Thomas Sowell occasionally writes a list of pithy sayings which are too short for their own article. I'm doing the same. -- S.D.
1. There is one reason and one reason only to oppose voter ID laws: you support election fraud.
2. Or maybe you think that voter ID laws are discriminatory against differently-animated Americans. Or differently-naturalized Americans.
3. One argument from liberals opposed to voter ID laws is that the number of fraudulent votes cast is miniscule and that this is a "solution without a problem." In that case, maybe I should wait until I get a cavity before I brush my teeth.
4. I am a little amused when I read about efforts to end bullying in schools. Liberals seem to think that passing a federal law against bullying will somehow make bullies disappear. All it takes is passing a law and hiring some motivational speakers? Why did no one think of that before? In that case, why not ban jerks? That would eliminate a whole range of crimes and antisocial behaviors...like silencing dissenters and demanding that other people pay for your recreational activities, for example.
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6 comments:
Some Dude says: "There is one reason and one reason only to oppose voter ID laws: you support election fraud."
This is an oversimplification of the issue, and is not really fair to the other side. I can think of a couple legitimate reasons. For example, I think some people are sincerely concerned that requirement of voter ID would have a similar effect to the literacy tests of the Jim Crow era, denying a vote to some people who are illiterate and can't figure out how to acquire the credentials. While some would snidely approve of disenfranchising impoverished and backward Americans, the law and the courts have tended to frown on such an attitude. Voter ID laws could also be opposed on philosophical grounds, for the same reason many would argue it shouldn't be necessary to procure a license to "keep and bear arms". The thinking being that if it's a fundamental civil right, nobody needs to be saying "papers please" in regard to it.
I'm not personally opposed to voter ID laws, just suggesting a more fair and balanced perspective than the above quoted statement.
Maybe I should explain my comments.
Yes, there are people who make the arguments that you listed against requiring voters to prove their identity. Let me address them.
Voting is a fundamental right; it's also the way that we choose our leaders in a constitutional republic such as the USA. For this reason, I think that it is vitally important to make keep our elections fair and legitimate by ensuring that the only people who vote are those who have the right to vote.
I do not believe that showing an ID at the polls is an undue hardship. You have to identify yourself for many things. Visitors are required to show ID to enter some government buildings. How does that square with our first-amendment right to petition our government?
Actually, I think it is incredibly easy to get an ID. (Most IDs now are driver's licenses, but I am sure that if states implemented voter ID laws, they would create voter IDs in order to allow non-drivers to vote.) I actually think that the only people who would be "disenfranchised" by a voter ID requirement would be the chronically lazy. In fact, I'm OK with this.
My point in saying all this is that I am skeptical, to say the least, when I hear somebody make these arguments. (I know, you only brought them up for the sake of argument.) They sound like the kind of disingenuous arguments that liberals would make in order to sound "reasonable" while concealing their true reason for supporting the status quo.
I may sound arrogant for questioning the motives of liberals, but if they can call me "racist" for opposing Obama's policies, then I can call them undemocratic for opposing mine.
Andrew V, thanks for commenting - I always enjoy reading your contributions. I understand what you are saying in your post, but I think for many people voter ID laws seem like such a reasonable, commonsense proposal that it is hard to understand why some on the left like AG Eric Holder seem so emotionally invested in blocking such laws passed by the states. Coupled with the Justice Dept.'s inexplicable dismissal of the Black Panther case involving obvious voter intimidation, it raises the question whether Holder and his underlings oppose voter fraud at all.
The last few times I voted in Maryland, the only proof they asked for my identity was my address and my month and day of birth. It would be incredibly easy for someone to impersonate me and vote in my place. (Apparently in DC it is even easier -- all you have to do is give your name.) I am actually thinking about doing early voting in the fall rather than waiting for Election Day because this actually concerns me. Another big concern is the nearly 2 million dead people who are still on voter rolls. Obviously a fraudulent vote here or there doesn't make much difference, but a corrupt organization using a concerted effort could easily use this opportunity to swing a close election. This is the kind of thing that groups like ACORN have tried to do in the past.
The notion that requiring voter ID to vote is an undue hardship is kind of ridiculous to me. As John Fund has pointed out, you can't cash a check, drive a car, travel by plane or train, rent a video, or enter the Justice Department building in DC without showing photo ID. It's pretty hard to function in our modern society without one. And even if some low-income, uneducated voters can't get them, I believe that most or all state photo ID voting laws require those states to issue photo ID's free of charge to voters who don't have them and can't afford to get them.
If I were a minority voter and I heard AG Holder blathering on about photo ID laws that discriminated against minorities, I would feel insulted. Shouldn't minorities be insulted by the assumption that they are too poor or too stupid to figure out how to get a photo ID (especially when it is provided free of charge by the state)? Maybe they do -- surprisingly polls have shown that a majority of black voters actually favor photo ID laws!
Here are a couple of good articles on this: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/295431/why-we-need-voter-id-laws-now-john-fund?pg=1
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/297461/reality-voter-fraud-john-fund
Haha...great response Some Dude. Sorry, I didn't see your comment until I had already posted mine!
This video is relevant (and kind of funny and infuriating at the same time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5p70YbRiPw
Yep, I agree.
And James O'Keefe is a great American. I love how they got the little wisecrack in: "I'll be back faster than you can say furious". :)
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