The War Against Youth

[Glista]

http://www.esquire.com/features/youn...recession-0412

HOW TO DISENFRANCHISE A GENERATION:

Across the country, state branches of the Republican party are making a thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise the young through "voting reform." The trick is simple: Require government-issue photo ID before allowing somebody to vote. Eighteen percent of young voters don't have current photo IDs. Scott Walker in Wisconsin has signed this "reform" into law. So has Rick Perry in Texas. Similar new rules are going forward in roughly thirty other states. Restricting out-of-state IDs is a natural next step, already under way: That way, thousands of college students won't be able to vote. The Advancement Project, a civil-rights advocacy group, calls the move "the largest legislative effort to scale back voting rights in a century."

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AMERICA IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE ELSE:

A generation now means an economic cohort — a moment in the cycle of rising and (mostly) falling economic data. The UK has 21.8 percent youth unemployment, France 22.8 percent, Hungary 26.1 percent, Italy 28.2 percent, Spain 47.8 percent. Around the world, young people are beginning to be defined by their unemployment: the mileuristas of Spain, "those who earn less than a thousand euros"; the NEETs of England, "not in employment, education, or training"; the hittistes of Tunisia, "those who lean against the wall." Revolutions or unmanageable riots have inevitably followed the rise of masses of bored, underemployed young people.

I know its Esquire magazine, but you all are smart people so you will separate good seeds from bad seeds in article. Are old farts (no disrespect for some senior forum members) spending young peoples future away ?

[Vítor Gaspar]

Of course. Republicans know 80% of the young people vote Democrat.

[Big War Bird]

Cry me a river. If a person is too lazy/too stupid to get get identification then that person is not fit to cast a ballot.

You cannot write a check without photo id, you can't get on an airplane, you can't buy a house, you can't rent a house. You can't drive a car without id.

A person can hardly function without some sort of state issued photo identification. It is no burden whatsoever to require a person to photo identification considering that so much of daily life already requires it.

Getting to a polling place is harder than obtaining and showing photo identification.

[Captain Arrrgh!]

Cry me a river. If a person is too lazy/too stupid to get get identification then that person is not fit to cast a ballot.

You cannot write a check without photo id, you can't get on an airplane, you can't buy a house, you can't rent a house. You can't drive a car without id.

A person can hardly function without some sort of state issued photo identification. It is no burden whatsoever to require a person to photo identification considering that so much of daily life already requires it.

Getting to a polling place is harder than obtaining and showing photo identification.

When I first started reading this I thought it was harsh, but actually it rings true. If someone's too daft or apathetic to get a photo id, imagin how knee-jerk easily swayed they are in voting?
But actually, I"ve a feeling this isn't targeting youth, per se, but actually certain racial demographics, similar voting obstacles were applied several decades ago in certain regions of the US, to signifigant effect, actually.

Back in my day all we needed was a contractually binding handshake and our word to prove we were of legal age, land owning citizens, and residents... Though before that we couldn't vote... Ah, the Monarchy. I was only 43 when George Washington stayed the night at the Folsom Tavern in Exeter, New Hampshire. The year were 1783 Anno Domini if I do recall correctly.

You forgot to mention spitting in the palm first, didn't you have to spit into your palms before shaking?

[kentuckybandit]

But actually, I"ve a feeling this isn't targeting youth, per se, but actually certain racial demographics, similar voting obstacles were applied several decades ago in certain regions of the US, to signifigant effect, actually.

Please elaborate as to how codifying the need for a state issued photo ID in order to vote is in any way a voting obstacle targeting certain racial demographics.

[Captain Arrrgh!]

Please elaborate as to how codifying the need for a state issued photo ID in order to vote is in any way a voting obstacle targeting certain racial demographics.

No.
A very touchy subject, on a site that doesn't do well with touchy subjects, with a member (me) that has a temper which is too short to argue about them. Feel free to ponder it, though.

Erm, how is it targeting race? Blacks and hispanics need IDs to buy cigarettes and booze too.

Oh Gawd, since two people are looking for a fight about this, here's one example.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...xas-wisconsin/
ID for booze and cigarattes? Where do you live? Mayberry?

[kentuckybandit]

No.
A very touchy subject, on a site that doesn't do well with touchy subjects, with a member (me) that has a temper which is too short to argue about them. Feel free to ponder it, though.

Really? That is your answer?

[Admiral Piett]

No.
A very touchy subject, on a site that doesn't do well with touchy subjects, with a member (me) that has a temper which is too short to argue about them. Feel free to ponder it, though.


Oh Gawd, since two people are looking for a fight about this, here's one example.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...xas-wisconsin/
ID for booze and cigarattes? Where do you live? Mayberry?

So, because of a politically motivated injunction, that means that this is a racial issue? It's no secret that the Democrats are heavily reliant in Texas on hispanic voters.

And what are you talking about? In Texas you get major fines for not asking for ID. The people pissing and moaning about not having an ID should not get any sympathy. Most hispanics have no problem with this. This is all conjured BS by the Obama administration for an election cycle.

[Admiral Piett]

But actually, I"ve a feeling this isn't targeting youth, per se, but actually certain racial demographics, similar voting obstacles were applied several decades ago in certain regions of the US, to signifigant effect, actually.

Erm, how is it targeting race? Blacks and hispanics need IDs to buy cigarettes and booze too. This is nothing like polling tests.

[mongrel]

Cry me a river. If a person is too lazy/too stupid to get get identification then that person is not fit to cast a ballot.

You cannot write a check without photo id, you can't get on an airplane, you can't buy a house, you can't rent a house. You can't drive a car without id.

A person can hardly function without some sort of state issued photo identification. It is no burden whatsoever to require a person to photo identification considering that so much of daily life already requires it.

Getting to a polling place is harder than obtaining and showing photo identification.

College students will be disenfranchised whether they are " too lazy/too stupid to get get identification " or not. It is a unnecessary bureaucratic impediment to people who want to exercise their civil rights. A bit like Jim Crow lite, I suppose.

[HissingNewt]

College students will be disenfranchised whether they are " too lazy/too stupid to get get identification " or not. It is a unnecessary bureaucratic impediment to people who want to exercise their civil rights. A bit like Jim Crow lite, I suppose.

Except not at all like Jim Crow. Let's not play the race card on this. It's a law aimed solely at preventing voter fraud because at this point, some person I've never met could show up in the general election and cast a vote in my name, because the state can't ask them to prove who they are. Is that fair? Is it at all intelligent?

[mongrel]

Except not at all like Jim Crow. Let's not play the race card on this. It's a law aimed solely at preventing voter fraud because at this point, some person I've never met could show up in the general election and cast a vote in my name, because the state can't ask them to prove who they are. Is that fair? Is it at all intelligent?

I believe that only you are playing that card. As I recall people were not prevented from voting because of the colour of their skin, the mandate was restricted so that voter registration was impossible for many poor white people and black people, with poll taxes, literacy and other tests, residency and other bureaucratic nonsense geting in the way. This made it easier for state governments who practiced these laws to kick said people in the nuts.

Was ID a pressing issue before? Did those hanging chads have IDs? Why would a conservative wish the state to determine who should vote and who should not?

[molonthegreat]

I believe that only you are playing that card. As I recall people were not prevented from voting because of the colour of their skin, the mandate was restricted so that voter registration was impossible for many poor white people and black people, with poll taxes, literacy and other tests, residency and other bureaucratic nonsense geting in the way. This made it easier for state governments who practiced these laws to kick said people in the nuts.

Was ID a pressing issue before? Did those hanging chads have IDs? Why would a conservative wish the state to determine who should vote and who should not?

To avoid voting fraud? It's utterly ridiculous and frankly unsafe to not have identify yourself properly when voting, for christ sake if you have to identify yourself when buying cigarettes why the hell shouldn't it apply as something important as voting? Comparing it to Jim Crow is juts an unfair and it's not even comparable. Furthermore don't you have to identify yourself properly when you vote in Britain? Since you sure as hell can't vote without and ID where I live or in most nations that wants to have some sort of safe voting process.

[HissingNewt]

I believe that only you are playing that card. As I recall people were not prevented from voting because of the colour of their skin, the mandate was restricted so that voter registration was impossible for many poor white people and black people, with poll taxes, literacy and other tests, residency and other bureaucratic nonsense geting in the way. This made it easier for state governments who practiced these laws to kick said people in the nuts.

Was ID a pressing issue before? Did those hanging chads have IDs? Why would a conservative wish the state to determine who should vote and who should not?

First off, you're the one who brought race into this by saying it was like "Jim Crow lite". Jim Crow was specifically aimed at keeping minority races from having the full rights guaranteed to white citizens.

Second, the state isn't determining who gets to vote. They're just making sure you are voting for yourself, rather than Bob from down the street voting for you.

[Claudius Gothicus]

The war against the youth started when companies began asking for ridicoulously experienced 18 year-olds in CVs. And the labor market is the problem, not some ID's, though this is a low puch... even for republicans.

[Glista]

I know it. Highlighting the first paragraph was a mistake. Its not Republican bashing thread. In the U.S. they are just the part of the bigger picture. I was implying that you are smart people and would see true that.

[molonthegreat]

How the hell are they supposed to identify people properly if they haven't got a photo ID? This only makes sense and it takes away votes from the Democrats that's just another benefit.

[Vítor Gaspar]

Glad to know you couldn't care less about Democracy, Melon. This sort of elucidates me on your position regarding the sovereign debt crisis.

[molonthegreat]

Glad to know you couldn't care less about Democracy, Melon. This sort of elucidates me on your position regarding the sovereign debt crisis.

I care about democracy but why the hell should people who aren't lazy enough have an photo ID be able to vote? If they can't identify themselves properly they shouldn't be allowed to vote, furthermore I fail to see how my view on democracy in any way affects my judgement on the lazy PIIGS.

[Vítor Gaspar]

Lazy PIIGS?

Blame a failed experiment and corrupt (some more than others) governments, that are only corrupt because, in part, they were kept as dictatorships (Portugal, Spain and Greece) for the sake of Northern Europe and the United States during the Cold War, not the people, because you know about us.

And you care about democracy? Well you just said this "may as well be a good idea" because it gives less votes to the Democrats. Apparently Democracy, for you, only works if it goes for your ideas.