How Right-Wing Billionaires Threaten To Undo 40 Years Of Voting Rights Progress

[babylonsister]

http://www.nationalmemo.com/how-right-wing-billionaires-threaten-to-undo-40-years-of-voting-rights-progress/

How Right-Wing Billionaires Threaten To Undo 40 Years Of Voting Rights Progress
February 7th, 2013 4:51 pm @LOLGOP

snip//

In his new cover story for The Nation entitled “Why Are Conservatives Trying to Destroy the Voting Rights Act?“, Ari Berman explains that Section 5 is the only remedy for historic discrimination against minority voters that has ever worked.

It obligates certain states and localities where barriers against voting have existed historically to clear any changes in voting with the Justice Department. The areas covered include Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, and parts of California, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota.

This basic provision forced the end of unconstitutional burdens like poll taxes and literacy tests, becoming what Attorney General Eric Holder calls the “keystone of our voting rights.”

Originally designed to expire in 1970 if states could prove they no longer discriminated against minority voters, the VRA has been renewed four times.

Meanwhile, right-wing billionaires including Charles Koch have funded a 25-year long war against race-based government interventions, winning over “intellectuals” on the right, including Chief Justice John Roberts.

The Roberts Court will hear Shelby v. Holder this session and decide if Section 5 of the VRA puts an undue burden on states to protect the rights of minorities.

more...

http://www.nationalmemo.com/how-right-wing-billionaires-threaten-to-undo-40-years-of-voting-rights-progress/

[socialindependocrat]

1. They should include voter supresssion and gerrymandering and...

contributions.

Now, aside from racial minorities we have the poor
and the elderly and students or "new" voters.

The law needs to include rules for setting district boundaries
so that there is no unfair advantage to either party.

And...

While we're at it , why don't we stipulate that each candidate for office shall get the same amount of money to run their races so they get the same exposure to the public. Why should someone get an unfair advantage because they are a good money grabber. Give them a level starting field and the people with the most ingenuity and ideas will make the best use of their allotted money. If you want to spend your funds on mud-slinging, it's up to you.

Something needs to be done to stop the Republican'ts from just going out and trying to create unfair advantage - and do it right out in the open as if it were as ethical as a spring day! Look at the house - people say outright that the house republican'ts have a majority because they gerrymandered their districts on the last go-round.

This system needs to be revamped. Right now all we're doing is electing crooks into office. What's the difference between them and the Mafia? We're getting screwed either way. At least with the Mafia you end up with some really good Italian restaraunts!

As you can tell. I'm really frustrated about the state of our great government and it's election system!