Posted: 11/2/2004 3:11:44 PM EDT
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I think it's pretty clear most people think: 1- there should be a strict ID check at the polls. 2- People in jail should not be able to vote (I'm not clear on this one... I've heard this addressed but haven't been clear on if they are talking about convicted felons or people in jail) 3- Illegals should not be able to vote (obviously this is a serious problem that clearly needs to be addressed) So what else do you think? I was listening to Savage Nation on the way home from the hospital last night (because I was out of range of my usual listening station). He made a statement that had potential. "Only people who pay taxes should vote." Interesting... to a degree. Unless you take into account SALES tax. But we'll assume he meant federal income tax. Then you have to take into account people who have recently been laid off, fired, starting their own businesses, what have you. So where would the line be drawn for this one? I do think it has potential since most asshole liberal (mommy & daddy are paying for my) college kids don't have jobs and therefore don't pay taxes... so that would knock out a few Dem voters. It would knock out the welfare crackwhore mothers of 12. I don't really understand the electoral vs popular vote, but it seems that the electoral is pretty bogus... Anywho.. enough from me... let's hear your fix. |
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1-Go back to the Electoral College as it was designed. 2-Demand that the county sheriff be an unaffiliated representative of the people, as originally prescribed, and that he performs his duty as the only duly elected law enforcement representative of the people. 3-Repeal the 17th amendment. 4-Repeal judicial immunity protection. 5-DEMAND THAT WHEN YOUR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL, THAT THEY ARE NOT TAUGHT THIS IS A DEMOCRACY. IT SHOULD BE A LAW THAT THEY ARE TAUGHT THIS IS A REPUBLIC. |
Not by amount of taxes just whether net taxes were payed. This is in line with the way the fonding fathers intended it. People with property were the only ones alowed to vote because only people with property paid taxes. More realistic, only ID'd registered voters, make the registration process more stringent (US citizens only of course) tie jury duty to drivers license not voter registration no convicted felon votes, ever no less than honorable discharge votes, ever |
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Not an easy question to answer. A lot depends on what criteria you want to use for who can vote. The current American scheme is "citizens only", but do remember that the revolution started based upon the famous phrase "No taxation without representation!" There is a lot to be said for that (and a lot of people died to acheive it ... for a while). (When I first came to live in the US and had to fill out my first 10-40, I did wonder about just writing that phrase across it and sending it in -- but decided that: a) the IRS has no sense of humor, and b) they probably wouldn't have a clue what I wast talking about :-) Before moving to the US I lived in France for 10 years (yes... I know ...). Whatever faults they have, the French do come up with some good ideas from time to time. One of the better ones was that in local elections, anyone contributing to the local economy and culture should get a vote. That had some backlash, as you can imagine, but it actually turned out to work quite well, and surprisingly enough (for some people) the voting patterns among the imigrants really did reflect those of the naive French voter, so after a couple of years of seeing that they were not getting swamped by "pesky foreigners", the objections mostly evaporated. The French constitution has a citizenship requirement for national elections, so there was never any question of imigrants voting in those elections. So the idea that anyone contributing to the country should get a vote is not something that had its day 200 years ago. There is something to be said for allowing "contributing residents" to vote - as well as maybe not allowing those who don't contribute at all, who just happened to be born there... On the subject of prisoners: As things currently stand, the one BIG thing that being a citizen has going for it is the right to vote. I can buy into the idea that this RIGHT can be temporarily suspended while you are in prison for a bad enough crime, maybe the current definition of felony is the dividing line? But once out of prison, if you are not going to strip these people of their citizenship, they HAVE to be allowed to vote. Once you give "the government" the ability to strip people of this fundamental right, what is to stop them extending it to other "undesirables" - such as those loonies that own ARs ? There are some other ideas that could be explored -- such as if you keep the electoral college, have a cap on the maximum number of electoral votes - think of it as a negative consequence of over-population. Or maybe the electoral votes should be aportioned based upon the surface area of the state? he A big and complex subject - probably not something that we are going to fix up here in the next hour or so |
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How about: More realistic choices to place your vote on? The de facto two party system we have in America is really chafing my hide. I don't like having to hold my nose while casting my vote. Bush is a good man- don't get me wrong- and I wouldn't have ever cast my vote for Kerry. But we need more choices for President. |
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All those found guilty of vote fraud would be jailed in solitary until the day before the next Presidential election. At 8pm the night before the election, they would be lead out of their cells, to the nearest court house and executed on prime-time TV. Their bodies would then be mounted on pikes and displayed at polling places with a sign saying "I committed election fraud" hanging on their chest. Vote fraud is equilvalent to treason in my opinion. Kharn |
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1: Change legal voting age back to 21 2; Campaign Finance: Only individual voters may contribute financially to a candidate or their party. 3: I don't know about only property owners being able to vote but there needs to be some requirement for eligibility other than being of age. Voters should have some stake in the process. |
Only if Ted Kennedy is convicted of murder and is immediately put in jail. I don't really agree with the idea of a convicted felon that has served their time not being able to vote. The whole point of being jailed is to serve out a sentence of punishment. Not allowing them to vote after they have been released means that you are still punishing them. This kind of applies to the gun laws too. I forget, but I think that it isn't just people convicted of violent crimes but anyone convicted of a felony crime. We could always go to the system they had in Starship Troopers... that you have to serve time in the armed forces to become a voting citizen. Sounds good to me. I think it would do a lot of good for the liberal snot nosed brats who are sppon fed by mommy and daddy for the bulk of their lives I think third party choices has everyone shell shocked from the Bush-Clinton election. After Perot took votes from Bush while the Dems stuck with Clinton, Reps will probably always stay with thei Rep candidate to avoid the possibility of losing. I don't really think financial standing should have any bearing. Service members don't make shit, but they should certainly have more say than some fucker who say, won the lottery or inherited a large sum of money. The people with money (the "Haves") are the reason there is so much corruption in our government to begin with. Having a lot of money means, to some, means being able to buy not only material shit, but people as well. Who is a politician really more likely to take seriously... some shlep barely breaking $30k a year, or some corporate asshole who can make large contributions? |
One of Heinleins best books, and one of his best ideas. BUt it wasn't just military service. I don't think military service should be the line. Maybe military or peace corps or two years of something similar. |
Peace corps? WTF? You might as well add the Salvation Army to that list then...  No I think military would be just fine by itself. People would have to serve to be an elected official, to vote, to reproduce, etc. I especially like the "have babies" one. It would have all kinds of positive effects on our ever growing pussy society. The strong would have all the say. And if someone wanted to join they would have to cut out their McDonald's and sugar diets. Serving in the miltary gives people a completely different perpective on things. I'm really charged about this idea... let's do it... right now.
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Good book, good points you make. How is this for an idea. I order to vote, you must demonstrate proficiency with a service grade rifle that you own. |
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1. Require ID before voting. That ID should be tied to biometric data that cannot be forged of falsified. 2. Cross reference voter databases between precincts, counties and states to make sure "one person, one vote" is not violated. 3. Only citizens should be allowed to vote. |
How about, you can take the service rifle of your choice with you when you join for citizen service... obviously that would reduce the amount of training and the expense of having to train someone. If you bring what you are good at shooting, then you are one step ahead. Once you sign your weapon into service with you, they will provide for ammo and maintenance on that weapon. So if you come in with a tricked out M1A that has an ACOG mounted on it, they will pay to keep it running and will give you mags, ammo, and what not. I like this idea. I would have loved to be able to take my personal rifle with my to OEF... Same goes for sidearms. |
| I think there would have to be a distinction between military and militia (militia as intended by the Founding Fathers). In order to qualify to vote, you have to either sign up for the military or be a current member of the militia. Militia meaning you qualify annually with a rifle, and stay on an alert roster for local disasters/disturbances. Militia is non-deployable, cannot be federalized accept to agument troops in their locality, and does any uniforms/equipment/weapons is provided by individuals. |
Armed Forces, under this system, could incluce state/local militia. The biggest issue with a militia would be who controls it. If the members are on an alert roster who implements the activiation? State (which is controlled by federa) government? Or would their be an elected militia "general" or "secretary" that would determine things like when the militia would be activated. |
The peace corps does wonderful things all over the world, the people do it volluntarily and gain valuable insigt as to the way the world actually works. Moreover they have shown that they are willing to put forth actual effort to improve the world. There are so many holes all over your idea I'm astounded. Really... the "weak" shouldn't have a say in this country? My wife, with asthma shouldn't have a chance to vote? My grandmother can't vote? Licensed reproduction? move yourself to China. Stop subsidizing people who can't afford to take care f their children and the problem will take case of itself. The point of the system in SST was that people who had shown the desire to give of themselves would get to vote. Oh and people in the military eat lots of McDonalds and Sugar. |
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Approval voting. Rank candidates on a 0-10 scale. Candidate with the most points gets teh electoral votes, and this way third-party candidates can get the credibility they deserve without risking the bigger picture. For example: 10-Badnarik 7-Bush 3-Constitution 1-Nader 0-Kerry |
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From what I understand people who join the Peace Corps are a glutton for punishment and don't know what they're getting into until they're getting beaten and raped in some third world sewer of a country. They think they're going to go "roughing it" in a place where they are going to be welcomed with open arms and they're going to grow food and feed those children you see being held by Sally Struthers. Yeah, they certainly do get a big dose of reality when they join up and ship out. Can your wife join the Peace Corps or the .mil? Or grandma? Obviously the "elderly" might have a little difficulty with either of those... and that would be taken into account... especially when the older people of this country are essentially all veterans of the WW I & II era. Asthma... yep that's a bummer. She can either butch up and wheez her way through it or she can marry a [SST] "citizen" who can vote and has the sign off to reproduce. Since I know people with asthma who are in .mil, not to mention the guys I know who have one leg that fly planes, helicopters, and Spec Ops operators, I'd say it's certainly feasable. It all depends on how much someone is willing to work for the priveledge to vote. I know it's a right, but there are some people that simply shouldn't have that right. Bill of Rights or not, I don't think the founding fathers imagined some fucked up junkie going to the polls after just killing a family for $10 worth of smack... or a serial murderer serving 3 life sentences for killing and eating 10 people. Our founding fathers simply couldn't imagine that people in this country could be capable of such attrocities. Licensed reproduction? Hell yeah... I think it would be sweet, given how stupid and irresponsible some groups of people are. It would limit the amount of babies addicted to crack and used as a means for more government subsidies and/or birthed in high school bathrooms and tossed in the garbage. Yeah, troops eat McD's and sugar, but they aren't so fat that they have to be wheel barrowed out of their homes or break a sweat just thinking about exercise. I thought that would be implied. |
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The basic principle we are trying to get here is that someone must be willing to be responsible for the welfare of their country in order to obtain the "privelege" to vote. Why should you be able to vote if you are not loyal, would not defend the country, and do not work to better it? The most obvious answer is only franchise the military and any militia type organization (basically, citizens NOT affiliated with the military who have affirmed a commitment to defend/serve the nation on a voluntary and non-paying basis; think Minutemen). What other qualifications should allow one to vote? Peace Corp has been suggested, though I am not familiar with it, it sounds like a reasonable idea. But what else? Something that allows hardworking middle-lower class income Americans the right to vote, but excludes Daddy and Mommy's little fuck up in college who says he will go to Canada before he serves his country. |
Since it would almost be like a draft and would just piss people off at an early age I don't think conscripting kids out of high school (+/- 18y/o) for a mandatory 2-4 years of service would be the way to go, BUT if people volunteered service right out of school they wouldn't fall far behind their peers in the work force and could pursue their desidred careers paths upon completion. Basically do it early and do it while you're not too old and broken down to be of any use to the military. Not really sold on Peace Corps. It helps other countries but it's hardly a bright shining beacon of patriotism. It doesn't serve our country... it serves other countries. Yes, technically it is a [inependent] federal agency and has goals with Americas best interests in mind, I just don't see it. The program officially has three goals: - To help the people of interested countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained workers; - To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served; - To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. I think you could get all the cultural experience you'd need being in the .mi along with the protection of a squad/platoon/fire-team so that you wouldn't have to worry about getting AIDS from the guy who just raped your ass as a way to say thanks for helping us out with our agricultural problems that we're too primitive to fix on our own. |
| I would require that all states allow "early voting" for all eligible voters. The early voting would run for two weeks prior to one day prior to November 2. Every state would count all its votes and not release any information until November 2 at 7:00 pm when all states would report and the news could go out. |
Home/landowning taxpayer with proper id. Only excepting would be military and law enforcement. Tax returns showing you actually "pay" taxes possibly could be used in place of actual home ownership. We have to include people actually working toward their first home.
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I would change the way the states decide the electoral vote. It seems that the major population centers are still running roughshod over the rural areas. I would give each county one vote, determined by the popular vote of that county, no matter the size of the county. I would then have the county electors vote to see who the state's electoral votes go to. THEN have the electoral College vote to determine the Presidency. In our winner-take-all system, this is the only way to prevent mob rule by the huge urban areas, which I think they are still doing in our current system. It would give small rural counties an equal say to the huge urban counties. I would NOT disenfranchise non property owners, as a huge number of young families and military men cannot afford to own houses yet. This is not a country for the rich only. However, I would not allow anyone on any form of public assistance a vote, their direct interest would be in conflict to a fair vote; they would simply vote for whoever would give them more money. |
Interesting. I think .mil/LEO are the exception to the land owner clause. It's hard to own a house when the man is moving them around every three years. Where would renters come into this? Maybe if someone has been renting in the same apartment/house for a certain period of time they would qualify. |
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- Citizen taxpayers only. - Strict ID check with Driver's license, passport, AND voter registration. - Not properly registered or don't have the right ID? Tough luck. Vote in the NEXT election when you've gotten your shit together. - If you are in the active-duty military, citizen requirement waived. - If you fill out the ballot wrong, tough luck. If you can't read, you shouldn't be voting anyway. I'm sure I can think of a few more... |
1) Civics test required before you are allowed to vote, with re-certification when you renew your driver's license... You must be able to, on a multiple choice test, correctly identify ALL 3 branches of government, their functions, and the methods by which their members come to power. You must also be able to demonstrate knowledge of separation-of-powers and how a bill becomes a law. 2) BAN paper ballots. Nationwide. No paper = no fraud potential, no 'adding' extra ballots 3) No more 'secret' ballots -> ID must be presented to the poll workers, and electronically verified. All acceptable IDs (drivers licenses) must be associated with a user-selected PIN (think ATM machine) to prevent voting 'often', or voting with a fake ID. 4) No more 'registration' to vote. Your 'registration' would be your driver's license/state ID, which would be the ONLY acceptable voting ID for in-state personell. 5) Absentee ballots would be the ONLY paper ballots allowed, would require a REAL REASON that you need one, and would have to be notorized for civillians. 6) Run Off elections as soon as the votes are counted, if the sum total of minor candidate votes would be enough to change the outcome. Yes, I am trying to ban 3rd parties here... I happen to despise the current crop, and wish they were forced to work their way to relevance (And maybe grow a viable, intelegent platform) rather than being allowed to fuck with major political races (Governorships, Senate races, the Presidency).... |
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Only the electoral college votes of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska and Oklahoma count. The votes of the other states are disregarded until such time as the Republican candidate wins the popular vote in their state by at least a 30 point margin. Utah's electors get to vote twice due to the 45 point margin of victory. I believe that it is important to give citizens an incentive to vote ... correctly. |
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Proof of citizenship. Electronic confirmation of the validity of your voter registration card, including checking for your name on the lists of any other states. Before getting your voter registration card, take and pass a basic civics test. No pass, no voting. CJ |