An Aug. 1 letter (“ID laws no big hurdle for responsible voters,” by Michial Kane) asks: “Why is acquiring a voter ID here such an insurmountable barrier? It sounds like another agenda is at work here.” That’s certainly true. Democrats are always the ones opposed to voter ID laws. For a Democrat to come out and support voter ID laws would be political heresy. That’s simply because many Democrats want all the illegal immigrants here receiving taxpayer assistance to vote for Democrats. That’s why Obama refuses to enforce immigration laws. I think he wants to continue the flood of illegal immigrants crossing our border, give them welfare and expect their vote for Democrats. This is called tax-supported vote buying.
Democrats believe strongly in resurrection because dead voters in Chicago rise out of their graves every election and vote Democrat. To require a picture ID would lessen the vote total for Democrats, pure and simple.
To cash a check, or buy alcohol or tobacco, or enter a casino or bar, one must show picture ID if requested. No problem there, unless you want to cheat. Let’s keep our ears open when voter ID laws are suggested and listen to who opposes them.
Ken Thimmesch
Cedar Rapids
Ken tells us that, “Obama refuses to enforce immigration laws.” Apparently, he does not know that deportations are at an all time high and, of those deportations, there is a much higher percentage of criminals and others that would do our country harm than in the past (under Bush).
Ken – before making a statement, check the facts.
http://univisionnews.tumblr.com/post/11650786730/deportations-rate-sets-new-record-in-2011
An immigration official recently let the truth slip out on how deportation statistics are up. It turns out that people apprehended and turned away at the border are now counted as deportees whereas they weren’t before. http://www.minutemanproject.com/article.php?id=78
In addition, there are no statistics that show how many illegals enter this country per day/year or decade.
Back to the letter.
The democrats have spent years honing there voter registration skills and the mere mention of any attempt to verify these people has the libs soiling themselves. They have now taken to signing whomever up at welfare offices. Sounds like Acorn tactics to me.
Yesterday I linked a video of an illegal who registered to vote and his vote was cast but when questioned he said he never voted. This incident was caught but how many are not? How many illegals are known to be here, how many are not?
Sue,
Registering people who show up at welfare offices falls under the heading of “Motor Voter”, which has been in effect since the ’90s. It’s called “Motor Voter” because initially it made it possible for people to register to vote at DMV offices. The law now covers all government offices—including Welfare Offices—and has for the last dozen years or so.
It’s not ACORN, it’s the law
And for your information, people on welfare are citizens–non citizens are not eligible–and have every bit as much right to vote as you do.
As for your last question–how many illegals are known to be here?
The census counts them. The number is between 11 and 13 million people
How many are not here? I think it safe to assume a whole lot more
Roberta, I wasn’t aware until just recently that welfare offices fall under the motor voter category. That makes more sense to me now that our welfare president and his followers would be signing up new constituents at the welfare offices. I haven’t a clue where those are either.
As to your comment about illegals don’t recieve welfare benefits, please cite a source.
Lastly, I’m with Brad & Gary on this subject, it’s like those endless abortion stories have now morphed into voter fraud articles.
Sue,
I’m not at all surprised that you didn’t know that people can register to vote at government offices under the “Motor Voter” law.
I’m also not surprised that you think illegals are eligible for welfare.
Why don’t you cite a sources for why you think they are
Sue,
Two links for you.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/cost-of-illegal-immigrants
http://www.saltshaker.us/hispanichope/illegals-welfare-myth
You can also contact DHS to get the eligibility requirements.
There is a difference between government services–which are open to everyone–and government welfare programs—which are only open to citizens. Seems that conservatives such as yourself have difficulty telling the difference
Mr Hubler,
You cite your source as the “Minuteman Project”.
I assume you are aware that the US Border Patrol regards the Minutemen as a nuisance and that George W Bush was not comfortable with them.
Also, their “neighborhood watch” tactics have not stopped illegals or even reduced their numbers. People crossing simply pick another spot.
As for those caught are now counted as deported whereas before they weren’t, given your track record on these things, it’s likely been the policy all along.
Minuteman Project?
How the Brutal Murders of a Little Girl and Her Father Doomed the Xenophobic Minuteman Movement
http://www.alternet.org/story/156128/how_the_brutal_murders_of_a_little_girl_and_her_father_doomed_the_xenophobic_minuteman_movement/
Democrats despise the ID laws because it limits their abilities to pull endless voter scams. People who use dead people to advance their agenda are the dead people.
The only other place I’ve ever heard the disinformation found in Thimmesch’s letter is down at Free Lunch when the homeless guys show up to eat.
They too believe that illegals are soaking up all the government welfare and that in Chicago only dead people vote.
But the homeless guys have an excuse. They’re mentally ill, prone to paranoia, easy prey for conspiracy theorists, and have limited access to reliable information
I’d like to know what’s Thimmesch’s excuse is
Chicago is full of “dead people”.
Democrats are opposed to anything that denies citizens the right to vote.
The GOP should do the same–but they cant win elections on their BS corporate welfare platform. They prefer to cheat when they cant win fair. Anything to keep their greedy tax dodging constituents in power.
Fred and Sue, maybe you could point that out in the link that Fred provided. Otherwise it pretty much backs up the point that this administration has followed current law and deported more illegal aliens that his predecessor. But again it does not support the need for voter id laws in this state. There is no data in the link that shows rampant voter id fraud in Iowa. If that is the case, then why as the GOP is prone to say, is the Secretary of State of Iowa wasting tax payer funds and resources on a witch hunt. Before you answer that, maybe you could show statistics from Iowa that show this action is needed and will remove voters who have broken the law by voting after they were dead several years. Which I’m sure it is not the case in Iowa. So the only logical conclusion I can come up with is there is a push to remove voters because of party or race. And please remember that one of the people Florida was trying to purge as an illegal alien was a WWII vet born and raised in Florida that is a registered Democrat.
I’m personally tired of this argument. I believe this is the third or fourth letter in the past couple of weeks on this issue. The arguments haven’t changed from the first one. Republicans are racist and have to cheat to win. Democrats want people to vote as often as they want, whether they are here legally or not, and have to cheat to win.
The sides are dug in, and not moving. The SCOTUS has ruled that these laws are constitutional. It’s now up to the voters. Either vote for a person that agrees with ID laws, or vote for the other guy. As far as I go, I’m tired of arguing about it.
No, Brad, the Supreme Court did not rule that voter ID laws were constitutional per se. The Court ruled that because neither side could provide witnesses or evidence to back up their arguments, they were going to let the law stand for the time being.
If you are tired of arguing over this issue, then please stop posting.
If it is up to the voters to decide, then the discussion has to continue. Those of us who oppose these laws are not going to let them stand by default.
The sky isn’t blue, per se. It’s how it is perceived through the atmosphere. As for the rest…Yawn.
brad,
I thank you both for your intelligent response and for your useful contribution to the discussion.
When you’ve lost the argument, this is what you resort to?
Talking about voter ID laws is part of the Democratic Party plan to distract the voters away from the real issues; high unemployment, federal deficit, excess regulations, screwing up healthcare, etc.
BTW – 75% of Americans support voter photo ID’s because they believe there should be high integrity in the election process. Note that 60% of Democrats agree.
talking about same sex marriage is part of the Republican Party plan to distract voters away from the real issues.
Brad you are correct this has been over debated here in this forum with a few point made from way off the field. But the simple fact is that those who are for voter id laws cannot bring any evidence from within the borders of Iowa that necessitate the needs for these laws in Iowa. They either cannot prove that there is rampant fraud or they point to evidence from Chicago from 50 years ago. The fact that the Secretary of State believes there is in issue and is willing to investigate by spending how ever many dollars is what irritates me. He is spending money when there is nothing more than hearsay from other states that this is an issue. He has yet to show any statical need for it. He’s also admitted that majority of the handful of complaints were honest mistakes by the individual at the polling place. So why is it necessary to launch this witch hunt when there is no real proof by his own admission that it’s necessary?
Don’t forget that Schultz now has a quarter million dollars of tax payer money to advance his political agenda and find a problem for his solution.
They would rather investigate citizens who vote against them than buy medicine or books for kids.
Smaller Government , ya right.
The simple fact is that Schultz is doing exactly what he promised to do. The vast majority of voters agree with what Schultz is doing. The Democrat Party is scared witless, that is the reason for the foaming at the mouth wild accusations.
This is still a representative Republic, for the extremely small minority that don’t like what Schultz is doing, they have two years to run a candidate that promises to remove, or as Dems are want to do, just stop enforcing, the law.
As a side note, why is it Dems dont care about the undo burden to minorities and the poor when it comes to the requirement to show an ID to purchase ammunition? Quite the double standard there. But that is the trademark for a practicing Democrat.
Antony,
Is it a double standard or is it that Democrats think it more important that people be ensured their right to vote than that they be be ensured their right to shoot people
A response equal to your ignorance. Try to define the purpose of the 2cnd amendment. IF you can do it correctly, align your response to the purpose of the 2cnd amendment.
Excuse me, Mr Antony,
We are talking about the right to vote. Stay on topic
Actually anyone who believes in the US Constitution would oppose anything beyond simple voter registration.
Mr Williams,
Do you ever get the feeling that conservatives really don’t care about the Constitution.
They also don’t seem to care that voters are vetted through the registration process which allows all kinds of documents to establish residency and citizenship.
The requirements for registering to vote in Iowa are available on line—check the county auditor’s page. What’s really hairtearing is that some of these voter IDers think that the requirements for registering–which don’t require a state issued photo ID–are what poll workers are going to be asking for at the polls.
The clerk at the Auditor’s Office has both the time and the resources to check to see if what’s handed in as proof of identity is legitimate. The poll worker does not.
Can you imagine standing in line while people ahead of you are hauling out utility bills and notorized statements and school records and birth certificates and God knows what all else. At the Auditor’s Office it makes sense. At the polls it does not.
What about the judges finding that a photo ID is not an undue burden? In a the face of judicial finding of fact and law, there is no undue burden. Now.
Any and all can vote. Those without legally required ID can cast a provisional ballot. In a close election, those provisional ballots will be vetted and counted.
See, all is good. Votes counted.
Now stop with the sillyness
Still havent addressed the double standard concerning the poor and minority burden to exercise their enumerated 2cnd amendment rights.
And who is running in 2014 to replace Schultz on a promise to overturn the will of the people? For people that claim to honor the constitution, you sure dont much like the people establishing their own rules for something as basic as voting.
Sorry, Antony, the judges did not find that an ID was not an undue burder. They found that the plaintiff did not prove that it was an undue burden. There’s a difference.
Should, in a future lawsuit, the plaintiff prove undue burden, the law is toast.
Real election fraud.
Four staffers in U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter’s office will face charges in the petition signature scandal that led to the abrupt end of his decade in Congress.
Most of the charges were filed against McCotter’s Deputy District Director Don Yowchuang and District Director Paul Seewald. Yowchuang faces 17 charges — 11 felonies and six misdemeanors — and Seewald 10 — one felony and nine misdemeanors.
The charges were announced Thursday by Attorney General Bill Schuette at state offices at Cadillac Place in Detroit.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120809/POLITICS01/208090442#ixzz23Wmv33Xa
Maybe, Mr Ellickson, Republicans are convinced that they can pull off this voter ID rubbish because they’ve convinced themselves that the rest of us are as dumb as they are.
Roberta, they simply have known for a very long time that their leverage in elections goes up, as the number of voters go down. By limiting the number of voters, by any means possible, they increase their advantage.
http://youtu.be/WPsl_TuFdes
They are not interested in democracy, they are interested in control.
I have yet to see proof of in-person voter fraud in the state of Iowa. For a party that professes the need for a smaller government, there is an awful big push to create Voter ID laws to combat a non-existent problem. Like it or not, there are American citizens that do no have ID. Many of them poor or elderly. If it is a choice between disenfrancising thousands of voters to prevent a handful of in-person voter fraud, then let the people vote. The practicality of in-person voter fraud is laughable. If the GOP were actually concerned with voter fraud, then put in regulations to standardize voting standards in each state. The cases of fraud usually stem from those running the local/state/federal elections and not from in-person fraud. ID Laws will do nothing to combat the fraud that is actually happening. Voter registration has worked in every Iowa election to date and should be enough going forward.
Again, where is the proof that this is a huge issue in Iowa. All links provide are pointing for the need for voter id laws in other states, but none for Iowa. Why is that? There is no proof or circumstance where this is a problem in Iowa. Each state has the right to enact laws governing the registration of voters. So far the laws in this state have worked. If ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If that is the case here then our Secretary of State is wasting my tax dollars on a modern day Salem Witch Hunt. Where is the GOP concern about wasting tax dollars in this case. Me thinks it basically comes down to eliminating percentages of legally registered voters in order to tip the balance so Mittens and his little shadow can win the state.
“Maybe, Mr Ellickson, Republicans are convinced that they can pull off this voter ID rubbish because they’ve convinced themselves that the rest of us are as dumb as they are.”
Roberta somewhere around 70% of Iowans want voters to ID themselves. Calling 70% of your fellow Iowans is not the best way to influence others to your way of thinking.
So why do you hate our representative form of govt? The voters have spoken at the polls and they find your argument is deficient, and logic fuzzy.
If you dont like the will of the people, I betting you’ll like the tyranny of the ruling class less.
BTW the judge in fact ruled that no one was hindered by presenting ID to vote. Evidence that is quite plain to you eludes lawyers that made the charge.