Posted on 11/11/2014 5:26:17 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Like millions of other Americans, I voted last Tuesday. I did not face long lines and there were no barriers to my entry to the polling station. Everyone was quite friendly, and it was a pleasant experience.
They were so friendly, in fact, that they even offered a service to voters, advertised by a sign on the wall: Voters, presumably those who would have difficulty walking into the polling station due to disability, could wait in their idling cars, honk their horns and have someone aid them in voting curbside.
At the time, I did not think much of this. If I'm being honest, I was at first amused by the comparison of voting to checking luggage at the airport. And there was no doubt that those using the service seemed to benefit from it. But on further thought, I began to be disturbed.
It was the juxtaposition of images that bothered me. On the one hand, you had voters driving up and honking their horns to summon someone to help them vote. On the other hand, the volunteer inside the building was telling me cheerfully that I and everyone else in my state would need a valid ID to vote come 2016.
Though I do have a valid ID, the juxtaposition nevertheless bothers me. The reason is that it belies everything that, in my opinion, has made America great. America's exceptionalism arises from its ability to incorporate waves of immigrants with different skills, cultures and experiences, and unify them into a coherent whole. This process is not immediate on entry, and it is not forced; rather, generations of immigrants and the children of immigrants have wanted to consider themselves Americans because being American accompanies the promise of a better life.
This promise is premised on the perception of mobility, social and economic mobility. The phrase "land of opportunity," so closely associated with America, is emblematic of this notion. Sure, not everyone will succeed, but the possibility of success exists.
What I saw at the polling place Tuesday was in stark opposition to this perception. The juxtaposition of images signaled the existence of privileged classes. Government will go out of its way to accommodate some people's voices, but will put up barriers to others. Importantly, these barriers are not in response to an actual problem; voter fraud — and particularly voter fraud of the type that would be thwarted by voter ID laws — is rare to nonexistent. Consequently, those on the wrong end of voter ID laws get the signal that their voices do not count, that they are not valued except insofar as they might provide useful labor for the privileged classes. The perception of social mobility dies in such a climate of political inequality. And because those most affected by voter ID laws are also low-income voters, these individuals are already experiencing the cost of greater economic inequality — increasing economic inequality is likely to decrease economic mobility as well.
The effects of a decrease in the perception of upward mobility driven by inequality in the political or economic spheres are pernicious. Without this perception, there is little incentive to buy into the American system. Factionalism will seem relatively more attractive than integration, and this will lead to contentious politics, little common ground and, at the margins, civil unrest. Events in Ferguson, Mo., are a recent example of this. Our political system will quite simply function less well, and be more prone to internal strife and potentially violence. Similarly, economic inequality is likely to lead to reduced economic growth, and so an economy that functions less well. In this way, political and economic inequality hurt everyone, not just those on the wrong end of the inequality.
Don't get me wrong; I'm all for aiding the infirm in doing their civic duty. But for the sake of our country, let's do the same for everyone.
I certainly don’t disagree with that but what if I want to abolish my state ;)?
The author offers the statement without discusion or without reference. I disagree with the author.
In deep blue Connecticut, we have voter ID. We've had it forever. No one complains...if you want to vote, you need ID. It emphasizes the point that there is one vote for each voter. While we've had fraud in the last two gubernatorial elections, we've never had instances of >100% of the registered voters voting. I'm not aware of any reports of dead voters voting in Connecticut.
There’s a misspelling in the title of David A. Siegel’s opine . . .it should read, “Amoral case....”
I’m for helping the handicapped. But this curb service crap sounds like a set-up to dodge id requirements. Does the entire sign-in crew go outside to check the voter in, verify id, watch each other, etc., or does 1 helpful Democrat go out to selectively accommodate the valid registration-challenged?.
I hope the entire nation requires Voter I.D. but it will not happen as long as odumbo is still the “king”.
What an idiot.
Certainly if demonstrating with some form of credential that you are who you say you are is important for menial tasks it ought to be vital for tasks requiring citizenship in good standing.
I am sure the good professor would be more than satisfied if a chip were placed in everyone's brain as a simple means of ID.
This guy is an “educated idiot”. Only an idiot can make the statements he’s made railing against voter ID’s.
Sorry, but anyone should be able to apply for a voter ID card or another “photo” ID that is just as valid.
This is a Bull$hit article that feeds into the “repressive” right wing theory that is as much a lie as everything else these progressives spout off.
Since their primary and often only access to these basic human rights is through taxpayer funded government entitlement transfer payments, it is only fair and just that these most at risk segments of our society have the best access to these government programs.
This best access is best achieved by electing government officials and decision makers to office who are most attuned and responsive to the wants and needs of these wronged and most at risk members of society to whom to whom society owes so much.
The election of these properly attuned and responsive elected officials is facilitated by allowing the most needy and at risk members of society vote as many times as necessary to achieve an electoral majority for such officials and to facilitate other socially aware individuals to cast votes in their place should they neglect to show up to vote on election day.
Voter ID is nothing more than a tool of the greedy rich to deny the most needy and at risk segments of our society the power to obtain that which thy are entitled to control their day to day lives.
It is our moral duty to provide these otherwise voiceless needy and at risk members of our society with the power and means to access government services according to their needs and to offset the power of the greedy rich who would deny them their rights.
Voter ID is nothing more than a tool of the greedy rich to deprive the needy of that which they are entitled.
Remember, it's all for the children.
In fact, young needy children are by far the most at risk members of our society so they should be allowed to vote from time of birth and we should consider a 3/5ths of a vote credit for every abortion an at risk mother has to help equal the playing field .
They should concern themselves more with the embarrassment they’re going to suffer after Florida State plows over them in the ACC Championship game. Plus Clemson travels better and will probably get the Orange Bowl and not Duke.
The guy is in denial or lying. Either way, he is clueless as to what happens in the real world. People cheat and steal in the real world. Elections included.
As clueless as he is, why would I listen to him?
It was the juxtaposition of images that bothered me. On the one hand, you had voters driving up and honking their horns to summon someone to help them vote. On the other hand, the volunteer inside the building was telling me cheerfully that I and everyone else in my state would need a valid ID to vote come 2016.
Apples and Oranges. One is not the same as the other. Without being asked I handed my voter card and Driver license to the lady at the desk checking off the voter rolls. She looked at me said God Bless, Thank you> We are not even allowed to asked if we can not understand the stated name or its spelling no matter how many times we need to ask to have it spelled. THAT is nonsense. I don’t want someone voting. as me. I don;t want a non citizen voting. I don’t want a dead person voting, I don;t want someone voting 2-3-4 times.
Wow. This guy woud really hate me. I support a complete re-registration of the entire country. No Motor-voter, no registration by mail. Prove you have the right to vote and THEN AND ONLY THEN do you get to register. It is WAY PAST TIME to put the integrity back into ALL our elections.
“Voter ID” laws don’t prevent people from voting.
They prevent people from voting more than once.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for aiding the infirm in doing their civic duty.
But for the sake of our country, let’s do the same for everyone.
*******************
I believe that would be the end results. Be born within or come to the USA,
become a citizen, register to vote and produce a photo ID. Isn’t that basically
the same for all?
“I’m not aware of any reports of dead voters voting in Connecticut.”
This one must also believe in ghosts, werewolves, and virgins.
I wouldn’t send my dog to Duke.
[Except to raise a leg on the gate....]
Because for them, it's all about drama, word theater, and rebellion against the establishment, even if their own party established something a few years ago. It's about individual emotional response to random stimuli and immediate access to online publishing.
It's not about facts, statistics, nor what's most fair for most people most of the time. As long as even one of them gets an owie, the entire system must! be! trashed! "because [scapegoat] is to blame!"
Typical weepy-eyed 1960’s we-are-all-responsible liberal.
Look up “Well Intentioned Blues” from National Lampoon’s Radio Dinner. Defines this nerd to a T.
This academaniac probably has a portrait of George McGovern in his bedroom.
David A. Siegel’s 3-paragraph blurb contains “ I “ eleven times, and “my” seven times. That’s six self-references per paragraph, or two per sentence. Trying to beat 0bama’s average.
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