Disenfranchisement

The Fall 2012 issue of Sentencing Times reports that as of the 2012 elections 5.85 million Americans could not vote because of felony convictions. The Republicans are winning. Unfortunately one can't blame just the Republicans; the Democrats share responsibility. Prohibiting a convicted felon from voting is discrimination of the most blatant kind; we simply don't call it discrimination. Why is it that a convicted felon can not vote? Are folks who have a felony drunk driving conviction, have been caught producing methamphetamine, or selling crack not subject to the same laws, responsibilities, use the same roads, pay the same taxes as those of us who do not have felony convictions? Or, is it simply punishment? In my view it is simply that if a person will not do what he is told to do, he won't be able to vote. There isn't much more to it than this. It is clear why the Republicans don't want these people to vote; they will not support the idea of being tough on crime and usually they are receiving some sort of government support which indicates they are morally deficient. Morally deficient people should not be given assistance; it merely engenders more moral deficiency. Moral deficiency is loosely translated as those who can not support themselves, who require disability payments, food stamps, housing assistance, free medical care, etc. Those who wish all forms of public assistance be terminated to not know what they wish; and besides, not one dollar of public assistance does not eventually end up on the pocket of those who do not receive any. It is the trickle up effect. I have had the notion at various, idle moments that at some point in the life of this country, the land of the free and the home of the brave, that we will all be required to take our turn in jail. It will be a sort of mandatory thing that all will be required to do somewhat like military subscription was at one time for all men. As more and more of us will become felons, the number of people disenfranchised will increase until the powers that be have just the people they want electing them. They will not be Romney's 47%; they will be, rather, those who have spent their lives acquiring wealth and living in gated communities having contact with the rabble only when shopping. There is nothing about this process that is catastrophic or sudden which would draw the attention of those paid to report the news; it is incremental-slow and steady. Every legislative session we create more felons; it is an annual event. There must be a big poster nailed somewhere on the halls of government reminding those elected to do our business that it is time to disenfranchise another group of citizens. Elections have become way too costly; too many people must be convinced to vote for a particular person. The fewer people who can vote, the less it will cost and the less time and effort it will take.

Let Them Vote!

Our governor, Terry Branstad, has magnanimously decreed that it will now be easier for convicted felons to regain their right to vote. One does wonder about this as most convicted felons who would even consider voting are democrats. I'm sure there are many in his party that question the propriety of this demonstration of democratic enthusiasm. All is well though, in that most felons don't vote. They have long ago accepted the fact that voting has no effect whatsoever on their lives and is more trouble than it is worth. The harm done by this act is minimal, if any. The other sop given to the hardliners is the money. In order to be able to vote, these convicted felons will have to pay. It will cost money to vote. From what was reported of the decision by the governor in the paper, which may or may not have any basis in fact, in order for a felon to regain his right to vote, he must have paid his fines, court costs, attorney fees, and restitution or be making regular payments on them. Since 80%, at a minimum, of convicted felons are destitute, not much will be added to the state treasury from this decision by the governor--although it does sound good and will placate those of us who worry constantly about the state budget and high taxes. What this does, in fact, is further restrict the right to vote. The governor proclaims that it will now be easier for a felon to regain his right to vote but at the same time requiring money to do it. The effect is the opposite of the proclaimed which is exactly how we do things in this country. It works since most of us don't think about anything at all and certainly will not spend any time analyzing the governor's proclamation but will take it for what it is stated to be. As we are also creating felons at a rapid pace, the numbers of the public able to vote will continue to diminish. The legislature creates new felons every session. They should quit the quibbling and just make every crime a felony and we can solve the problem of ne'er-do-wells voting once and for all.