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No photo ID, no democracy
M
Election season strikes again.
"I lose sleep over voter
suppression/' U.S. Representative
Steve Israel, D-NY, told ABC
News. "I lose sleep over the fact
that the Republicans have said
they are embarked on a strategy
that could deny millions of voters
their right to go to the polls and
actually vote for a candidate."
In an attempt to disenfranchise
minorities, laws have been passed in Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, and
beyond requiring voters to provide photo identification at the polls.
Seven other states are scheduled to pass this legislation within the
year.
While the claim of disenfranchisement is an extremely bold
allegation, it is also an extremely disturbing reality.
The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the new
legislation and, by extension, eliminated millions of Americans' role in
the U.S. democratic process. As the law transcends borders, the United
States' glow withers to a dim bulb.
Too often politicians observe the fall of their own communities
without fighting injustices, unfortunately, at the expense of their
constituents. Formally immaculate images of GOP candidates are now
tarnished by their support of voter photo ID laws.
No person of good character can support a law like this that snuffs
the voices of racial minorities, the elderly, college students, and low-
income Americans.
Israel, who serves as chair of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee, disclosed that plans to combat photo ID-related
injustices are in motion.
His optimism might stem from America's rich history of civil
action. When faced with a blatant discriminatory law intended to
weaken the democratic infrastructure of our nation, there is only one
option: joining together in unified opposition to end the Republicans'
siphoning of American voices.
All of this nonsensical prejudice is reminiscent of the Jim Crow days
when blacks had to pass unreasonably difficult literary tests in order
to vote. The motives behind Crow voting laws wei^ to limit the power
of a minority race and to control the outcome of elections.
Sadly, the motives for the photo identification laws are eerily similar.
Exit polls conducted in states with photo ID requirements, such as
Washington, Florida, and New Mexico, revealed that the majority of
voters rejected at polls were black. Latino, and Asian.
Photo ID laws have far too many damaging repercussions to ignore.
The Republican party is attempting to diminish as many Democratic
voices as possible.
President Obama's victory in 2008 proved the importance of the
minority voice. Political participation amongst racial minorities has
remained at a record high since '08. The increase in voter turnout
poses a threat so large to the Republicans that they've resorted to
desperately stripping voters of their power and rights as U.S. citizens.
GOP motivations for this law are entirely selfish.
If it were you who was challenged to prove your a registered voter,
worthy of voting that day.
Imagine iTs election day, the day you've been awaiting for months.
The footage of brutal candidate debates replays in your head as you
stand in line prepared to select the weakest link. You've been an avid
viewer of the debates and kept a keen eye on the primary polls thus
far. This is your opportunity, your time, to be an American citizen.
Participating in government process and selection of your nation's
leader is a powerful privilege that you value greatly. And now it's
time. You enter the local public school where polls are set up and
calling your name. You've got on your bright red pin flashing the
name Bachmann, Romney, Gain, or whatever mediocre candidate the
GOP selects by then. You strut to the polls with pride, wearing your
leather cowboy boots and rocking your "NOBAMA" tee shirt. Picture
a table with little old ladies fix)m your community, pencils and check
in books before them. Suddenly, it's your turn to have your status
challenged.
"Excuse me, sir ... Can we see a formal photo identification card,
please."
The holidays are eating your wallet
By Emily Cooper
Staff Writer
You cannot escape it — the
catchy melodies, flamboyant
decorations and, of course,
advertisements galore. The
holiday season has begun and
your wallet is about to get a
lot lighter. 'Tis the season to be
jolly? More like 'tis the season
to go into debt as you blow your
hard-earned cash on unnecessary
indulgences.
What is on your wish list this
year? Better yet, how many people
are on your gift list? Chances are
you want to do fun things for the
holiday season. When shopping
for presents and food, you will
more than likely end up spending
more than you planned because
the stores have "prices you can't
beat," "the best prices of the
holiday season" and "buy five,
get one half off."
It's all about the wording. Stores
theses days have gotten really
good at getting us to buy stuff
by making their holiday specials
sound like a deal, when in reality
you end up spending more than
you planned and that really great
deal you got, really was not that
great.
So let's be blunt here, how
much money are you planning
on spending this year? Write that
number down and add $100 to
that. According to Time Magazine,
the average shopper spent $811
last holiday season, which was
$112 more than they had planned.
Additionally, Time Magazine
reported, 13.6 million Americans
still have not paid off last year's
holiday season bills.
It is the holiday season and of
course, we are all in the clutches
of commercialism. You will
inevitably end up spending more
than you planned you would,
could and should.
The holiday season is supposed
to be a joyous time. Spending
money in excess in this economy is
painful. The emphasis we have put
on commercialism and the need to
spend during the holiday season
almost seems like an oxymoron.
Think about some of the gifts
you have given and received
over the past few years. Did
you actually enjoy that heinous
sweater your aunt got you from
Anthropologie?
No. Your aunt wasted $75 on
a piece of crap when you would
have been just as happy with a
card with a nice crisp bill inside
of it.
Which brings me to my next
point: stop giving people gift
cards.
It is stupid and a waste of
your money. According to Time
Magazine, 27 percent of people
who received gift cards in 2009
have still not used them.
Now think about your
experience when shopping for
gifts for those dear to you.
Do you sincerely think your
best friend is going to wear that
monogrammed necklace you
bought her last year? Just because
you saw a table with a big red sign
that said "sale" does not mean you
should get it for her.
Most importantly, material
objects seem to be getting in the
way of what we should truly be
holding close to us: our "family
and friends. Spending time with
your aunt and best friend should
be more important than what they
buy you, and what you bought
them.
Black Friday: shoppers gone wild - like usual
By Travis Linville
Staff Writer
Black Friday. Holiday sales. Complete madness.
As a Target employee, I worked this year's Black
Friday. I witnessed the anxious, the jolly, and the
downright rude.
As I see people engage in a tug-of-war match over
a five-dollar savings, I wonder what goes on in their
head. They want to buy something for someone in
order to show their generosity and caring. But if they
only looked at themselves and their actions, they
would see how ungenerous and uncaring this season
has made them.
Black Friday continues to bring out old-fashioned
human nastiness.
A little game of tug-of-war may not seem too
serious. But what about the completely inhuman acts
that have occurred?
The media popularized the story of the woman
who pepper-sprayed 20 people in Wal-Mart. Less
reported but more severe, were two shootings — one
in San Leandro, Calif., and one in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Let's not forget past Black Fridays when herds of
shoppers knocked over and trampled people to death
for a TV — or rather the chance to get a TV.
How can anyone justify that? A commodity is
never worth more than a human life. Somewhere
along the line, our desire to buy gifts, our desire
to show each other that we care, mutated into an
arduous necessitv.
When the pressure to buy turns fellow human
beings into obstacles, we need to step back and look
at this problem we have created. How have we come
to let things dictate our behavior?
Perhaps economic hardships force frugality on
shoppers. Regardless, no sale, no savings, no item can
ever outweigh the value of a life.
With so many people shopping at one time,
many of whom apparently cannot act human while
shopping, businesses must ensure their customers'
safety. Target, for example, took steps to ease some
of the expected Black Friday madness and risks this
year.
For one, the doors opened for only 30 shoppers at
a time — no more sweeping mass of locusts. Also, a
line of carts directed shoppers in single file partway
into the store before they could go their own way,
branching traffic off inside instead of a allowing the
crowd to flood through the entrance.
Restrictions like these should not be necessary to
ensure everyone's safety, but they apparently are.
Because this seems the case, I would like to see other
stores take safety precautions against the inevitable
rush for holiday sales.
As long as there are sales, there will be people
lining up. As long as people line up, businesses must
protect their customers' safety.
The customers have responsibilities too. We need
to rediscover the good-spirited nature of behaving
courteously to others.
Still, if we really cannot keep our humanity in the
face of a sale, maybe we should do away with the
practice all-together and find another way to show
we care. f