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Seriously, some people have more vested in our country than others. While I do believe everyone should have a vote, shouldn't a home owner's vote count for 2 while an unemployed wino's vote only count for 1?
Criteria for more points of your vote could amount to clear titles for things. Let's say you get 1 point for simply being a citizen. You get additional points for:
being married
having a job (no matter how small)
each child
each degree (starting with High School)
each piece of real estate (you gotta pay your taxes on it)
being bi-lingual (speaking a second language is good for all Americans)
being a veteran
Quick example: with just this criteria, an employed married High school graduate with 2 children ----their vote would be worth 5
There may be additional criteria where points could be added (or perhaps even subtracted). But the conversation is worth having.
The problem is with uninformed voters. You can have a Phd and million bucks, and married with five kids, but that doesn't mean you'll be a better voter. I know many friends who are extremely bright who never got a bachelor's degree and can only speak english. I myself am single college grad who can speak four languages. But that doesn't mean I should have more rights in society than anyone else.
Honestly, I've wished we could have people register to vote every election after taking a brief test on the year's important issues and the candidates. But there's no fair way to do that, and it would be too open to exploitation. One person one vote is the best way. Just encourage uninformed voters to get informed or stay home.
Seriously, some people have more vested in our country than others. While I do believe everyone should have a vote, shouldn't a home owner's vote count for 2 while an unemployed wino's vote only count for 1?
Criteria for more points of your vote could amount to clear titles for things. Let's say you get 1 point for simply being a citizen. You get additional points for:
being married
having a job (no matter how small)
each child
each degree (starting with High School)
each piece of real estate (you gotta pay your taxes on it)
being bi-lingual (speaking a second language is good for all Americans)
being a veteran
Quick example: with just this criteria, an employed married High school graduate with 2 children ----their vote would be worth 5
There may be additional criteria where points could be added (or perhaps even subtracted). But the conversation is worth having.
Any Thoughts??
Daffy
Married homeowning families can be some of the most out of touch folks in politics and monetary policy. Just look at how the RE Ponzi scheme is unfolding now. Bunch of dummies...also, housing is heavily subsidized by the gubmint, who's to say it wouldn't be even more subsidized if you weigh a "homeowners" vote more?
No, you weigh the vote on the person's understanding of the issues. You make the test hard or impossible to "test ahead" for, and hard to impossible for R/D campaigns to get out the vote by getting people to study just to the test. Basically, randomized questions, further randomized by the polling place. The test should include monetary policy and foreign geography. If you're a minority tool for the Dems who chooses not to read about these topics, low vote weight. If you're a redneck who is obsessed with bombing everyone who can't find Iraq on a map, your vote is weighed less. Keeps the useful idiots out of the loop.
I challenge anyone to find the absolute right to vote for EVERY non-felon/ex-felon American in the Constitution.
Considering the scandals over the current voting system (tampered machines, handing chads, etc.) I don't think making the process more complicated is the way to go.
If you support a "test" to vote then you open yourself to be on the losing end of that at some point depending on who is creating the test. Whether you like it or not, this country was founded on "all men are created equal" not "all men are created equal if......."
Considering the scandals over the current voting system (tampered machines, handing chads, etc.) I don't think making the process more complicated is the way to go.
If you support a "test" to vote then you open yourself to be on the losing end of that at some point depending on who is creating the test. Whether you like it or not, this country was founded on "all men are created equal" not "all men are created equal if......."
Again, no challenge to the fact that the Constitution does not guarantee the right to vote, only that it cannot be denied specifically on the base of gender or race. I see few fighting for ex-felons' supposed right to vote, unless they're to be a tool for a particular party's best interest.
If a test is completely randomized and the questions cover a broad spectrum of topics from monetary theory to foreign policy history (just like a citizenship test few challenge, btw). The pool of questions should be sufficiently large so no advocate group can prepare minority tools for the left or the stupid redneck tools of the right to "study to the test", or at least this could make it extremely costly and inefficient.
Everyone is indeed created equal. If that someone chooses not to use their privilege to read up at a taxpayer subsidized county library at no cost, they give up their privilege (read: NOT right) to vote. Creation of equality does not infer the maintaining of equality if they choose to be intellectually lazy.
Incidentally, I would support ex-felons regaining their privilege to vote provided they would pass this hypothetical test.
If a test is completely randomized and the questions cover a broad spectrum of topics from monetary theory to foreign policy history (just like a citizenship test few challenge, btw)
Sure that sounds nice in theory, however it would not be reality. Someone, somewhere would figure out a way to skew the test in their favor. History has proven this to be true don't you think?
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