Hey Dumby! Don't vote!...

[Solus]

Et tu Solus?  I was born further west than Ohio my friend!   

Was born in Chicago, but was raised in Ohio.....grew up at Ft. Knox, KY.

[Timothy]

Was born in Chicago, but was raised in Ohio.....grew up at Ft. Knox, KY.

Michigan born and raised, Florida, Iceland, California, Connecticut and imprisoned in MA at the moment!  I've visited 44 of the lower 48 over the years when I worked in the nuclear industry.  I'm a real mutt of an American...not too conservative but not at all a liberal.

There is only one document that matters to me other than the Bible and that's the US Constitution!  Since I know that I can actually go and read the original document, the Constitution has more significance to me personally!

[JLawson]

... I know there are plenty who vote for some silly reasons and these are the voters we must educate. To exclude them in WRONG, in my opinion. ...

Educating others.  I think this may be one of our most important civic responsibilities.  We can all "work" for a candidate by talking to our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.  We can post topics to forums and other web outlets.  We can print, copy, and distribute educational campaign material.  Or we can sign-up to be an "official" campaign volunteer.  Whatever the outlet may be, we can all make a difference by being a spokesman for the ideology, political party, or candidate we feel best represents the solution our Nation so desparately needs.

To simply disenfranchise the uninformed or to deny voice to those involuntarily suffering unemployment or other misfortunes is paramount to dissolving one of our most basic ideals - one of our founding principles.  When we read from the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...," we must realize that each and every citizen has a stake in the outcome of this process.  Young or old, male or female, white or black, well-informed or ignorant, rich or poor, employed or jobless, healthy or sick - every legal citizen must have a voice in granting those "just powers."

Our focus must be on the future.  A future where "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are not mere words whispered in timidity or a slogan for pandering.  A future where the governed are once again in control.

[Timothy]

Very well said JLawson!

Unfortunately, the uninformed are slowly becoming the majority in this country!  We graduate 1,000,000 kids from HS that cannot read above an 8th grade level!  That's the definition of "functionally illiterate"!

Our education systems are failing faster than the Republic!  The more money the .gov throws into the system, the worse it's getting......it make take a more drastic solution to the problem!

I posted this link because it was thought provoking, nothing more!  It appears that it's struck a cord which was it's intent by the original author, Mr. Stossel!

[tombogan03884]

Educating others.  I think this may be one of our most important civic responsibilities.  We can all "work" for a candidate by talking to our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.  We can post topics to forums and other web outlets.  We can print, copy, and distribute educational campaign material.  Or we can sign-up to be an "official" campaign volunteer.  Whatever the outlet may be, we can all make a difference by being a spokesman for the ideology, political party, or candidate we feel best represents the solution our Nation so desparately needs.

To simply disenfranchise the uninformed or to deny voice to those involuntarily suffering unemployment or other misfortunes is paramount to dissolving one of our most basic ideals - one of our founding principles.  When we read from the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...," we must realize that each and every citizen has a stake in the outcome of this process.  Young or old, male or female, white or black, well-informed or ignorant, rich or poor, employed or jobless, healthy or sick - every legal citizen must have a voice in granting those "just powers."

Our focus must be on the future.  A future where "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are not mere words whispered in timidity or a slogan for pandering.  A future where the governed are once again in control.

You need to back that up with historical precedent.
If you research it you will find that on Independence many states increased the "property requirement " there by disenfranchising not only people who had been able to vote under British rule, but also a large portion of Revolutionary war veterans as well.
The Founding Fathers restated the principle known as far back as ancient Rome that "when the population discovers it can vote itself "largess" (bread and circuses) from the public treasury, that is exactly what they will do".
How have the Democrats amassed so much power since they lost the segregation debate ?
They did it by buying the votes of the chronic poor and illegal aliens with hand outs from the public treasury.
Restricting the vote to those who actually pay the nations bills would eliminate that system of graft.
As for Pecos' snide comment about about "New England Conservatives ".
I will simply point out that we were doing quite nicely before the rest of the country was even settled, in fact, the East coast states generated enough wealth to buy nearly all the rest of the country for cash.

[Sponsor]

[JLawson]

... Restricting the vote to those who actually pay the nations bills would eliminate that system of graft. ...

I understand your point... and it isn't without merit.  However, I see such "conditional disenfranchisement" as a dangerous and steep slippery slope.

Let's say we start by requiring employment or documented retirement status as you suggest.  How do we handle homemakers who have never worked and have never contributed to a retirement plan?  How do we handle those disabled from birth who have never worked?  How do we handle those who support themselves and their family by working one odd job after another - never securing "official" employment?

And how might these conditional voting requirements change in the future?  Who will vote themselves out of the right to vote?  Who will decide which among us is rich enough, old enough, healthy enough, smart enough, or even ethnically pure enough to have a say in our futures?

I don't pose these questions to be contrary... these would seem to be legitimate issues to contend with if we begin creating an "approved list" for voting purposes.  Obviously, my concern is that one day I might not find myself on any one of the lists.  Logically, this should concern all of us.

[Herknav]

Unfortunately, the uninformed are slowly becoming the majority in this country!  We graduate 1,000,000 kids from HS that cannot read above an 8th grade level!  That's the definition of "functionally illiterate"!

I don't think that's the problem.  3-4 generations ago, there were a lot of people with 8th grade educations (often less) that did great things.  The problem is work ethic and an ability to reason (or lack thereof).

[Solus]

If they paid taxes, they vote, regardless of if it was official employment.  If they work and don't pay taxes, no vote.  Not that I am in favor of the taxes we pay, somewhere around 5% should do it.  If you have worked and go on the dole you lose the vote till you work again.

If you  have worked and retired, you vote.  Might be to loose there, but it will work.

If you have never worked and own a home, I'd imagine you have had some taxable income and that would count.

Basic guideline is that if you are on the dole, you don't vote.

Tough one is government workers.  They work, they pay taxes, put they are paid with tax payers money.

[Timothy]

I don't think that's the problem.  3-4 generations ago, there were a lot of people with 8th grade educations (often less) that did great things.  The problem is work ethic and an ability to reason (or lack thereof).

True enough and my father is a great example of that!  The problem isn't the individual student, it's the education system that allows them to graduate from High School without the proper fundamentals to manage their own lives!  It's worse in the urban areas but it's a problem nationwide!

How can someone manage in life if they cannot understand how to fill out an employment application?  I have a 53 year old sister in law who hasn't a clue how to write a check, a resume, an application, make change of a dollar and struggles with the most rudimentary math problems that exist in every day life!  I'm afraid that our education system and society are too quick to let these kids through the system to further promote their own agendas!

[JLawson]

.. If you have never worked and own a home, I'd imagine you have had some taxable income and that would count. ...

So now we are excluding another segment of our society - those who rent.  First we said you must have worked... but on second thought we'll let that slide as long as you have a house in your name.

Sorry, I don't mean to sound flippant, but don't you see how unworkable this approach would be.  And the primary target appears to be people "on the dole."  Would this disqualify them from voting on ANY issue - even those that do not involve entitlement programs?  Would we allow them to vote on local issues but not elected offices?  Possibly only local issues that do not involve funding?  Or maybe only elected offices that have no jurisdiction over entitlement programs?  Or maybe... we could go on and on.

Can you imagine the bureaucracy involved in administering this?  I thought we wanted smaller government.