August 19, 2013

The drumbeat continues to praise America’s form of democracy. GW Bush tried unsuccessfully to instill it in Iraq and Afghanistan in the face of thousands of years of tribal law and Islamic theory. The result thus far: 4,486 American soldiers killed in Iraq and an additional 2,130 in Afghanistan as of the date above.

We prize our voting privileges above all other rights. But do we really want just anyone who happens to pass by a polling place to vote?  If so: why?

Shouldn’t we insist that each voter, regardless of race, sexual preference, or country of origin be literate and informed – at least to a high school level?

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying: An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.

Winston Churchill said it with irony: The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with a voter.

If Jefferson is correct: How can we ensure that each voter is qualified to cast his or her vote based on a sound mind.

I submit that each ballot contain, at the very top of the form, a series of seven questions; five of which must be correct in order for the vote to count.

Typical questions might include:

1) Is 200 greater than 15% of 1,000?

2) Which side won the Civil War?  The North or the West?

3) How many Senators serve in the House of Representatives?

a. 50, b) 200, c) None

4) Can Puerto Ricans vote in the U.S. national election?

5) Texas was one of the original thirteen states. True or False?

6) Who is the largest arms supplier to third world dictators?

a. Russia, b) France, c)USA

7) If the President dies in office, who succeeds him?

a. Vice President, b)Nancy Pelosi, c) Commissioner of IRS

Okay, it’s not perfect – but we gotta start someplace. Our survival as a free people depends on it.