I hate to say it but rocking the vote isn’t the answer.

Wrong.

Only long term solution is educating the masses. Educating the masses is a solution/corrective action to many of societies root problems including picking leaders.

Lets take an example of a book, say, Heinlein’s Starship Troopers (not the abortion of the movie, but the book). What do you define Citizenship as? The book’s scenario played out where on earned citizenship by military service. They made the decsions of what to and what not to do. What was the result? A Spartan elite (the decision makers) supported by those who chose not to pursue the goal. Ideally, to me, it was a cool concept, but no way is it practical nor does it account for internal strife/conflict.

So, unless you want to redefine what a citizen is (making ‘education’ a benchmark), your idea would only create division, more conflict, and essentially degradation of society. What happens to all those not ‘smart’ enough to vote? A subclass whose voice is not heard anywhere, who’re at the mercy of those who qualified to vote. Will that be enough incentive for them to vote? For a minority, but for others, it only serves to disenfranchise them even more.

It is also the lazy way out. A democratic republic doesn’t mean the most qualified or best person gets to lead, it may be the most popular one. As societies mature and get educated, you’ll progress from the babus who get elected in India (Laloo Prasads) to babus who get elected here once in a while.

The point is, voting is a battleground where conflict can play itself out in a civil, non violent, and ultimately consensus building way. To cut a party out of the game means they will ultimately use alternative means (read: violence) to establish their requirements. When the voting isn’t fair or ‘rigged’ who have similar results of groups picking up arms.

Inclusive and fair elections are the only way to go. Doesn’t mean it works all the time, but it is a proven 80% solution that works.

Also, setting up criteria in itself will never be unbaised.

I’m for educated voters who give something back to our country. Voting requirements are the best way to move in that direction.

On the surface this seems ‘ok’ but an ignorant in the American system has equal footing as an educated man. Doing the whole ‘no stupid people should vote’ thing would actually create a society of people who may not address the needs of those who can’t vote.

Such a system would undermine the very nature of this Republic. In this scenario, elites of the society, which already dicate quite a bit, would have monopoly. I don’t want intellectual types voting for farmers in Kansas. To each their own.

Only real solution? Improve education. Education. Education. Education. Reading is FUNdamental.

That’s right, a campaign for fewer but better educated voters instead of more, brain dead, easily misled lemmings who can’t think for themselves. Do you really want higher voter turnout when pithy campaign slogans, mud slinging, and sound bytes drive voter decisions?

Frankly, I’m for more than “block the vote.” I want a certified voter program that would require a minimum education level (highschool), a few hours of public/community service, AND passing a test showing that the voter understands key differences in the positions of the parties on issues of importance.

Dems are perceived as not Anti-Castro enough by the Cuban community in Florida. Most of the older Cubans still hold a serious grudge against Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Of course the younger Cuban Americans born and raised in the US are not so gung ho on defeating Castra so they are not as pro Republican as their parents. One thing to also consider is that the Cubans Americans are so dominant in Miami etc. that the young Cuban Americans do not feel like they are in minority. A lot of them look and consider themselves to be white and do not feel the same racial marginalization that other minority children have to go through across the country. For example, it is common in a lot of Miami public schools to have upto 70-75% Cuban American children. The white kids in most of these schools are actually referred to as ‘Americans’. The Cuban Americans are very similar to the Jewish Americans at one level. Both these groups have tremendous influence on American foreign policy towards one nation (Cuba, Israel) and as there is no other side represented at any level in the political spectrum (Pro Castro, Pro Palestinian) the policy towards Israel and Cuba is extremely lop sided. I guess one could say that the Agro-businesses are pro castro and the fringe left/muslims are pro palestinian but for the most part there is no serious opposition. Of course the Evangelicals have now adopted the Israeli cause but thats more recent.

perhaps hindu and sikh americans, and latinos and all those other minority groups are socially progressive and into making a broad front for “justice.”

I dunno about this. Maybe it’s your geographic observation. Not trying to be snide, but are there any numbers on this?

In my voting district (or riding), some of the anti-gay-marriage conservate party reps wanted to recruit some indian-immigrant groups on that very issue of homosexuality. They were surprised when the hindu group representative didn’t care if gays were married or not, did not look at it as a sin, and even more surprised that they saw right through the cons’v agenda. I don’t know what the other indian-immigrant-religious groups reaction was.

more blacks = less AFDC per person.

more racial diversity = less social spending.

vive le salad bowel! or whatever.