Voter ID - My Take

Was just over at Tom's place where there's all kinds of caterwauling and gnashing of teeth over the myriad of voter ID proposals floating about these days.  It's now reached the point to where every single proposed plan is viewed as some sort of scheme designed to screw Obama out of the election by disenfranchising all of the poor people who would vote for him.

I don't for one moment doubt that squadrons of right-wing zealots spend their every waking hour trying to figure out some scheme to screw Obama out of the election, but this ain't one of them.

I can't speak for the rest of the country, but in my home state of Florida, the whole thing got started by a routine check in the Supervisor of Election's office in Dade County (Miami)(or someplace in them parts).  Anyway, the routine check uncovered several thousand registered voters who were not U.S. citizens.  Some of them were illegal aliens.  Some were green card aliens.  Regardless, none of them were citizens and the Constitution is pretty clear that you have to be a U.S. citizen to vote.  Makes sense to me.

Because of the Dade County findings, other counties began to check as well and they have all found registered voters who are not citizens.  Not a great number of them mind you, but enough to let us know that there is a hole in the dyke that needs to be patched.

Most states are leaning towards requiring a birth certificate for proof of citizenship and this seems to be the major cause of the ruckus.  But here's the thing, the reason we can't use a driver's licenses is because you don't have to be a citizen to get a driver's license.  Green card aliens, even tourists on extended visas, can get a driver's license.  The reason you can't use a Social Security Card as proof of citizenship is because you don't have to be a citizen to get a card and pay into the system.  Indeed, you are required to pay into the system if you earn money in the U.S. of A. regardless of your citizenship status.

So, what does constitute proof of citizenship?  What document does the average American possess that proves citizenship besides a birth certificate?  I had to come up with the original copy of mine to simply renew my driver's license and the frigging thing is from Panama!  Can you imagine the bureaucratic red tape I would have had to go through to get another one had I not had it?  You tell a Florida Cracker whose family settled this country in 1664 that he ain't a citizen and there's gonna be fireworks.  (The way things are going however, I might just go back to Panama!)

Of course, I guess I could simply have asked Obama where he got his.   (Just kidding.  Just kidding.  Don't get your bowels in an uproar.)