House Blocks Paper Ballot Voting Help
Yesterday, while spreading democracy-tipped bombs around the world, House Republicans blocked a bill designed to help states convert to verifiable paper ballot voting systems.
Paper ballot voting systems produce a paper trail, so that an election can be recounted and verified, unlike the 2004 election, which Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has clearly shown was stolen.
Safe Elections Cost Too Much
After spending millions of dollars for easily hacked paperless touch-screen machines, and after spending almost $330 million in recent years to ensure honest elections in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and after losing track of billions of dollars in the Pentagon year after year after year…what is the excuse of Republicans for not helping make sure the election of the leader of the free world is a fair and legitimate election?
The Republicans blocked the bill because, they said, it would cost too much. Maybe even as much as $685 million!
Keep in mind that the price tag on a single B2 Stealth Bomber exceeds a billion dollars. We can’t spend half that towards having a fair election in the USA?
America Needs Verifiable Elections
New Jersey Representative Rush Holt, the sponsor of the bill, had this to say:
I’d like to ask the opponents how much spending is too much to have verifiable elections in the United States. I note that many people who opposed this legislation supported spending almost $330 million in recent years to provide election assistance in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I would have hoped those who supported efforts to export democracy abroad would be equally committed to strengthening democracy here at home.
I don’t buy the “costs too much” excuse. Republicans have virtually broken the bank and looted the country for the past 8 years. They don’t care about the money, and neither do the Democrats, for that matter.
The bottom line is that many Congresspersons do not want Americans to be able to verify their elections.
Why is that?
I’ve got several possible answers, forming and floating around in my head…none of them very comforting.
Read More: 2008 election, election, elections, paper ballots, democracy, Diebold, Congress
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April 16th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Amazing how blatant they are in disregarding what the people want. This “we know what is good for you” attitude has got to stop with both parties. They have forgotten that they are supposed to be working for the people that elected them, and not for themselves. Throw them all out of office and start from scratch.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
History tells us: When the conditions are right, they will all be dragged out of their castles and shot.
Until then: As long as we think elections really do anything, then they will remain legal. Once we stop believing…….well, maybe that is why they are rigging them for next time round?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:11 am
I think it’ll take people getting pretty hungry before we kick them out. That day may be coming soon, though. Keep using that oil-based corn for ethanol!
April 19th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Joe,
Please excuse the off-topic post…
Hi… I’ve been looking for a way to reach you, like an e-mail address or something. I have a small newspaper in Washington DC and would like to reprint some of your stuff. Drop me an e-mail and I’ll send you a copy.
Cheers,
Matt Sullivan
April 20th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Thanks for keeping an eye on the critical issue. There is so much crap going on it is difficult to even keep track.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
libhomo: Yep, there is too much crap going on to keep track of. Some would argue that there has always and always will be a lot of crap going on and there’s nothing we can do about it. By the same token, some would also argue that there’s always been pain and suffering and babies going hungry and people dying from diseases that haven’t been cured yet and there’s nothing you can do about it. I don’t buy that. Just as it’s every parent’s duty to stay informed of their children’s activities, it’s every citizen’s duty to stay informed of their nation’s activities. Corruption will never disappear, but there is no excuse for putting our heads in the sand and accepting it.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Dang… gotta do math to post. :)
Great post! The worst part of this is that many are already saying this years election is already bought and paid for.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:31 pm
My old tennis coach used to say, “If you play good enough to win big, you don’t have to worry about the missed line calls.” There’s only so far an election can be fudged one way or the other. Frankly, they fudged it way too much the last time, and there’s proof they rigged it — enough proof that 2 Ohio election officials got 18 months in jail. But, I think that’s about as far as they can fudge it. The corporate owned media want a close election, so it can be tipped. That should be our big fear…a close election. It’s high time for a landslide.
April 26th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Your damn right the Rethugs have broken the back of our country financially..then they have the cojones to actually vote against something that should be totally un-partisan.
A-fucking-mazing Joe.
There is plenty of proof out there that the 00 election was rigged.
And your right..we need a blowout.