Recent events have prompted me to make this very practical proposal. It would help close the budget deficit, give real meaning to the votes of those people unfortunate enough to live in "safe" states, help to increase voter participation, and improve the TV viewing experience for citizens of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and a handful of other states. I'm really excited by this idea! Follow me below the Great Orange Satan graphic.
In the last presidential election, there were about 98.6 million eligible voters who did not vote. You might view it as coincidence that 98.6 happens to be the normal temperature of humans when expressed in degrees Farenheit, but I don't believe in coincidences. GOTV efforts stress the the importance of getting "warm bodies" to the polls, don't they?
The fact that there were 98.6 million warm bodies that didn't vote readily suggests my solution. [Facepalm] How could this brilliant idea have eluded us for so long? So, here's my proposal: Allow any person (such as Charles Koch, Exxon Mobil or Donald Trump) to buy some of those unused votes. It's a little like selling day-old bread in a thrift store; it's just dumb to let it go to waste.
Here's how it would work: Every [cough, cough] person who wants to buy some of those unused and wasted votes simply writes a check and submits it to the US treasury. After election day, the total amount pledged is divided by the number of unused votes, and we get a $$ per vote number. The buyer then (presumably after consulting with other buyers) designates which state or states are credited with the votes that have been thus purchased.
One of the features of this plan is that the buyers would have to agree not to pollute the airwaves and cableways with repetitive ads that insult the viewer's intelligence. This would also save these people from the necessity of lying in those ads, and thus make them more intellectually honest.
This plan has several important consequences.
First, it increases the voice of the minority party in safe states. Let's say you are a Republican in New York State. It's useless for you to go to the polls and vote for your guy. Instead, just stay home. This gives you a chance that your vote will count, by making it possible for some 'person' to purchase that vote and apply it to Ohio's total or to Florida's total.
Second, it insures that 100% of the electorate participates in the electoral process. (See above my remark about day-old bread.) Even if a citizen chooses to sit out the election, his or her vote will still count!
Third, it means that we don't have to endure endless hours (30 seconds at a time) listening to political drivel when we watch TV. American Idol, YES, politics NO.
Fourth, it would be a much-needed boost to to federal revenue. Since we will never be able to raise taxes on the wealthy because of the Senate's filibuster rule, it gives us a chance to get some of the money controlled by the wealthy into the US treasury. Something is better than nothing, don't you think?
Well, that's it. What do you guys think? Is this idea brilliant, or what?
(H/T to my esteemed brother-in-law, paradise50, for the inspiration for this diary.)