Bait-n-Switch
Dear Woman Voter,
As a woman you know something about bait-n-switch, be it from car dealers
or supermarkets. And now you see it with Republicans. Before the election
they were all about the economy, least that’s what they said. And all about
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!
Then they got to North Carolina’s General Assembly and switched. They
slashed 13,000 teaching jobs as well as safeguards for a healthy
environment. And then, it was Bill 351 – To Restore Confidence in
Government. Rep. Marcus Brandon from High Point said, “You vote based on the
bill title, but then you find out the bill actually does the opposite.”
Bill 351 – AN ACT TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT BY REQUIRING THAT
VOTERS PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION BEFORE VOTING. A paraprosdokian, or
weasel talk, if ever there was. The bill requires voters to buy photo ID’s
at their county Boards of Election, an expensive inconvenience to say the
least, given Carteret County is 90 miles long. (Google NC Bill 531 to read
all six pages for yourself).
Cost to the voter? Never says. Cost to the tax payer? No mention of the
bottom line. It does say voters can use passports and government jobs
badges, which without addresses or proof of residence, is going to put them,
not in the booth but in the Provisional Ballot line. Further, Bill 351 cuts
early voting days by 60%. If you take a close look at this you can see how
the R’s have spun a promise of good government around the bad old times of
the tax!
351 is in violation of the XV Amendment, 1870. “The right of a citizen of
the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or
any state on grounds of race, creed, or color.” Women and minorities
couldn’t vote then anyway. Now fast-forward to “The Voting Rights Act,”
1965, intended to enforce the XV Amendment. “No voting qualification or
prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice or procedure shall be imposed
or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the
right of any citizen of the United States to vote.”
Republicans allege the intent of 351 is to reduce voter fraud. North
Carolina’s voting system is air-tight, with watchdog observers and fine of
up to $25,000 for voting fraud. Last election, 2010? Zero voter fraud. So
why not go after Oregon or Washington, where they vote by mail? Because the
State of North Carolina, with its 15 electoral votes – 8th highest – is
critical. And why now? In time for the Presidential election, November,
2012.
But the real intent of Bill 531, in spite of a title that leads to other
than where the bill goes, is the hidden fact that it will discourage half a
million North Carolinians from voting – particularly the young, students,
the elderly and the poor. What do these groups have in common? They are
mostly women. They are also women who traditionally vote Democratic.
The R’s have already cut into women’s health care, Head Start and Smart
Start, Medicaid; want to end Medicare and Social Security! And now Bill 351!
Imagine, it took us 80 years of fighting mobs, being beaten, jailed and
tortured before we could vote; then took another 45 to when we no longer
paid to. Yet with all that, on the morning of March 15, 2011, to be exact,
the R’s pushed the Yes buttons, and we’ve come to this!
But imagine if women pushed back? And, Yes, we can. E-mail this to a
friend. Post it on Facebook. Get it out on the net wherever you have a
chance. Make a copy for your refrigerator door. For friends and neighbors.
Pin it on your church bulletin board. And write an editorial for the paper.
And then, come the 2012 election, let’s get even at the polls.
Sincerely, Caulean Vesey
Carteret County Democratic Women