Thread: Are you really qualified to vote?

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Last Updated: 5:18 am | Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Are you really qualified to vote?
BY JOHN MYERS
If you're a legal immigrant to the United States, then you know that our government required you to pass a test about our history and the workings of our government. You probably know the three branches of our government and their functions.

You probably know more about the Constitution than most U.S. citizens that were born here.

If you were born in the United States, the fairy godmother of wisdom tapped you on the head exactly 18 years after the day you were removed from your mother's womb. With no further ado, you became a voter.

Consider the political ads that have inundated the airwaves for weeks. Most are dramatic, emotional, childish, negative, sniping ads, often based on half-truths. But they are directed at voters!

These ads were probably not directed to you and me because we read newspaper editorials. I also watch a lot of TV news and listen to talk radio, so I can see through the half-truths and recognize the twisted or missing facts very quickly.

So, who are they targeting? Obviously, they are targeting a lot of people that they believe will be voting Nov. 7. The question is, do you really want those people voting?

If your health were threatened and you had a choice of three different life-saving operations, would you want U.S. voters voting on your final selection? Have you ever watched Jay Leno do his "Jay Walk" and ask questions like. "Who is the vice president?" Have you ever wondered why we need term limits to protect ourselves from voters?

If our students cannot read and do math at a high school level, are they somehow better at economics or the Constitution? Are there voters who believe the law of supply and demand was legislated by Congress back in the 1930s?

It seems the only major issue in this election will be the war in Iraq, even if the candidate is running for dog catcher. Forget about taxes, unemployment, the economy, safety, health care, immigration or Social Security going down the drain. All we need now is "change" and everything will be better, and the TV ad agrees.

The only "change" needed in this and any other U.S. election is qualified voters who study and can understand all the issues and can understand all the consequences of their choices.

John Myers of Springdale has been a consultant to plastic film manufacturing plants worldwide for 25 years.
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Originally Posted by jimpasz

If you're a legal immigrant to the United States, then you know that our government required you to pass a test about our history and the workings of our government. You probably know the three branches of our government and their functions.

You probably know more about the Constitution than most U.S. citizens that were born here.

This guy needs to stay with plastic film consulting. Most legal immigrants DO NOT know any of this. Only naturalized US citizens know it. There is a big difference between the two, which is lost on this writer.

Originally Posted by TimBinh

Originally Posted by jimpasz

If you're a legal immigrant to the United States, then you know that our government required you to pass a test about our history and the workings of our government. You probably know the three branches of our government and their functions.

You probably know more about the Constitution than most U.S. citizens that were born here.

This guy needs to stay with plastic film consulting. Most legal immigrants DO NOT know any of this. Only naturalized US citizens know it. There is a big difference between the two, which is lost on this writer.

I don't know, there are alot of dumba$$es who are US citizens and would be lucky to be able to spell their name correctly let alone know what a constitution is. There are plenty of empty heads out there that don't even know what the bill of rights are, but could tell you everything you need to know about who their favorite celeb is or what their favorite show on TV is. Chances are your right, but given the nature and the stupidity of most voters, is what this guy said really that far fetched?