My Final Plea

I'm not going to bore you with the reasons that I voted "no" to both constitutional amendments in Minnesota (I already voted absentee).  Instead, I'm going to implore you to vote no as well by writing this final plea.

The Marriage Amendment

Minnesota is asking voters to add a line to the state constitution that says marriage will be henceforth defined as the union of "one man and one woman."  If you're planning to vote yes, then we already disagree on gay marriage, and I probably can't change your mind. But consider this, the rights of the people, any people, should NEVER be voted on by the population at large.  This country was founded on the belief that the rights of the minority should be protected from the will of the majority, or "mob rule." 

No matter what your stance is on gay marriage, you will have the right to express that view whether or not this amendment passes.  Contrary to popular belief, Minnesota is NOT voting on whether or not to legalize gay marriage, unlike the other 3 states voting on this issue.  We are simply voting on how illegal it should be.  Please realize that if you are against gay marriage, then your viewpoint is most likely informed by your religion, and even though your religion may represent the majority view in America, I go back to my original point: we are not supposed to live under mob rule.  Our country is so wonderful because we protect the rights of the minority, not in spite of it.

The Voter ID Amendment

This one is just simple.  It's a solution without a problem.  Voter fraud, especially "in person" voter fraud, which is the only kind of fraud this amendment would impact, is just not a problem in Minnesota.  I have been an election judge here, and I can tell you that our voting system is very safe and sound.  And I'm stunned that the conservatives, the very people who decry wasteful spending, would want to spend so much money providing these ID's and implementing the new system. 

And if you are saying, "OK, but we need an ID to get on an airplane," I can only respond with, "no one has the 'right' to fly on an airplane, but we all have the right to vote."  Not only would this amendment waste a ridiculous amount of taxpayer money in this state, but it would amount to a "poll tax" for many people who would have to pay to get their birth certificate to obtain a "free" ID.  Poll taxes are supposed to be illegal, because they keep the poor from voting.

And my final, final plea on both issues.

The constitution is not the place to decide legislative issues.  We elect representatives so that they can spend the time learning about these issues and making informed decisions.  If they can't do that, and they kick the can to us in the form of constitutional amendments, then they have failed at their job.

So please, please, I'm begging you, do NOT vote "yes" on either of these amendments.  Do you want me to beg?  I'll beg.  Hell, I'll come over and clean your house and babysit your kids so you can have a night out if you'll only vote no.  It's that important.  These are amendments that will have real consequence for real people.  If our lawmakers can't hash out these issue the way they're supposed to, then it's not up to us to do their job for them. 

Please, pretty please, VOTE NO!

(I'll throw in some free leftover Halloween candy?)

What's Really Wrong with Voter ID?

So, now that you've heard my views on the masses of stupid people voting (see previous post), let me tell you what I actually think about the voter ID laws that are popping up all over the country, including here in Minnesota.  I've had friends ask me what's so bad about these laws, because on it's face, voter ID doesn't seem all that unreasonable.

OK, since we can't use my nifty voting quiz to see who should get to vote, why shouldn't we use photo ID cards?  Well, for the following reasons:

1.  As much as I may sometimes disagree, voting is a right, not a privilege.  Therefore, we should be entitled to vote as easily as possible without paying to do so.  Have you ever heard of a "poll tax?"  That's when you charge certain people money to vote, and that's illegal.  Even if you distribute a "free" ID to anyone who may not have a driver's license, those people need to pay to get a birth certificate and/or passport to get that "free" ID, not to mention the transportation time and cost it will take to get those items.  Think elderly people and the disabled.

2. Voter fraud is not a problem.  Many extensive studies done recently have shown that voter fraud on any kind of large scale is simply not happening in the U.S.  If I were a real go-getter, I could post some links for you here to those studies, but I'm too lazy to google it.  The reason voter fraud is not a major problem, in my opinion, is that most reasonable people aren't willing to go to federal prison just to cast an illegal vote.  I have been an election judge as well as a recount observer, and I can tell you firsthand that we have a very efficient and safe system here in Minnesota.  So if it ain't broke, why fix it?

3. It's clearly just a ploy by Republicans to keep low-income people as well as students from voting. Why?  Because low-income people and students tend to vote Democratic. The obstacles in the voter ID laws are targeted directly at low-income people via the poll tax issue, and at students, since the laws always state that college-issued student ID's will not count as a valid ID for voting purposes.  The point is, if you put obstacles in the way of people who usually vote for your opponent (the Democrat), then you (the Republican) tend to win more, right? 

The whole thing is so ridiculous, but it's an idea that will seem completely reasonable by people who already have a driver's license and think "Hmm, this doesn't seem like such a bad idea."  And that's why it's so dangerous, and shouldn't be something that's voted on by the general public. 

Especially since they don't all have a valid photo ID.  :-)

Democracy Doubts

Like Rush Limbaugh before me, I'm going to say something deeply unpopular.  You ready for it?  Here it is:

I'm not so sure about this whole "democracy" thing we have going on in the U.S.

There's been a lot of talk about voter suppression laws lately, and it's just not an issue I can get incredibly excited about, because deep down, in a dark place I don't like to talk about, I don't believe that everyone should be voting.

Now, to clarify, I don't think that people should be kept from voting on the basis of race, class, income, party affiliation, or anything like that.  I simply think that we should weed out people based on stupidity.  If you're stupid, you should not be voting.  Simple as that.

"How would we gauge levels of stupidity?" you might be asking.  Well, of course the simplest way would be to let me decide on each and every person's ability to vote, but since that would be prohibitively time-consuming, I've devised a quick test that we could administer when people are registering to vote.  Here's my draft:

Question 1.  What are the 3 branches of government?

                    a. legislative, bureaucratic & socialistic
                    b. legislative, executive & judicial
                    c. maple, oak & pine
                    d. I thought there were only 2

If you answered a, c, or d, you don't get to vote.

Question 2.  Who is the current vice-president of the United States?
                   
                    a. Barack Obama
                    b. Dick Cheney
                    c. Joe Biden
                    d. Barack Obama is a socialist

If you answered a, b, or d, you don't get to vote.

Question 3.  Who is Kim Kardashian currently dating?
                   
                    a. Kanye West
                    b. Michael Jordan
                    c. I don't really give a shit
                    d. Who is Kim Kardashian?

Unless you answered c or d, you don't get to vote.

Question 4. Please name at least one of your U.S. Senators.

If you can't name at least one, you don't get to vote.

Question 5. Which of the following programs could be correctly defined as "socialist?"
                  
                   a. the Fire Department
                   b. the Police Department
                   c. the local public school
                   d. Obamacare

If you answered d, you don't get to vote.

We could always throw some essay questions in there just to make it a little more fair, but I think these questions would be a good start.  I'm not so concerned about who people are voting for.  My concern is that people are voting based on 30 second TV ads and then doing no further research on the issues.

My brother has a theory that our democracy is the very thing that is making our society so collectively stupid.  His theory goes that because we have so much freedom, we are free to be lazy, apathetic and uninformed.  I think he may be right. 

Am I saying we should go to an all-out dictatorship? Not necessarily.  That would only work if I were the dictator.  But maybe we should invest a little more in public information on government.  We are doing a terrible job of teaching basic civics to our children, and it has made us a more divided, divisive society, which makes me fear for our future.