The Idea: Make a veeery simple test that people take before voting, say 10 easy questions about the major candidates positions on the issues and major bills. This would keep people who just vote based on hair style and whatnot out of the polls, allowing only those who know what they're voting for to vote. Discuss.
Hmmmm... Sounds like you're trying to take the U.S. back about 40 years. Chances are you aren't even old enough to remember that period of time when Civil Rights were the BIG issue - including the right of everyone to vote! Sorry, but if someone is dumb enough to vote on the basis of hair style, it's still one of their very basic rights - in this country, anyway.
I don't care much about what race the voters are, but I don't want dumbfuckers, ie the common american, having any role in dictating who runs the country... bring back the literacy test and then some
And you make it pretty clear why YOU aren't running the country. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
"Let's see ... two legs, two eyes, one nose - I'm sorry sir, but you look quite common to me." "But I'm ... I'm an alchoholic and an adulterer!" "Also common, sir." "I've had two kids by different mistresses!" "Hmm ... says here the average number of children is one and a half. Guess that means you can vote."
Ha-ha! And that's not all you're missing. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! With your attitude and outlook you'll never even be able to win a small, local election. You'd be very lucky to get even 10% of the votes. And you know what's really funny? The votes that you do manage to get will come from the very dumb**** that you despise so much! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! No intelligent voter would accept the kind of things you support - like your proposal in this thread.
so you have to know enough to vote now? the reason women and foreigners were kept from voting was because they weren't seen as smart enough, please dont send us back to those days
Oh jesus christ people will you drop the race card? No, this has absolutely nothing to do with racism. If you automatically think of that you really need to form some opinions about facts instead of skin color. The majority of Americans are complete morons, the biggest influince on voting are most likely the negative hate ads on TV. Almost no one can argue about politics coherently, most just babble whatever mantra they've been told to babble by their respective side. Voting should be something based on a choice, not a balance of political influince over the common idiot. That's what the test is about. If you don't know what you're voting for, you don't vote. If that happens to be 70% of any group, they simply have more people who don't deserve to vote than another group of people. That's not racism, that's just a test you can pass or fail. Saying that's racist is ignorant. Honestly, I'd think white men would fail these tests more than anyone else, the average white guy has absolutely no reason to be involved in politics, as he isn't discriminated against, or percieves himself to be discriminated against, as much as other groups.
The point isn't that literacy test = racism so much as literacy test = too much power in the hands of those administering the test, which they can use to further any private prejudices.
I seriously doubt you fully realize what your idea would lead to. Just exactly WHO would construct the tests? And who would decide what a passing grade is? And what's to keep the tests from being set up in such a way as to purposely include/exclude groups of people? It doesn't have to be racial at all though that's a very good likelihood. The tests could easily be biased socio-economically and more likely along political divisions. You're falsely assuming the test would be fair but there's way too much opportunity for the whole process to be abused. And whenever the chance for abuse exists it WILL be abused.
Now look, U r nothing when compared to me in terms of getting a idea. So for me U r dumb, so just because I know U r dumb are U ready to give up your right to vote ?
Dah! Me get good thing when do good stuff, and ah... good many stuff get wonderful Earl! Coconut oil. S'il vous plait.
This is true, and the reason I wouldn't dream of seriously bringing it up in the real world, but I thought the idea should be discussed. I realize it's kind of idealist, but it's a decent idea nonetheless. I like to think people would do the right thing every now and then... ya know? Anyway, I still don't think racism is the issue here. As long as the standards are kept even for all races that's not the issue, if there are spurts of racism in the polls it WILL be discovered and prosecuted Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! As for poor people, if they can't read and still understand politics then, wow, they probably kick alot of ass. That's some initiative, and I'm sure someone could help them read the test the same way a blind person would be helped. But as for poor people who don't know dick about politics, same as a literate person that doesn't know dick about politics... you don't know what you're voting for and you don't vote.
Ya' know, it's interesting ....for years, both parties have been busting their asses to get more people to vote as something like less than 50% vote now. And here y'all are trying to figure out ways to make LESS people vote?! Hmm, what's going on that I'm missing? Or maybe we should just go back to letting only wealthy landowners vote ...wouldn't that be nice? I mean, the wealthy are wealthy because they have enough brains to become wealthy and to hold on to it. And isn't that what y'all are wanting ...smart people only to vote? Baron Max
Incompetent voters are just as bad, if not worse, than ones who don't vote. So of the 50% that do vote, if you take out all the damaging, incompetent ones that already vote, it'd be like 15-20%. Oh goodie. Not smart people. Just those with simple common sense. Heck, I'm sure there's people out there who vote that don't even know that Bush is a republican or Kerry (etc) is a democrat. Heh, even a simple question asking what party your candidate belongs to would be one huge step in the right direction. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! - N
Of course, but that simply doesn't happen. Even if you stopped them and told everyone individually what they're voting in you think a majority will listen and understand what you're saying? As it is now I'd guess 40-50% of the people that actually do vote do so with no real knowlege of what they're voting on. Another fair chunk are just regurgitating stuff they don't understand, just what people tell them to say/think. If that's anywhere close to true our system is beyond flawed. I'd guess this is why attack ads are the most influintial form of political persuasion... Everyone can understand an insult and put a face with it. Anyway, this is just my 2 cents. Keep in mind this is a forum, not congress, I'm not of the mind to think this would ever actually work, it's just sort of an ideal. And if you disagree with me, explain why people who are ignorant of what they're voting for deserve to vote? I don't care that it's in the constitution, as far as I'm concerned such documents just hold back the societies they are respectively bound to. I couldn't even tell you how many hateful acts were justified with the bible.
