In anticipation of yet another knee-jerk response to my proposal that we limit voting, let me remind you that there is absolutely no constitutional guarantee of your right to vote in any federal election. Do some reading. It isn?t there. A latte to the person who can find anything in our Constitution that sounds remotely like ?each citizen shall have the right to vote in a federal election.? Happy hunting.
Suggestions? OK, here you go. Chose the one you like the best and let?s start a movement.
1. Welfare recipients. Those who depend on government forced income redistribution should stay at home on election day and enjoy the fruits of plunder. With all the opportunity that America offers, if you haven?t managed to obtain some level of self-sufficiency by the time you?re a young adult then you should leave important decisions, like who?s going to lead this country, to more qualified citizens.
2. Voters without a clue. Less than one-fourth of Americans can name the two Senators from their home state. The majority of Americans can?t tell you who the Secretary of State or the Vice President is. As voters enter a polling place they should be given a simple short quiz. Name your congressman, your two Senators and the Vice President. Those who successfully answer ALL the questions get sent to a voting machine that actually works. Those who can?t pass this simple citizenship test get shuttled off to a voting machine with no innards. They can punch buttons to their heart?s content, but all they?re getting is some rather lame exercise. They voted, they?re happy. We know their votes don?t count. We?re ecstatic!
I have more ideas, but not enough space. For those of you who do believe strongly that everyone should be able to vote, I have an alternate proposal. President Calvin Coolidge once said that ?The business of America is business.? Let?s put that concept to work at the voting booth. Let?s treat America like a business and make every American a shareholder. Shareholders get to vote their shares at the shareholder?s meeting every two years.
Did I say shares? Plural? Yup. Just as with any business corporation, not everyone has the same number of shares. Just how do you acquire shares in America, Inc.? Well, you have one share issued to you just by virtue of your being a citizen. You buy additional shares by paying income taxes.
Sounds intriguing, doesn?t it?
We can work on the numbers when we get closer to implementing the plan, but for now let?s just say that you get one additional share in America, Inc. for each $25,000 in income taxes you pay during the tax year preceding the election. If you paid $24,999.00 or less in income taxes in 2003, you get one vote in the 2004. Taxpayers forking over between $25,000 and $49,999 get two votes, and so on. A taxpayer who pays $200,000 in income taxes will be casting eight votes on election day. To keep Hillary from controlling an election the next time she gets a huge bonus to write a book we?ll go ahead and make eight the maximum number of votes any individual can cast.
Don?t you just love it? The people who actually fuel our economy with their hard work and attention to decisions will get a greater voice in the direction our country takes! What a concept!