On one of my area's local newscasts the other day, a commentator made note of the fact that the new voter disenfranchisement legislation that the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature passed will take effect on the first of September.
There are two questions that come to me as I think about what was said-- 1. When will the U.S. Justice Department or any other entities challenge the law as the unconstitutional quasi poll tax that it is and ...
2. Will our state's right-wing extremist mess of a governor, Rick Perry (who signed the bill) be confronted on whether he really believes in participatory democracy given how many voters wind up getting disenfranchised because of what he did?
I write this in hopes that both these things happen quickly. And I have more to say.
It's bad enough that so many of Rick Perry's ideas (example: his belief that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitution and that Texas should secede from the Union) are wrong for America. It's another that another of his schemes is not just wrong for America but is an overt effort to deny folks the right to vote for no other reason than they can't squeeze a few bucks and lots of time to go to a Motor Vehicles Department office to get the proper identification.
I'm happy that both my wife and I have Texas driver's licenses with our pictures on them. But what about those who don't have them and who can't?
Rick Perry and his friends can make up all these horror stories about a voter fraud problem that exists in their minds but no where else. But let's be honest.
The issue isn't voter fraud. The issue is denying a whole block of voters Republicans don't like (non-white, non-richest 1 percent, non-property owners) the right to vote. That alone is why this law is so odious.
With the law taking effect shortly in Texas, I cry out not only for challenges to the law in court, but other efforts to render the law ineffective and allow voters who otherwise would be denied the right to cast their votes.
And one other thing: I sure hope some wise report confronts Rick Perry with this and asks him this simple question: Do you believe in partipatory democracy or not?