A friend wrote to point out apparent big meanies in the GOP saying they are trying to prevent voter fraud when they secretly are trying to keep minorities away from the polls and asks where my outrage is. He sends links: link1 link2
Lets try this. I'm not a great fan of the 24th amendment to the constitution so I don't much care. I truly believe that a person can be expected to fulfill a minimum responsibility in order to vote. Obtaining a state issued ID doesn't seem all that tough to me. I'd be happy with requiring that a person be contributing to the public wealth as opposed to taking from it as well. This would tend to reduce the "bread and circuses" problem. I guess I wouldn't require that a person pay taxes so long as they are not on the dole. If you want to "live off the grid" you still get to vote. If you expect me to pay for your life, then you don't.
This is an ethical position that has nothing to do with race. However, I do recognize that this does tend to affect certain races more than others as the current demographics of this country stands. You may know, I believe that the debt that resulted in the current demographic has long since been paid (and perhaps squandered) and that, moving forward, this country should treat all men as equals, holding them all to the same standards, rather than explicitly practicing racial prejudice.
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3 comments:
You appear to define democracy differently than America does. It is not about letting only the "good" people vote, it is about letting all people vote. I know you are not being racist when you think the very poor should not vote but you are discriminating against the poor when you make higher burdens for them to vote.
I could agree with a voter id requirment if the need was great. But the article claims that voter fraud is rare and requiring voter id is shown to reduce voting by 3%. So in this case, the solution is worse than the problem.
I did not say the poor should not vote. I said that those that are taking from society while contributing little to society should not vote.
Show me that those people have no car, no TV, no place to live and I may agree that a few dollars and a Saturday to get an ID is too high a burden.
As for this being a non problem, I am not sure about that. I would be much more willing to say it is if the simple safeguard of presenting an ID was in place. As it is, I have no re-assurance.
Seen on a bumper sticker the other day:
If God had intended us to vote, he would have given us candidates.
Imagined bumper sticker of the near future:
If everyone had to go to electoral college, maybe we'd have more informed voters.
Of course, the "informed" voter understands that the "real" right to vote, at least for Presidential matters, is only granted to those 538 select individuals. Talk about discrimination...
All the other boundaries matter little when the effects of nearly 150 million (potential) voters are smeared across a mere 538 actual votes.
As for the poor and the exploiters, I say let them vote. Their actual sphere of influence is virtually zero... but then, so is mine.
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