Recounting is used to buy them time to fabricate votes out of nowhere . They did this in the WA gubernatorial election of 2004 and the MN Senate election of 2008 . <| sep |> To me , it sounds like you are viewing complex and nuanced situations in a black and white fashionI ' m becoming more aware of this , on my part . I ' m just trying to decide the value of sympathy as a resource and its boundaries , functions , and consequences . When does sympathy function to enable someone else ' s misery and what kind of positive outcomes can be reached through its application under these specific scenariosPerhaps these people expect someone to genuinely help them or care ? . Otherwise , they THINK that to receive help is to be seen as weak in our modern society , so it is simply easier to take the abuse and give up or numb the pain in selfdestructive behaviorI think each example responds to this a little differently . 1 The friend in question has suffered negative consequences as a result to taking responsibility . At what point is expecting someone to care and help them also relinquishing personal responsibility ? 2 Yes , giving up their freedom to drive is relinquishing some of the responsibility they were privileged with . But if they know there is a point at which they become dangerous within a space that includes the livelihood of other people , isn ' t their decision to continue that dangerous behavior selfish and irresponsible ? Does my sympathy enable that selfishness and irresponsibility ? 3 Since they ' re not asking for help but lamenting their circumstances , this falls a little outside the scope of this situaton . I totally agree with this perspective , btw . We have a tribal history and we ' re being pushed into a more alienating culture . Its super problematic and it interferes and our ability to request help . I still think there needs to be a balance between asking for help and taking responsibility and I think feeling sympathy for those who don ' t ask for help or do so inauthentically isn ' t necessary . Its like giving something to someone who doesn ' t ask for it or want it I ' m giving my resources up to someone who I think deserves it but they don ' t do anything with it . Have I wasted my resources if my sympathy does nothing to alter their circumstances ? In this vein , culture at large becomes responsible for their misery and practice by telling them what they should and should not do . Do we , after exiting Plato ' s cave , feel sympathy for those who refused to leave and , worse , threw us out ? while there are many risks and conversely many benefits , each of a variety of degrees , the rewards outweigh the risks for these specific momentsSure , but why is sympathy a positive thing here ? Does it reinforce their priorities ? If I see these outcomes as negative remember , its my sympathy being distributed , how does it improve their life and my life independently to provide sympathy for people not trying ?