interesting

[Jim in CT]

Paul, I agree that a higher % of blacks don't have driver's licenses than whites. I get that, I do. That's not remotely the issue here, because YOU DON'T NEED A DRIVER'S LICENSE TO VOTE. You can get an alternate photo id. So what I don't get, and what you haven't explained, is this - why is it harder for blacks (who don't have driver's licenses) to get an alternate photo id, than it is for whites (who don't have driver's licenses) to get that alternate photo id? The process of getting that id is the same for everybody, so why is it more problematic for blacks?

If you have 100 blacks, and 100 whites, none of whom have driver's licenses...and you have voter id laws...why is it harder for the blacks to get the alternate photo id, than it is for whites?

"Don't think I ever mentioned blacks - did I?"

You said "minorities". Are blacks a minority, or no? This is exhausting, I posed the only pertinent question above, if you cannot answer it, we all know what that means.

"0,000s of 0,000s of people don't get to vote"

Correction - they choose not to vote. It's a free country. If they can't be bothered to get to town hall to get a photo id like the rest of us, that's on them. Maybe they need a history lesson on the price we have paid to safeguard their right to vote every November. if you don't know what I mean, look at the photos of Arlington National Cemetary.

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

Paul, I agree that a higher % of blacks don't have driver's licenses than whites. I get that, I do. That's not remotely the issue here, because YOU DON'T NEED A DRIVER'S LICENSE TO VOTE. You can get an alternate photo id. So what I don't get, and what you haven't explained, is this - why is it harder for blacks (who don't have driver's licenses) to get an alternate photo id, than it is for whites (who don't have driver's licenses) to get that alternate photo id? The process of getting that id is the same for everybody, so why is it more problematic for blacks?It is harder for any poor person. I don't know all the reasons but there is a % of minorities (and yes blacks) who find it hard get the appropriate ID. Whether it is they don't make enough $, are old and don't have a birth certificate, I don't know. One of the challenges to a Texas law was some old nuns who all didn't have birth certificates, or drivers licenses.

If you have 100 blacks, and 100 whites, none of whom have driver's licenses...and you have voter id laws...why is it harder for the blacks to get the alternate photo id, than it is for whites?

"Don't think I ever mentioned blacks - did I?"

You said "minorities". Are blacks a minority, or no? This is exhausting, I posed the only pertinent question above, if you cannot answer it, we all know what that means.Certainly blacks are a minority. But I never mentioned blacks and yet the racist term has been thrown around a few times, hasn't it?

"0,000s of 0,000s of people don't get to vote"

Correction - they choose not to vote. It's a free country. If they can't be bothered to get to town hall to get a photo id like the rest of us, that's on them. Maybe they need a history lesson on the price we have paid to safeguard their right to vote every November. if you don't know what I mean, look at the photos of Arlington National Cemetary.

I've been to Arlington - thanks.

I'm still confused why the discussion went from minorities to blacks and why the discussion isn't on why Repubs seem to want to do anything they can to keep the vote count down.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by PaulS

I've been to Arlington - thanks.

I'm still confused why the discussion went from minorities to blacks and why the discussion isn't on why Repubs seem to want to do anything they can to keep the vote count down.

"I don't know all the reasons but there is a % of minorities (and yes blacks) who find it hard get the appropriate ID."

You're smart. if you don't know the reasons, they can't be wide-spread reasons.

Hard. Not impossible. It's "hard" for me to get up an hour earlier to go vote before work. But since I don't work near where I live, I can only vote before work. It sucks getting up early, but I choose to do it. Others don't care enough. I'm not inclined to allow people to vote on-line just to make it easier for them.

You said it - hard. Those people can choose to do what is hard, or they can choose not to do what is hard. All that matters is this - it's their choice to make. The GOP isn't making that choice for them.

"I'm still confused why the discussion went from minorities to blacks "

Fine - minorities.

"Repubs seem to want to do anything they can to keep the vote count down"

The GOP can't keep the vote down. If the vote is down, it's because people freely choose not to vote.