Eliminating the Idiot Factor in Elections

Ahh, the wonders of the Internet! Whenever an issue of note arises- health care, federal bailouts, or the latest goofiness from Sen. Jim Bunning- a quick scan of various posting boards confirms one very important fact. We have too many idiots in this country for a democracy to work. When the first reaction to the dawn breaking is to credit one political party if it is sunny or to blame another if it is not, you know the idiot factor has gained too much influence in the political arena.

Who is to blame for this? Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? How about we start with ourselves. By tolerating the practice of letting any moron who has no pride or shred of decency get behind a mike a say whatever they want, we are encouraging the idiot factor to get involved. They will, trust me, because these talking heads kowtow to their idiocy and give them an undeserved sense of self-importance. So, instead of being marginalized and left to stew in their own self-absorbed juices, the idiot factor becomes energized and heads right for their keyboards. That is bad enough. What is worse is the political parties on both sides have discovered the size of the idiot factor, and now has begun to organize the idiot factor in voting blocs, realizing that it is so much easier to retain power by herding idiots into the electoral process than actually having to do anything substantive like governing in an effective, democratic, manner.

How do we stop this insanity? Simple- we have a test for voting. Now, I am not advocating going back to a poll test to be able to vote. Not only is that illegal, but it goes against the freedom to vote that our Founding Fathers enshrined in our constitution. Instead, I propose a test that all who wish to vote must take. Depending on how well you do, you earn anywhere from one to five votes. Ace the test- get five. Bomb the test- you still get one. That way everyone who wishes still gets to vote.

What would be the advantage to such a model? Think about this- every time you read some ridiculously stupid post, or hear some inane rambling from a complete dolt, you are meeting the idiot who can cancel out your vote. I am a very astute observer of politics. I study the issues, the candidates, and the impacts decisions would have on America. I listen to and consider arguments from advocates of all aspects of an issue, look at both the big picture and immediate impact, and spend more time thinking about and researching these things than 99% of you out there, including our elected officials. So what happens on Election Day? Some idiot whose entire political awareness consists of their continual listening to some gasbag like Rush Limbaugh or Tom Hartman rolls out of bed, wanders down to their local polling place, and cancels my vote. Does that sound fair? Sound right? Sound democratic?

With the implementation of my poll test, it would now take five idiots to cancel out my vote. This would seriously lessen the impact of the idiot factor while still protecting their constitutional right to vote. The test would not have to be so hard that an enlightened idiot could not earn an extra vote or two. There could be a series of easy questions (What is the capital city of your state? Who is the current President?), middling questions (What are the three branches of government? Who is next in the line of succession behind the Vice President?), and more difficult ones (What was the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade? What does "Most Favored Nation" trading status mean?). Get a C or D on the test and you can still earn an extra vote. Weeder questions could also be included, such as "Is President Barack Obama an American citizen?" Anyone who answers "No" is automatically limited to one vote, regardless of how well they do on the rest of the test. Are you like me and get incensed when you see ACORN or the Tea Party Express bus in a Greyhound full of voters who have been instructed to vote for anyone with a "D" or "R" next to their name? Now a Ford Taurus with five of us A-level voters could offset the next clown car that rolls up unloading a parade of idiots.

Scoff if you will, but I aver that this idea would work. It would have to work better than the system we now have that made Jim Bunning a senator.