We hear of the dire situation of having lower and lower turnout on Election Day.  The critics point to other countries where turnout is much higher, they actually wait in line for hours to vote.  During this election many vote counters have gone out of there way so the “Every Vote Counts.”  Only if “Every Vote is Counted” will our democracy be served and our republic succeed.  Baloney!

 Our republic is best served by the voting by INFORMED voters and if that is fifty percent or fifteen percent of the registered voters so be it and hooray!  

It is paradoxical that with the information explosion, the electorate is less and less informed.  As we go from newspapers to slam bang, fifteen-second TV news coverage we know less and less.  

As the electorate is less informed, those in the government becomes more powerful.  Unfortunately, the politicians know this and perpetuate the uninformed voter.  With less and less understanding of the system more and more manipulation of the vote and voting process comes into the system.  Everybody is complaining about the fiasco in Florida but the dirty truth is that the politicians like it that way. 

With this situation in place the VOTE is the important thing, not the VOTER.  Lets take the “Black” vote.  Over the last 40 years this minority has voted, almost in lockstep with the Democratic Party.  This year was no different.  Not only did the black voter VOTE but they voted, in Florida at least, at a higher turnout than all others.  And again they voted stronger for Gore than for Clinton, “The first Black President”, well over 90%. 

So what have they got out of this support and undying loyalty?  With the Democrats in charge for most of the last 40 years and Democrats and black mayors in charge in most of the minority areas they should benefit from this loyalty.  It is my judgment that they have been stiffed, big time.  The black family is in trouble, the jails are filled with a disproportionate black population, education has been ignored.  The Black Vote has been important to the Democrats, not the Black Voter! 

So what do the Jesse Jackson’s and other Black leaders want?  Not a better family, not a better behaved black so he does not go to jail, not a better educated black… but we should relax the standards to allow the them into the marketplace and make allowances.  I don’t know if they bolted to the Republican Party their fate would be better.  But they would have shown some mettle and perhaps the VOTER would get attention, not just their vote. 

It is the same thing with the voters in Palm Beach and Broward County.  Older citizens and the Jewish vote went crying to their congressman that they may have voted for AUGGGGH! Pat Buchanan.    Voting seems to be a simple thing.  You get a ballot in advance; you are instructed at the voting place on what to do and how to do it.  You are told that if you make a mistake you can get another ballot.  In the light of this it would seem that we should not have to spend time looking at every vote to see if there “might” be the will of the voter hiding somewhere on that ballot.  We have lowered the standards.  As we do this we weaken the country, we invite fraud, we are giving in to the lesser. 

We have lowered the standards on who can vote.  Because of the motor voter plan an illegal alien can register to vote.  We have rushed the immigration process so more could become citizens, AND VOTERS, without the proper process.  The demand for any form of identification is deemed discriminatory.  All these actions wrapped in the “Our Democracy”.   I would argue that we weaken our republic by the continual lowering of standards.  

A democracy demands high standards.  Anarchy demands a dumbed down citizenry.  Which way do you think we are going? 

 So where do we go?  In my opinion, and it will be against the grain, Demand more! Yes, lets raise the standard, expect more.  We should know the voter is actually a registered voter and be able to prove it.   We should demand the voter do it right or lose his right.  We should demand better in our kids, our schools, our families.  Will we do it?  Do we have the will?  I doubt it… not until we get to catastrophic situation.   The vote in Florida was an indication that it is closer but are we there?  I would hope.