I was watching a show about the efforts to suppress voting in this country, and it has my blood boiling. So, I got to thinking, okay, how do we satisfy this push for voter I.D.? Which, incidentally is a “solution in search of a problem”. There is simply no measurable in-person voter fraud in this country. Period. You can find massive studies on this at The Brennan Center for Justice website.
But okay, let’s say we decide we have to solve this non-existent problem. The solution is obvious. A National I.D. card. Getting hives? Particularly anybody on the Right who loves to throw around “Don’t Tread on Me!”, and talk about how much the love freedom right up until it’s time for me to have the freedom to make decisions about my vagina, but that’s a topic for another day.
So here’s what we do — we require every citizen of the United States no matter their age or race or gender to register with the government, and be issued an identification card that they must carry with them at all times under penalty of prosecution.
That kind of regimentation has always been anathema to Americans. We pick up stakes and move when ever we want. Don’t like living in Ohio and want to try California? Get in your car. Hop a bus or a plane or a train and leave. That sense of limitless opportunity to change jobs, location, etc. has been a hallmark of the American spirit.
And government issued papers have always been viewed with suspicion by the citizens of this country. I don’t want to be stopped at a routine traffic stop and asked “Papers, please.” I doubt many other people do either.
But if there are going to continue to be these attempts to limit people’s right to vote then fine, you guys want I.D.? I say let’s go all the way. Feeling trod upon yet?
Or more simply, when one goes to register to vote- they bring appropriate identification that proves that they are entitled to vote, A) by being a citizen; and B) that they have the right to vote in that district.
And they get issued a voter ID card, which is all that it is ever used for.
Nothing draconian there.
Hell, let’s go whole hog and implant an ID chip in everyone’s arm at birth, then equip voting booths with scanners. That would even eliminate the possibility of lost papers.
Snarf, Rich. 🙂 And maybe we ought to tattoo our social security numbers on our arms too, just for good measure. This whole thing is crazy, and so clearly aimed at minorities, the poor and the elderly.
Wow, that so…
Twentieth Century.
Goodness it would be much easier to just mount cameras at the entrance of every polling place and run facial recognition software. It would freak fewer people out than the archaic idea of either National ID cards or implanted chips and it would cost less overall (A few good web camera’s and a PC with a big enough hard drive are not that expensive. If cost is an issue, let the people complaining about possible voter fraud foot the bill! I am sure the RNC or Paul Ryan would pony up [Mwahahahah(Chough)! I crack me up]); add to that it would allow the government bureaucrats to build another pointless database (And we all know how much they love to gather and horde pointless information).
Hades you don
I’m not sure that cameras don’t freak me out worse, Keith. I’d be worried about the secrecy of my ballot. And again, this is a solution in search of a problem. There is almost no in person voter fraud. Here are the statistics at this link http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/11/13236464-new-database-of-us-voter-fraud-finds-no-evidence-that-photo-id-laws-are-needed
The place where voter fraud is more likely to occur is with absentee ballots, and nobody is screaming about that. This really is designed to target minorities, students and the elderly. In NM people will demand proof that “all your bills are paid before you can vote — illegal. Ask for ID — not required. Have police loiter around polling places, and gee, it almost always happens in poor, Hispanic or native American precincts.