I'm a Florida resident who has to go back there to vote or vote by absentee ballot. We've long had a requirement there to show a government-issued photo ID to vote and it's never been a problem. If you want to travel by air, you're required to show one and nobody has complained that their right to travel has been denied as a result, so why not require the same to elect people to public office. The idea that this is a way of denying Blacks or Hispanics legally entitled to vote is pure and simple hogwash! If they are legal residents, they probably already have ID and if not legal residents, they shouldn't be able to vote. That's America! There has been voter fraud and it hasn't always been caught and dealt with. A couple of simple inexpensive safeguards like showing ID and registering to vote is a commonsense way to ensure the validity and integrity of our election process. Heroes have died to protect this right - don't cheapen it or compromise it!
I agree with the editors on this one. Entitlements have grown out of control over the years. Retirements that were once modest are now extravagant as the creep in benefits has steadily increased over time. Just as with social security, these government systems were originally designed at a time when the average lifespan in America was around 60 years. Now, with advances in health and nutrition, the average person is likely to live into their 80's and the retirement systems have become unaffordable. We need to make smart, time-phased adjustments to these systems to encourage people to work longer, which has shown to be beneficial to mental and physical health. If we wait, at some point the system will collapse the government's financial system and all citizens will suffer the tragic results.
millerke6771 2 years, 3 months ago
Voter ID: Throwback to Bad Old Days?
I'm a Florida resident who has to go back there to vote or vote by absentee ballot. We've long had a requirement there to show a government-issued photo ID to vote and it's never been a problem. If you want to travel by air, you're required to show one and nobody has complained that their right to travel has been denied as a result, so why not require the same to elect people to public office. The idea that this is a way of denying Blacks or Hispanics legally entitled to vote is pure and simple hogwash! If they are legal residents, they probably already have ID and if not legal residents, they shouldn't be able to vote. That's America! There has been voter fraud and it hasn't always been caught and dealt with. A couple of simple inexpensive safeguards like showing ID and registering to vote is a commonsense way to ensure the validity and integrity of our election process. Heroes have died to protect this right - don't cheapen it or compromise it!
millerke6771 2 years, 5 months ago
Great Job, Guv - Except on Pensions
I agree with the editors on this one. Entitlements have grown out of control over the years. Retirements that were once modest are now extravagant as the creep in benefits has steadily increased over time. Just as with social security, these government systems were originally designed at a time when the average lifespan in America was around 60 years. Now, with advances in health and nutrition, the average person is likely to live into their 80's and the retirement systems have become unaffordable. We need to make smart, time-phased adjustments to these systems to encourage people to work longer, which has shown to be beneficial to mental and physical health. If we wait, at some point the system will collapse the government's financial system and all citizens will suffer the tragic results.