Pat Buchanan To Chris Matthews: Letting All Citizens Vote ‘Isn’t The Greatest Idea In The World’

Mediaite ^ | December 7, 2010 | Hillary Busis

[2ndDivisionVet]

Wasn't it Starship Troopers where only veterans could vote or hold office?

[BigSkyFreeper]

Judson Phillips is a bozo whose using the Tea Party to feather his nest.

[KoRn]

If you don’t pay federal taxes, you shouldn’t be allowed to vote in a federal election.

Simple as that.

[FrankR]

[econjack]

The original intent of the Constitution required property ownership to vote. I'm not so sure I'd be that strict, as there are non-property owners (e.g., a lot of retired people) who should vote. HOWEVER, I do think you should be required to pass a current events test to vote. Perhaps ten questions given while you're waiting in line. The questions would be random from a of, say, 50 questions.

I'd be happy to draft the questions.

[Loud Mime]

Winston Churchill said that the best case against democracy was a five minute conversation with the average voter.

For good government you need principled voters who will not vote for riches out of the treasury. That is NOT the Obama voter.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He’s not talking about tax payers, he’s talking about property owners, which excludes those who live in apartment dwellings.

[econjack]

Opps...

The questions would be random from a of, say, 50 questions.

The questions would be random from a pool of, say, 50 questions.

[MileHi]

Ditto. Net tax payers.

[Chuck54]

College professor, late 60s, Southern College, told our entire Political Science class no one should be allowed to vote unless they owned property and had read and understood “Atlas Shrugged”.

I have never forgotten that statement.

[Chuck54]

Southern College is not the school, just a small college in the south.

[danielmryan]

Yes, that was the political background of Starship Troopers. However, Robert Heinlein explicitly said later (and indirectly said therein) that about 95% of "veterans" would be close to what we'd call retired civil servants.

[KoRn]

I think paying federal taxes is sufficient to be allowed to vote. Someone that pays taxes has a stake in what the politicians do.

Bottom line.... If you have a W2, or a 1099, you can register to vote in a federal election.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

There should be a substantial civics exam involved to qualify.

[KoRn]

I totally agree with that sentiment, but feel that paying into the federal coffers is practically ‘good enough’.

Ideally, I’d prefer voters to face a quick quiz at the polling place. If you can’t name your Congressional representative and at least one of your US Senators, you don’t get to vote.....

Or maybe the quiz can show up on the computer screen, and if you answer incorrectly, your vote isn’t counted. That would probably be the best way to go about such a thing.

[achilles2000]

Agreed. Net Taxpayers is a good start. There is no reason why someone with an IQ of 85 who derives most of his “living” from government programs should vote. Moreover, government employees are not net taxpayers and should not vote - the only exception being the military.

[Arthur McGowan]

Only men who are married and have children and live with their children and the mother of the children—or, if the mother is deceased, lived with her until her death.

[elpinta]

Would be awesome if some English skills/proficiency was required, eh?

[Chuck54]

Or maybe the quiz can show up on the computer screen, and if you answer incorrectly, your vote isn’t counted. That would probably be the best way to go about such a thing.

I like that idea.

[Arthur McGowan]

There is no such person as the “Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.”

There is, however, such a person as the “Chief Justice of the United States.”