Whenever enlightened people gain control of our government or in the next republic, if it comes to that, the vote must be restricted to those who pay taxes (which will be most people) and the government should be required to balance its budget except in time of declared war. The idea that all men are created equal and should therefore be able to vote is baloney. All men should be treated fairly and with compassion, but only those who pay some amount of tax, regardless how small, actually have some skin in the game and should be able to decide how much they are willing to spend.
More @ Conservative Byte
Yes, with a slight modification. I would say active members of the military (actually deployed overseas), and all people whose net tax contribution is positive should pay. Bureaucrats, recipients of corporate bailouts, and other welfare bums don't have a net contribution and shouldn't have a voice in determining how other's money is spent (or at least have a reduced voice, perhaps keep them from voting in senate elections). However, I think they should have a voice in choosing the president, as head of the executive branch could have some effect on them and they should also have some influence on the legislature. Also, there should be a minimum positive amount of net taxes set so as to discourage people rounding up the homeless to skew the vote and giving them $5 each for taxes. We also want to make sure it is NET taxes, not gross, as this will keep the shenanigans with public sector unions down.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the trouble is that to implement the above system and to make it truly fair and stable over the long term, the government would need far more data on each of us than they already have. Given that I anticipate that many in our number could already call the TSA to determine whether we have an enlarged prostate, that may be a bridge too far.
Really, the main issue I have with the constitution is the lack of a clear "or else" in there that bureaucrats would listen to (there are plenty "or elses" in there of varying degrees of strength, but none that grab the bureaucrat by the short and curlies and make them listen). Clearly allowing states to secede might be a start.
I would also further add that congresscritters should have term limits (let's say 12 years total, no matter what) to keep the corruption down and that they should have to serve that much time again as private citizens with a net tax payment before they can work for any government office or lobbyist.
Maybe that could work for a bit, I don't know. I kind of think that if we are a corrupt people who want to live off the work of others, that such a system would still not slow us down. There is no lock that can't eventually be opened.
WIII
There is no lock that can't eventually be opened.
DeleteExcellent post, but your last sentence is discouraging though true, damn it!
I was a young lad when MI held a vote whether to let non property owners vote or not. Even at a young age of 7 or 8 I was asked by my dad of my opinion, and I thought it wrong then. I asked how could someone vote on something that had no stake in the game? (paraphrased) What would stop them from causing others to pay more than unduly necessary for that which would not affect them directly? It is just asinine! Well, we are a state controlled by the unions and we/they got what wethey asked for, although not all of us asked for it. "Even at the young age of 7 or 8".
ReplyDeletehow could someone vote on something that had no stake in the game?
Delete& here we are.
Only valid & legal US citizen should be allowed to vote.
ReplyDeleteSomeone brought up a simple test that you would have to pass.
DeleteShared on Hype and Fail on FB, along with the reminder that I TOLD them we'd be having this discussion after the election--thanks for starting it!
ReplyDeleteI think Anon raises some interesting questions in the first post, and it's a thorny issue. The Naturalization Test might be a good place to start: pass it with 70% correct (3 tries a year per person) or no voting; you must retest every X years. Military service with an Honorable Discharge ought to get you privileges for life. (hat tip to Bob Heinlein) Alternatively, set it up so that you MUST pay $1 dollar more in taxes than you receive for X years to gain the vote for life (the government already has that data, and it would cover the disabled and the retired). I want it to be relatively easy for people, but not a gimmie...people don't value something that's free as much as something they have to work for, it's just a basic rule of human behavior.
Some good ideas.
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