Pretty soon, this is what we're going to get for President.
Posted on 08/25/2008 2:11:01 PM PDT by mainestategop
Any other thoughts? Please keep comments reasonable, objective and nothing racist please.
It is unquestionably a right.
The responsibility is to make an INFORMED vote rather than just A vote.
As for “racist comments” you would have to go to DU or KOS for those. We at FR don’t abide them.
I don't care if their rich or poor. You can be homeless and work at Walmart and still make an informed vote and you can be a filthy rich CEO and vote for some schmuck just because he's going to give you taxpayer subsidies so you can get a leg up against competitors and not work harder to compete with other people.
There are some good points, but I’m not sure preventing people from voting is inherently a good thing. The problem with deciding who gets to vote and not is it would be decided by the government which gives a conflict of interest. If the government WANTS more power, it will somehow exclude people who are likely to vote against it obtaining more power (i.e. preventing conservatives, libertarians, and constitutionalists from voting).
I think some sort of on the spot testing would be acceptable, for instance reading the Constitution and Bill of Rights before you vote. I don’t know, I’m just throwing something out there. I haven’t really thought about solutions much. JMO
I agree, poll tax is not good.
mainestategop, I believe in the right of every person to vote, regardless as to how stupid he or she is. I suspect that you really do as well, but that you find this person annoying.
The good news is that many others find her annoying and she will accomplish the inverse of her goal.
By silencing a free human being, that is something that runs afoul of the inalienable rights as defended vigorously by the Founding Fathers.
If you have not had a chance to read David McCullough’s biography of John Adams, I recommend it.
Pretty soon, this is what we're going to get for President.
Exactly... People should just be informed about basic things about this country and our constitution and what our founders intended. You don't have to be a history buff or a genius to figure it out. These people who work for government and who take welfare are plundering our tax money to do no work.
One thing I forgot to mention was social security. I think people who collect it for physical injury or being elderly or something else like that should still be eligible. But people who get it because they are too stupid to understand basic common sense and basic responsibilities probably shouldn't. Again, I was very loose with this. We have to be very careful lest the government abuse this.
I have my own problems with universal sufferage which I have discussed before, but this makes no sense: “If you are a business executive, CEO, manager, or employee of a company that receives subsidies, no vote.”
Wouldn’t that eliminate employees of most big business in the US, including the defense industry, banking, construction, agriculture, petroleum, coal, etc.?
My idea is to give everyone over 18 a vote as it is today, and then set some sort of income standard for additional votes, eg, for every $100,000 in income you get an additional vote.
So, someone who makes $250,000 would get three votes. A person earning $90,000 would get one vote. There would have to be some sort of upper limit cut-off so Bill Gates doesn’t get 50 thousand votes.
Of course, these are utopian ideas and would be impossible in the US as it is today. Maybe if there is another revolution and a new constitution created, these kind of ideas might be realizable.
Here’s the awful truth, as I have witnessed it: the sacred responsibility of voting is a right like any other - it is taken for granted by too many who haven’t had to sacrifice for it, or haven’t experienced the places that don’t have it. Our country’s success has, to a great extent, contributed to our nation’s vulnerability. To turn a chestnut on its head, too often “one man’s treasure is his children’s trash.”
Colonel, USAFR
Why should someone who makes more get more votes? I’m curious to understand the logic there. Obviously I realize we’re talking about hypotheticals, but there’s already a perception that money buys power.
Agreed, but what I was saying is that she might be a welfare recipient and vote Democrat because she wants extra money to be lazy. I also pointed out that her ignorance may be a factor. Remember that a lot of liberals feel rather than think. Were not talking about silencing free people, this is not universal. Someone who might not be eligible now could be eligible later.
FYI, A lot of states such as Kansas and Missouri do not allow incompetents to vote. These laws came about in early times because these kinds of people cannot differentiate from right or wrong or learn responsibility. I think it is a bit rough though. These two guys with bipolar and Aspergers were disqualified because they needed a guardian to manage their property and medical decisions. That is wrong. But people are receiving massive welfare or corporate subsidies are sucking us down. That is also wrong.
Poll tax.....not such a bad idea...the so called poor folks usually find money for cigarettes or beer....but an IQ test definitely has merit...they could hold their conventions in BO’s chicago church!
Basically, this author is proposing that anyone who disagrees with him or who he does not like should not get the vote.
No thanks. I’m not arrogant enough to think that my opinion is the only one that matters.
that's because most of these companies are lobbying with their wallets instead of their conscience. How would you like it if you ran a business and your competitors were getting taxpayer funds from your business to get a leg up over people like you? This happened to an IGA owner in Ohio. A Super Walmart moved in with help from taxpayer dollars. They got 5 million just to move in not to mention big bucks in federal money they get every year. The local IGA got nothing and couldn't compete against them as a result and the IGA went out of business. They had no money from the big government. It gave only to that Walmart.
Here, take a look at this you tube video to see my point http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDEO9ipned0
They lobby for these dumb congressmen and in exchange they vote for all these programs that go to benefiting the companies that bribe them. The Rinos and the Dems do it all the time. Think also pork barrel projects.
I do like the idea of giving voting power to certain people but it should be based on something other than financial worth. People who are citizens, who are veterans, who contribute to society should get more power.
The argument could be made that they have paid more taxes...hence have a bigger investment!
uh... no. That is NOT what I said.
Sadly, if they get automatic tax exemption for being very rich while the rest of us pay up their nose, it defeats the purpose.
Question; didn’t the Founding Fathers originally reserve voting “rights” to white, land-owning people? I’ve heard that thrown around a few times, once by a man well-known for his Conservative beliefs and who seems to have a good deal of knowledge on the Founding Fathers.
I believe he said that while the Founding fathers believed everyone was created equal, they didn’t want an ignorant majority to take away the rights of the minority.
I suppose so, but if one rich person wanted welfare subsidies for his business and he had say 30 votes, it would take 30 decent people to cancel him out. I don’t think anyone should get more than one vote. I might entertain the idea if someone could present a very well though out and detailed plan on who would get how many votes and why, etc. but it’s kind of a moot point. The chances of it happening are almost nil.
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