I am certain that many Americans agree that first priority of Congress should be the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The are the doors which must be opened, but the key to the lock on those doors is doing away or modifying the filibuster. Without that, voting reform won't be passed. It is a poi…
I am certain that many Americans agree that first priority of Congress should be the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The are the doors which must be opened, but the key to the lock on those doors is doing away or modifying the filibuster. Without that, voting reform won't be passed. It is a poison pill to Republicans guaranteeing defeat for many of them so they universally oppose it. That the SCOTUS was able to weaken the 1965 Voting Act in 2013 in Shelby vs. Holder, strengthening States' ability to restrict voting, suggests that legislation is not the final answer.
The "Founding Fathers," in order to get the Constitution ratified in 1789 bought the votes of Southern States by avoiding the slavery issue. Reversing that through the demanding Amendment procedure was difficult (13th, 14th & 15th Amendments) and still allowed States to restrict voting in various ways, as HCR points out today. Lurking behind this is the simmering need for a new Constitution to replace the patched-up 1789 document which gives far too much power to States, resulting from that trade-off regarding slavery. The existence of State laws regarding tax avoidance, guns and abortions are, for example, results of this. It isn't just voting rights, but that's where it must start.
Once that door is opened, who knows what will happen. Those representing the majority should not compromise as was done in 1789 in Phiadelphia, which was the cause of the Civil War and many of our present day problems.
I am certain that many Americans agree that first priority of Congress should be the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The are the doors which must be opened, but the key to the lock on those doors is doing away or modifying the filibuster. Without that, voting reform won't be passed. It is a poison pill to Republicans guaranteeing defeat for many of them so they universally oppose it. That the SCOTUS was able to weaken the 1965 Voting Act in 2013 in Shelby vs. Holder, strengthening States' ability to restrict voting, suggests that legislation is not the final answer.
The "Founding Fathers," in order to get the Constitution ratified in 1789 bought the votes of Southern States by avoiding the slavery issue. Reversing that through the demanding Amendment procedure was difficult (13th, 14th & 15th Amendments) and still allowed States to restrict voting in various ways, as HCR points out today. Lurking behind this is the simmering need for a new Constitution to replace the patched-up 1789 document which gives far too much power to States, resulting from that trade-off regarding slavery. The existence of State laws regarding tax avoidance, guns and abortions are, for example, results of this. It isn't just voting rights, but that's where it must start.
The Koch's are big on a constitutional convention, they have an agenda all laid out
Once that door is opened, who knows what will happen. Those representing the majority should not compromise as was done in 1789 in Phiadelphia, which was the cause of the Civil War and many of our present day problems.
I have a screenshot of their agenda somewhere, I was not surprised.
God help us.