After seeing the massive amount of stupidity that has spewed out of America since the election of President Obama, I personally think its time to enact an addendum to the voting laws - one that states you must pass Federal Apptitude Test before you're allowed to vote.
Because over these last few months, I think America has proven what the biggest threat to itself is. Its not war with another nation, viruses, socialism, communism, facism or any other "ism". It the fucking absurdly low intelligence of the general population, and the fact that for some reason we feel fucking compelled to let these people have say in what goes, even though doing fucking basic math is a challenge for them. When I have to watch reports about how people in OTHER COUNTRIES know more about my country THEN THE PEOPLE WHO FUCKING LIVE HERE, I honestly just want to start offing people. It'd be a community freakin' service at this point me'thinks. These are people who can't tell their Gerald Fords from their Harrison Fords, but we let them help decide who the President of United States is going to be. Talk about the inmates running the asylum.
(/angry rant part)
But no, seriously, you should have to pass a test every year in order to be allowed to vote on anything on a state or federal level. This accomplishes a few things. It ensures that those who pass have decent grip on logic and thought, know a decent amount about America and World history, and are at least smart enough and civic-minded enough to care, show up, and go through the process. Instead of just letting any naturalizied or natural 18+ have a say.
This test would be an objective, fact-based test, consisting of logic, math, American and World history, and current event questions. You'd have to get a 75% or better to pass, and thats out of at least 150 questions, with no partial credit on anything. Questions would be in no particular order, and consist of something like this:
10: Is the following problem valid or invalid?
All men wear uniforms
Police officers wear uniforms
-Therefore, all police officers are men.
13: Without using a calculator, figure out how much money one would earn working 40 hours a week, 4 weeks a month, for 6 months, at a wage of $8.44, before taxes.
15. Name your state's two Senators and their party.
16: President Lincoln was which President?
17: What were the two sides in the American Civil War?
18: Name 3 nations, besides the United States, that were part of the Allies during World War II.
24: During WWI, what side was the United States on? (Circle one.)
Allies or Entente'
26: Name 3 current Supreme Court Justices.
28: Who wrote the Declaration of Independance?
30: Construct a truth table for the following statement.
If the streets are not wet, then it is not raining.
35: Who is the governer of your state?
None of this is too hard, even for someone fresh out of high school. For verification, the first time you take the test, if you pass you're mailed a card that you swipe when you want to go vote. For every time after that, you take your card with you to the testing center, and turn it in with your test. If you pass, its sent back to you, updated and re-certified. If not, no card for you.
And I know people are going to cry "discrimination" and "unfair", but get over yourselves people - not all discrimination is "bad" and this basic knowledge - if you can't answer these questions as an American, something is seriously wrong.
P.S. For all you test-y types, here are the answers to the above questions, just for fun.
10: Invalid
13: $8,102.40
15: (Varies by State)
16: The 16th
17: Union and Confederate
18: Britian, Soviet Union, France, Poland, Austrialia, Albania, Canada, China, Greece, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, etc.
24: Entente'
26: Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Alito, Roberts (Chief Justice), Breyer
28: Thomas Jefferson
30: (Table I really don't want to do on my computer)
35: (Varies by State)
Because over these last few months, I think America has proven what the biggest threat to itself is. Its not war with another nation, viruses, socialism, communism, facism or any other "ism". It the fucking absurdly low intelligence of the general population, and the fact that for some reason we feel fucking compelled to let these people have say in what goes, even though doing fucking basic math is a challenge for them. When I have to watch reports about how people in OTHER COUNTRIES know more about my country THEN THE PEOPLE WHO FUCKING LIVE HERE, I honestly just want to start offing people. It'd be a community freakin' service at this point me'thinks. These are people who can't tell their Gerald Fords from their Harrison Fords, but we let them help decide who the President of United States is going to be. Talk about the inmates running the asylum.
(/angry rant part)
But no, seriously, you should have to pass a test every year in order to be allowed to vote on anything on a state or federal level. This accomplishes a few things. It ensures that those who pass have decent grip on logic and thought, know a decent amount about America and World history, and are at least smart enough and civic-minded enough to care, show up, and go through the process. Instead of just letting any naturalizied or natural 18+ have a say.
This test would be an objective, fact-based test, consisting of logic, math, American and World history, and current event questions. You'd have to get a 75% or better to pass, and thats out of at least 150 questions, with no partial credit on anything. Questions would be in no particular order, and consist of something like this:
10: Is the following problem valid or invalid?
All men wear uniforms
Police officers wear uniforms
-Therefore, all police officers are men.
13: Without using a calculator, figure out how much money one would earn working 40 hours a week, 4 weeks a month, for 6 months, at a wage of $8.44, before taxes.
15. Name your state's two Senators and their party.
16: President Lincoln was which President?
17: What were the two sides in the American Civil War?
18: Name 3 nations, besides the United States, that were part of the Allies during World War II.
24: During WWI, what side was the United States on? (Circle one.)
Allies or Entente'
26: Name 3 current Supreme Court Justices.
28: Who wrote the Declaration of Independance?
30: Construct a truth table for the following statement.
If the streets are not wet, then it is not raining.
35: Who is the governer of your state?
None of this is too hard, even for someone fresh out of high school. For verification, the first time you take the test, if you pass you're mailed a card that you swipe when you want to go vote. For every time after that, you take your card with you to the testing center, and turn it in with your test. If you pass, its sent back to you, updated and re-certified. If not, no card for you.
And I know people are going to cry "discrimination" and "unfair", but get over yourselves people - not all discrimination is "bad" and this basic knowledge - if you can't answer these questions as an American, something is seriously wrong.
P.S. For all you test-y types, here are the answers to the above questions, just for fun.
10: Invalid
13: $8,102.40
15: (Varies by State)
16: The 16th
17: Union and Confederate
18: Britian, Soviet Union, France, Poland, Austrialia, Albania, Canada, China, Greece, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, etc.
24: Entente'
26: Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Alito, Roberts (Chief Justice), Breyer
28: Thomas Jefferson
30: (Table I really don't want to do on my computer)
35: (Varies by State)
