Posted on 08/01/2007 6:12:23 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Can you name all three branches of government? Can you name even one? Do you know who your congressman is? Your senators? Do you even know how many senators each state gets? If you know the answers to these questions (and you probably do because you're a newspaper reader), you're in the minority.
A very high percentage of the U.S. electorate isn't very well qualified to vote, if by "qualified" you mean having a basic understanding of our government, its functions and its challenges. Almost half of the American public doesn't know that each state gets two senators. More than two-thirds can't explain the gist of what the Food and Drug Administration does.
Now, the point isn't to say that the American people are stupid, which is the typical knee-jerk reaction of self-absorbed political junkies. Rather, it's that millions of Americans just don't care about politics, much the same way that I don't care about cricket: They think it's boring. Ask me how cricket works and I'm likely to respond with the same blank, uncomprehending stare my old basset hound used to give me when I asked him to chase a Frisbee. Ask the typical American to explain, say, what a cloture vote is, and you'll get the same.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Each ballot should have all mention of party affiliation removed. If you don’t know the name of the person you are voting for, you don’t need to be voting. The ‘vote straight ticket’ buttons could still be available, but they would just fire the tasers, not register a vote.
” (and you probably do because you’re a newspaper reader), “
I take issue — newspaper readers are, by and large, too MISinformed to vote....
I’m not thrilled with straight ticket voting. It makes it too easy to endorse stupidity from either side. On the county and township levels I vote all over the place.
An amendment to that effect would be salutary, and also impossible.
If that ever happened, both parties would recruit independent candidates with same name to that of their opponent. The fraudulent candidate would run as turd party to split the vote leaving the survivor elected by a likely plurality.
Two things should be required to vote:
Demonstrate civic knowledge.
Show that you’ve paid (net) taxes for the past 2 years.
So the military shouldn't get to vote?
I think we need to revert back to property owners only voting.
Until very recently it was the custom of active duty armed forces personnel not to vote.
My family members who are active duty military only recently started voting, in response to Vice President Gore's attempt to disenfranchise the military by manipulating the courts.
Of course, the military are a special case because they are generally the only government employees who contribute far more value to the Republic than they are paid for.
BS
Sorry, but that is the case.
I think that unless you are invested in this country, you should not have a say. If you are taking from it, then no way should you have a say. I couldn’t tell my parents what to do.
Look at the ‘rats vote and see who it comes from...
'If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.' - Mark Twain
I work for the Fed, and while I see the point, I would have a problem with losing my vote for choosing to serve my country. Trust me, they take taxes from us too.
In other words, they were too uniformed to vote?
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