The real third rail in American politics

Coach is Right ^ | 7/16/13 | Michael D. Shaw

[Oldpuppymax]

The conventional wisdom still holds that “Social Security is the third rail in American politics.” The metaphor refers, of course, to the third rail of electric-powered trains, and touching that rail will most likely be fatal.

Like most conventional wisdom, though, it is clearly wrong. For example, if some politician discussed making social security voluntary, it is difficult to see how such a concept would be fatal—especially if articulated to younger voters. What would be fatal is the notion of taking social security away from those already receiving and relying on it, and I’ve never heard anyone suggest that.

The real third rail is a concept that would be popular with the majority of our citizens, but under current PC diktat would nonetheless be fatal. This real third rail is quite simple: Imposing qualifications for voting.

I’m not talking about any sort of literacy test or...

[OneWingedShark]

and I’ve never heard anyone suggest that.

I've suggested it; of course that suggestion is implicit in the idea of constitutionalism where anything not specifically mandated or authorized by the Constitution should be dropped from the federal government. Seriously, if you want to get rid of special-interest groups involved in the federal-government the way to do that is to chain the FedGov with the strictness of the Constitution.