Will you Vote in 2012?

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The Founding Fathers originally allowed only property owners to have a vote.  Mostly white men, and some white women and a few African Americans were the only voters in the beginning.  The thought was that only property owners would listen closely to what people running for office said, and would hold them to account when hired for an office.  I wish we held to that rule.

If not property owners, maybe  a requirement to pass a test on each of the candidate’s record and platform before being allowed to hire a public official like a Congress person.  If you can’t recite the platform, and at least some basic answers on the person’s qualifications, voting record or other relevant data, you can’t vote.  It should be an earned right.  Open to all who do their homework, and have not had the right taken from them legally.

So do us all a favor, if you plan to vote in 2012 and you don’t do the homework on the candidates, either leave the voting to those of us who do, or find out who the majority of Tea Partiers are voting for and vote accordingly.

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    • jklbus01

      If you read more closely the opinions written by the Founding Fathers regarding “Universal Sufferage” vs “Property holders” you will understand the error in your argument. The basis for this disagreement stemmed from whether or not slaves should be allowed the right to vote. The South felt that if this were to happen, that due to the large number of slaves (estimated to be around 2 million at the time), that the south would lose the right to own slaves. Those delegates put in place the property ownership restriction language to which you refer. and since there was no Republican party at the time, it was the Federalists who supported abolishion and thus the “universal sufferage”. The Anti-Federalist party – precursor to the Democratic party of the South, is responsible for the property ownership idea. Furthermore, it was not about the “Rich” as very few Founding Fathers were wealthy. Most spent their fortunes in the war or gave them up to aid the congress. Franklin, Washington and Jefferson were most well off. Franklin because of his entrepreneurial pursuits, Washington because his wife came from a wealthy family and Jefferson because of a deal made with a French entrepreneur that enabled him to import supplies for the colonists. Most others were average citizens, or at best, middle income.

      So thank you for your comment. I hope this spurs you to study more American and World history. Please keep responding as I enjoy different points of view and encourage respectful debate.

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  2. Susan Pelham

    If all men are created equal, shouldn’t they have equal rights? I really don’t think anyone has the right to vote for anyone else. Unless we change the voting rights ,you’re just up the creek . Some very well qualified people have been brought down by the Siren call of power- both Dems and Republicans. Don’t think that one person can think for another- individual politicians will usually follow party lines anyway- case in point- Republicans of today. Do they even think for themselves?

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