritis in my back literally stiffens my back so much that line standing is tough. (One reason why I can no longer take planes to travel).-But I still wish we had a ‘none of the above’ option when none of the candidates offer much more than commercials about how rotten their opponents are…

SPOILER ALERT: RE TOMORROW’S COMIC

It appears to show us Mr. Evans’s take on the whole issue of voting…

I’d like to see Luann admit to Delta that she didn’t vote, and apologize. Then Delta should admit that she makes mistakes too — she promised Rock the Vote that she would call all her friends to remind them to vote, but, uh, she forgot to call them until after Election Day.

SPOILER ALERT: RE TOMORROW

Several friends who arrive during the phone call appear to have already done so…

This is very true… ;)

Voting should be compulsory.