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Two Modest Proposals for a Better America

One of them, at least, deserves serious consideration.

In 1729 Jonathan Swift wrote ‘A Modest Proposal,’ which many consider to be the finest work of satire ever created. While never intended to be taken at face value, it nevertheless brought a contemporary issue into sharp moral focus. In this Independence Week episode, Bill has TWO Modest Proposals for making a better country. One of them, at least, deserves serious consideration.

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35 replies on “Two Modest Proposals for a Better America”

Bill, there is at least one exception to your observation of people coming here “legally,” loving America. As with the gigantic distinction between cultural vs. theological Christians, there is a gigantic distinction between cultural vs. theological mohammedans. The more theologically the mohammedan, the more likely he has come here “legally” with the long term intent of an invader. For more information, see the JihadWatch channel from Robert Spencer, or just read the quoran for yourself.

Our founders also discussed this topic. At one point, they considered you should ahve to own property to vote. Ultimately, it came back around to doing their best ot ensure they had an educated electorate- an attentive group. And they felt only those who had an interest would vote.
This seems to have turned south recently a la vote harvesting. While it may not be possible to make some sort of test, could we at least stop the practice of passing ballots over to somebody else to vote them for you? Those who have NO interest in voting should be required to state so, and it should be ascertained that their votes are not cast on behalf of them by somebody else.
I truly think it should be made harder to vote, not easier. Only those who care to see we are properly represented should be able to cast votes.

This idea is among the things my wife tried to implement when she got on our local school board. She proposed that all high school students must pass the citizenship test, The push back was phenomenal. She also found that the cost of compliance with the federal strings attached to those dollars cost more than the amount received.. And that we should refuse them, and save the tax payers money. Shock of shocks, this was considered blasphemy.

I tried to post this yesterday, but I think my cut and paste was treated as images rather than text, so I will do my best ACTS(TM) impression and type it out, sigh.
The idea of having to pass a citizen test in order to get a license to vote is a very good idea. As far as the argument of it limiting “the right to vote” the Constitution does not state that there cannot be a limit to who can vote. Rather what it states are the following:
Amendment XV (passed 2/26/1869 ratified 2/3/1870)
The right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Amendment XIX (pass 6/4/1919 ratified 8/18/1920
The right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State on account of Sex

Amendment XXIV (passed 8/27/1962 ratified 1/23/1964)
The right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

Amendment XXVI (passed 3/23/1971 Ratified 7/1/1971)
The right of citizens of the US, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State on account of age.

Note the consistency of the language.

The right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any State on account of. . .
In these amendments: Color, race, having been a slave, sex, failure to pay Poll tax of other Tax and age cannot be used as disqualifiers from voting.
Implicit in this is that the right to vote can be denied or abridged for other reasons. (thus making it not actually a right, but a privilege or luxury) For example: if you are a convicted felon. Also, proof that you are a citizen or proof that you are who you say you are (voter ID). There is nothing that states that a test of knowledge of the systems of government cannot be used to demonstrate that people have sufficient understanding of the (small R) republican form of government and how it is implemented in the USA in order to be allowed to vote.
I say let’s go for it.

Bill Whittle
Much to discuss here.
I agree that the voters are uninformed and /or misinformed and to require knowledge on how America works in order to vote is reasonable.
I suggested something along these lines years ago when I proposed to the Heritage Foundation (HF) that they could promote the concept of all educational systems that receive government funds must teach the Constitution and all that is related to the creation of the Constitution.
I followed up a few times after that due to having no response from the HF.
My conclusion is that the HF is only interested in our money but not our input.
This was over ten years ago so if the HF had succeeded in instituting this proposal we might not have young Marxists voting today.
Back to your voting requirement.
Why?
Having learned voters is useless when those we vote for do not give a damn for the country and do not give a damn for the people (the very few exceptions noted).

Bill’s comment about only winning an argument with his lovely bride twice reminded me of a meme:
There are only two ways to argue with a woman. Neither of them work.

Bill’s second proposal is kind of similar to the condition for citizenship in Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. There, one must first serve in the military in order to earn the right to vote.

Bill’s suggestion of a conditional year abroad reminds me of his Afterburner during the Occupy Wall Street days, but I’ll rename it for this topic as…..
“Three and a Half Months”.

I would like to convey heart-felt thanks to Bill for his kind words about someone who lived in Norway. This exceptional man who was always larger than life in my ever-growing estimation did, and still does, mean the world to me. RIP RCL

We do know where OK comes from its yes in one of the Niger valley languages, it came with the slaves. The tribe name is nigger. That’s where that comes from too.
Youtube challenged me on the right to say a word in the statement above. Guess which one.

Hearing Scott sing the praises of Zelenskyy – who has imprisoned his political opponent, banned the opposing political party, abused and jailed Russian Orthodox priests, put an AK-47 in the hands of completely untrained men and teenage boys to go out and be killed in large numbers – is enough to turn my stomach.
Putin is not a nice guy, but he has legitimate reasons (helping those of Russian descent and historic Russian citizenship who want to separate from the years of corrupt Ukrainian government; not wanting the North Atlantic moved to the Black Sea/Ukrainian shores [NATO]; and not wanting to lose the seaport his Black Sea fleet has used for around 250 years) for his aggression against the Ukraine (actually, the Ukrainian government).
Scott is a nice guy, but I am floored by him using Zelenskyy as any sort of example of a supporter of the freedom and individual rights our country was built upon, and is trying to retain. He is a dictator who is using a demented pedophile and a captive Congress to enrich himself – instead of continuing to seek peace, as he claimed to be seeking at the start, until our corrupt government started sending him $100 billion plus of our money – worse, our weapons and ammunition that we may need in the near future.
The scumwad then has the effrontery to come to America and tell us he needs more. His skills as a comedian (if waving your penis around is supposed to be funny) are sadly lacking, as I feel zero reason to laugh at his narcissistic antics, nor the damage he has done to the people and country he is running into the ground.

Russian Orthodox KGB agents, everyone else left the Russian Orthodox church and joined the Ukrainian Orthodox church. The others sent information to the Russians and the guys that were jailed in the party were the guys Biden and Soros were working with. some are still free. Most were held temporarily.

I caught some retired military analyst on a video once who made a great point – “100% of what comes out of Russia is sh*t. For Ukraine that number is 90%”

Funny, I didn’t hear anything that resembled “Scott sing(ing) the praises of Zelenskyy”. I read your comment and thought I might have missed that somehow so I watched the entire video over again.

Scott didn’t sing any praises for Vologymyr Zelenskyy. He merely cited something that Zylenskyy said that happened to be true (for once, rare as that may be). That doesn’t constitute singing praise when taken in context. Not even close.

People cite others whom they don’t agree with, or even like, all the time. Citing someone’s words does not constitute an endorsement let alone praise of the person even when what the person said is agreeable. Scott, by citing a single sentence in an editorial written by Zelenskyy was NOT “… using him as an example of a supporter of freedom and the individual rights our country was built upon …”

You misinterpreted what Scott said then tried to drub him with your own faulty interpretation.

If you don’t like Zelenskyy pick a number, get in line and join the club. I don’t like him either. Slag on Zelenskyy to your heart’s content for all I care. Your aversion to Volodymyr Zelenskyy is shared by many including myself but does not give you license to slag on Scott just because that name came out of his mouth.

I’ve been accused of being partial and showing favoritism towards Scott Ott and that’s not true. I’ve objected to his views when I think he’s wrong. You’re not objecting to his views, I’m sure you agree that the world needs more not less American Exceptionalism. THAT was what Scott was supporting and he made himself quite clear.

It’s no one’s fault but your own if you get triggered like some Leftist sky-screamer when you hear the name Zelenskyy. You’re being unfair. More people need to let you know that.

Jennifer, read Omar wiki page, in particular her “early life and education”. Born in 1982 in Somalia, fled with her family to Kenya to escape the madness of the Somali civil war, and spent 4 years in a refugee camp. She and her family “secured asylum” in the United States in 1995. Her Wiki page notes she is a naturalized citizen, but does not state what process she went through to become Naturalized.
As the Wiki link states : “Naturalization  is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e.,
(1) without any effort on the part of the individual, or
(2) it may involve an application or a motion and approval by legal authorities.[1] The rules of naturalization vary from country to country but typically include a promise to obey and uphold that country’s laws and taking and subscribing to an oath of allegiance, and may specify other requirements such as a minimum legal residency and adequate knowledge of the national dominant language or culture.
I’m wondering if Ilhan, this 13 year old child, to become Naturalized, had to go through the same rigorous process Bill’s wife Natasha had to go through.
Nowhere in her bio states if it was version 1 or 2.
However, after graduating high school, she voluntered as a community organizer, then young Ilhan did get a bachelor’s degree at North Dakota State University majoring in, what else? Political science and international studies!
And that’s more Omar than I can take for one sitting,
All of this was in the context of this right angle, of those who come to the United States love it, and a small percentage of those born here have developed a hatred of it. With Ilhan Oman, there is our exception to Bill’s claim.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I’ll hold my nose and read her page, though I cannot imagine finding any mitigation for her disgusting attitudes toward my beloved USA!

Jennifer, You don’t have to subject yourself for this person, for sure. I did the suffering for us and read it, then distilled what I thought we’d find interesting.
Eeew is all I can say after reading it. Certainly was written by a pom pom cheerleader for her.
it’s the asylum and how she got naturalized that interested me. Did she have to go through the rigors as Natasha did? Or was it simply a “Deem and Pass” without any effort on her part. Yeah, she was 13 when she entered the country with Dad and family, but no mention of age when she was naturalized. THAT I found of interest.
Don’t want to have you hold your nose for….Omar.

Thank you for sparing me the nausea (:
All joking aside, she and the rest of the squad frighten me, not because they have any merit, but because NO ONE is stopping them, or even trying to slow them down. Even more concerning is their ability to get elected to represent We the People, Are we so easily duped? Are people like them, and Fetterman and Nadler and Schiff who we’ve given the protection of our precious freedom over to? Horrors!

Jennifer, I spent the first 20 years of my career commuting back and forth from the Coast of California to the North Central part of Wisconsin. 1980 to 2000. Some time in Minnesota too. All rural – forests and farmland – in both states. You could not find a more friendly, helpful, “oh Geez” kind of folks. Really nice and helpful to a travelling person. But when I had to work and transit into and out of places like Chicago, Milwaukee or Minneapolis, the tone was uncomfortably different, even dangerous for me in the case of Chicago. And look where the cities were that burned. But, Wausau, Stevens Point, Rice Lake….didn’t burn. I don’t think the people who elect Omar are fooled, they know who they are voting for. And the like it.
Weird.

Yes, that is EXACTLY what frightens me. In the places considered “must-win” I’m seeing that WethePeople most certainly excludes me, along with those lovely, sane, normals in the rural areas.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I hope there are ultimately more of us than them. Shameful, isn’t it, that our beautifully constructed self-government has such poor appeal to so many of the people it is intended to serve and protect?

I don’t believe that Omar is the only exception to Bill’s rule. In fact, I propose that a majority of those coming from Omar’s political-religious heritage share the same loathing of our innate liberties and the documents designed to protect them.

Great ideas, they’re never going to happen. You’ll never convince lawmakers to establish those sorts of impediments to voting and much as we might like to you can’t impel the deportation of natural born American citizens. That would be un-Constitional without an Amendment that is not likely to get ratified. If we’re going to claim to be Constitutional Conservatives then we have to act like that’s what we are.

Regarding Bill’s whimsical first proposal — That’s one of those slippery slope things whereby the real danger lies in who decides what the criteria for expulsion are. Who decides depends on who is in power. If The State has the power to deport undesirables then whoever is running The State gets to decide what criteria are applied to exercise that power. It would be a very bad idea to allow The State to have that kind of power under any circumstances.

That’s one of those things like The Patriot Act that while it may be founded on the best of intentions is unavoidably subject to corruption by men of low character. You can’t count on the character of future actors.

This is a situation that reminds me of something a combat instructor years ago said. He said …

“Right, how many of you are country boys? (hands went up). How many of you have ever been rabbit hunting? (only a couple hands went down). “The thing you need to remember is that it’s not nearly so much fun when the rabbits have guns.”

If you ever see me say “It’s not as much fun when the rabbits have guns.” now you know where I got that idea.

It would be a grave mistake to give these rabbits that kind of gun no matter how lofty the intent.

Regarding Bill’s second proposal — The idea is to assure that the people voting understand what they’re voting for. To paraphrase Bill “So they know how operate the government they are responsible for”.

There is actually a workable solution to this criteria. You can’t use it to deny a natural born citizen their franchise but that’s not the real goal anyway. The goal is to make sure that as many voters as possible know how the system they’re exercising their franchise in works.

The Federal Government provides large subsidies across the board for education. It would not be difficult nor prohibitive once Conservatives are in power again, and they will be in power again someday, to require civics tests tied to those subsidies at all levels of education.

Thus you can’t graduate from high school unless you can pass a civics test. You can’t be accepted for any sort of higher education, from local Tech Schools offering associate degrees or technical certification to Ivy League universities like Harvard and Yale. Any institution from high school upwards that accepts people who have not passed a civics test lose every last penny of Federal money.

(This would also have the added benefit of going a long way towards keeping voter registration rolls clean and more accurate.)

Problem solved.

As an addendum to all of these suggestions, perhaps we should stop writing laws that prevent those who would uphold and protect this country and its Constitution from doing so against those who would destroy it from within. For example, our constitution and Bill of Rights fundamentally protect our individual rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, when one chooses to actively defend one’s life, liberty and ability to pursue happiness, one is often prosecuted and imprisoned for such defense. This sort of insanity must stop.

If we actively prevent or refuse to defend our Beloved Country, it will not be much longer before we don’t have our Beloved Country.

I found that when it came to learning to drive, my granddaughter, like me, had an easier time learning when she learned how the car worked and the rules of the road first.

I have also seen that when it comes to gun legislation, my leftist friends know nothing about guns. They can’t describe the difference between an automatic and a semiautomatic gun. They think hand guns are safer because they are smaller.

The more you know…

I recently met a Democrat who felt I was a threat to America because I am not and am therefore evil. I questioned how my beliefs threatened the country. “Well, the Dobbs decision, for one.” “Standing up for unborn babies is evil?” I asked. “They’re not babies yet, just potential” she replied.
I am well-armed to go down the list of how Leftist policies are demonstrably evil. But I couldn’t, stopped in my tracks with sadness. There are many things I would like to “require” for citizenship. But I don’t have a clue how to weed out people mired in willful ignorance and self-delusion. How to weed out supporters of Leftist policies, people with blinders on about the consequences of the policies they support. How to make sure common sense and observation are rewarded, failing people who cannot rap their mind around the fact that “the Emperor has no Clothes”.

Supporters of leftist policy have a place in our society as long as they allow space for conservative policies to also speak and flourish. We cannot and must not shut them down or weed them out the way they do us.

Agreed. Whoever that Keith Jackson guy is needs to know shutting down people with another viewpoint is wrong. I hope he was just musing and not remembering that he supports free speech and America.

I love the swap idea, and we can make it even easier. How about if we make these loud, America hating Lefties live in the heart of San Francisco, Chicago. LA, Baltimore, or Philly? A one year sentence could resolve things via natural selection!

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