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C’mon Republicans, be honest and govern well

Chris-Baldus-webBy Chris Baldus, cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

The Republicans have full control over Washington and Des Moines. So, they should be able to put into action their ideas to improve the already improving economy and, you know, make America great, again.

So, what do they begin with? Well first they attack an ethics watchdog in Washington. Then they make rules to control political messages from flowing out of the House floor.

Here in Iowa, the Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate, is emboldened to push for voter suppression at the polls. He calls it improving election integrity. His office announced the push Friday. Politicians prefer to dump their news on Fridays. People are more concerned with the weekend that paying attention to their news.

So, he’s launching an offensive that we learned with the last secretary of state is not a problem. We spent a lot of money looking for voting-law breakers. We found a few accidents. And then in the 2016 election, a Trump supporter was arrested for voting twice.

I repeat, she was caught and charged under the existing system. That means it worked.

So, with fraud rampant (note the sarcasm), Pate wants electronic poll books at every precinct. OK, surely the state will pay for that.

He wants post election audits. OK, surely the state will pay for that, too. Right? You wouldn’t want to force counties to raise property taxes, right?

Pate wants voter ID required at the polls — a state-issued ID (such as a driver’s license) or a voter card you need to apply to the state to get to prove you can buy alcohol … no wait … I meant to cast your constitutionally protected vote.

Note: The constitution does not protect your right to drive or to drink. Voting is more special than either.

What’s wrong with providing a state-issued ID? It’s a poll tax both in real money and opportunity cost. You should not have to pay a dime to vote. You pay for a driver’s license or a state-issued ID. If that is not enough, it costs money and time to get the documents needed to get state-issued IDs if you don’t have them, even if the state is going to give you a “free” voting card. You also must take time during the weekdays to go to government offices that are not open when you are not working.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

The naked dishonesty in trying to get this passed is infuriating. This kind of move has been and will always be to suppress voters who do not support Republican opponents. It’s a calculation the Republicans have made, not me. It’s based on fear that if everybody voted, the party would lose. It’s a loser’s attitude. It’s cowardice and the lack of confidence that your ideas are really the best for the whole state.

Pate’s crusade is baloney and should be beneath elected leaders. If anything, they should be studying why people do not vote and addressing those problems. However, when Pate visited me before his election in 2014, I asked him about improving turnout. He said that is the responsibility of the campaigns.

I would think removing barriers, such as rethinking this antiquated having polls open for one day when most of us have to work, would be a state responsibility.

As for the Republican Party, you need to be honest with yourself. You need to look honestly at your initiatives and weigh the pros and cons. And, most importantly, test them against the words and principals of the state and U.S. constitutions. That doesn’t mean rationalize so you can get your way.

Now, Republicans, you have two years until the midterms, do this right.

Contact Charles City Press Managing Editor at cbaldus@charlescitypress.com. He promises to mention soccer again in a later column.

 

— 20170110 — 

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