I’ve never actually seen a Bizarro World comic but according to Wikipedia the code for the cube-shaped planet is “Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!”
Add “Us hate truth” and “Us love screwing with the democratic process” to that code and we have the motivation for Bizarro Secretary of State Tre Hargett to award Bizarro State Senator Bill Ketron (R, Murfreesboro) the 2008-09 National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award for, as the Rutherford County Dems put it, “all his legislative effort to delay the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act and to kill the state’s Ethics Comission [sic].”
“I am honored to present the NASS Medallion Award to Sen. Ketron for his work in pursuing the highest standards of integrity in the electoral process as well as his work to protect the fiscal stability of local governments,†says Mr. Hargett.
Wow. How bizarre. During the legislative session we had here on earth (not-Bizarro world?, reality-based community?), Senator Ketron not-pursued “the highest standards of integrity in the election process.” Here on earth, he sponsored three election-related bills that would disenfranchise Tennessee voters.
First, he carried the bill that would delay until 2012 the replacement of the unsecure and unverifiable electronic voting machines we use now in 93 out of 95 counties with paper ballots.
He also sponsored the photo ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register bills that were both solutions in search of problems.
Secretary of State Hargett learned a lot about Bizarro World politics from 8 years of the Bush Administration, but so have the people of Tennessee. We especially learned, from bizarro-world titles like the “Clear Skies Initiative” and “No Child Left Behind,” that just because you give it a flowery name doesn’t mean it smells pretty.
H/T: Joke of the Day from Woods at Pith
You still did not answer my question. Why not require picture ID? Most of the legislation I have seen has provisions to provide the photo ID for free to those that qualify. Who else does not have photo ID and why can’t they get one?
You don’t have a right to buy beer, check out a library book, etc. Voting is a right.
And you answered your own question. But it’s not just the elderly that do not have photo ids.
Also, stiff penalties are in already place for anyone who lies on their voter registration form.
Can you show me one case of voter fraud (not election fraud) that has been prosecuted in the last decade?
What exactly is the problem with showing a photo ID to vote? You can’t do simple things like buy beer, check out a library book, drive, cash a check. I understand some elderly don’t have photos on their ID and that can be accommodated. Why is it that we require ID for everyday activities but not for one of the most important tasks we perform? Save the crap about disenfranchisement. In a modern society people expect to be asked for ID.