In the November elections, the GOP gave the Democrats a shellacking. Their platform was to cut government spending and reduce the bureaucracy. The Kansas GOP’s mistake was to elect Kris Kobach as secretary of state.
A Jan. 20 Star editorial, “Dump Kobach’s costly voter-fraud initiative,” succinctly describes Kobach’s attempt to rivet the public’s attention to his new office.
He used an insignificant report of “voter fraud” to push a current legislative bill that is reminiscent of the voter’s poll tax that cheated poor folks from voting. This was done on the coattails of his discriminatory Arizona law. That bill, SB 1070 could affect Latinos across the country.
Immigration is as American as apple pie, yet SB 1070 will create felons of people who cannot become citizens legally because the U.S. immigration system is broken.
The cost of Kobach’s efforts will be high. He has bamboozled Kansas voters by making a mountain out of a molehill.
A recall is in order before he spews his legislative ideas on Kansas’ elected officials.
Ascension Hernandez
Shawnee
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TO TO TO TO......I WANT IT THAT WAY....NO MATTER THE DISTANCE......
Posted by: Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas | February 12, 2011 at 01:19 AM
Under the Kobach plan, there is no cost to get an ID if you can show that you should have one. So the comparison to the poll tax is wrong. As for SB-1070, that is an Arizona issue and the Holder Justice Dept. and the ACLU have been working together to constrain that state's rights to police illegal imigration and the costs it represents to its citizens/taxpayers in a type of unfunded mandate of "Thou-shall-not-pick-up-my slack" in immigration non-enforcement.
Posted by: Augusto Perez | February 01, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Or, in the parlance of our President, WTF?
Posted by: Smarter Than You | February 01, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Sol and I go way back on this board and have a history of good natured ribbings. There was no offence meant and none taken.
I'm still curious why our liberal friends are OK with requiring an ID to register but not one to actually place a vote. Either way, you must have an ID in the process, so why not protect the sanctity of the actual election?
Posted by: Smarter Than You | February 01, 2011 at 10:31 AM
....AIG..... I was speaking to my old friend sty and I'm certain he understood....what's your problem?....no big yellow bus to drive today?....
Posted by: Solomon | February 01, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Joseph, you are incorrect, there have been over 80 cases in the last election alone. If it is only 1 fraudulent voter they cancel out the vote of a legal voter.- -kevin
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I'll agree that If it is only 1 fraudulent voter they cancel out the vote of a legal voter. However, your claim that there were 80 cases last election is unsupportable. Perhaps, you are referring to Kobach's claim of 80 in the last decade? In Kansas, from June 2004 through June 2009, there was only 1 prosecution of the 7 total cases referred to local, state or federal authorities
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The only reason to not require an ID is because you favor voter fraud, it is that simple. -kevin
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That's a fallacious statement. Your false dilemma excludes many reasons. Some may believe in smaller, not bigger government. Some may believe in less, not more spending. Some may believe that it is a "nanny state" to provide IDs free of charge to those below 150% of poverty level. Some may believe that it is not a rational transaction to spend millions of dollars, year after year, to combat an offense of which there has been only one prosecution in recent memory.
Posted by: leopold | February 01, 2011 at 04:06 AM
The unfettered letter staff had a premonition...something about a snow day...
Posted by: gonenative | January 31, 2011 at 09:28 PM
Solomon- You're a nickel chasing a half dollar.
Posted by: AIG | January 31, 2011 at 07:23 PM
....."paleomoronic".....bwahhahaha
....sty sty...sty...
Posted by: Solomon | January 31, 2011 at 03:50 PM
Kobach is a racist idiot, the right wing loves racist idiots. There have not been 80 cases of voter fraud in Kansas, that poster was full of baloney
Posted by: Jay | January 31, 2011 at 02:13 PM
The natives, whoever they are, are getting restless...
Posted by: gonenative | January 31, 2011 at 09:33 AM
Matt,
I can see your argument, being required to show a police officer your drivers license as proof of your right to drive ( oops, that is kind of the problem - There is no "right to drive" ) versus your right to be an American citizen probably has some history with people telling a police officer they are someone that they really are not.
But in Kansas Mr. Kobach can not provide a singe incident of "personA" voting as "personB". Or even someone attempting to do so.
If this was such a major issue ( I contend that is is not ) there should be at least one of these fake voters on every block. They should be falling off the watermelon trucks left and right.
So where are they ?
There are none because contrary to your writing - and repeating it over and over and over does not make it so - there is no problem other than a middle aged white male got Kansas voters up in arms over a non-event.
Just to let you know ... I'm a middle aged white guy too and I live maybe a mile from Kobach. I just did not fall for his ploy.
Posted by: Joseph | January 31, 2011 at 06:39 AM
What's the big deal? Photo ID's...no big deal!!
Posted by: LL | January 30, 2011 at 02:19 PM
Photo IDs or you do not vote. Seems simple enough to me.
Posted by: Jack King | January 30, 2011 at 10:48 AM
There are already many places where you have to prove who you are, so I don't understand all of the angst over proving who you are in order to cast a vote. I welcome this additional way of preventing voter fraud. Has anyone heard of George Soros? One of his main objectives is to promote voter fraud. Anything that prevents him from accomplishing his goal is absolutely fine with me.
Posted by: Barbara Larison | January 29, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Oh my goodness. What's going on, Kevin? It's a joke. Now you have me concerned for you. I'm really not the boogie man. I'm sure you aren't either.
Posted by: Ryan Roedel | January 29, 2011 at 05:56 PM
Pppppplllllloooooooo.....you're it.
Posted by: Ryan Roedel | January 29, 2011 at 05:13 PM
That is from someone who has not contributed a single comment worth anything on this thread. I take your label as an honor, kevie.
Posted by: Ryan Roedel | January 29, 2011 at 01:35 PM
So anyway, sty, my point is that individuals should already have the required proof if they are a citizen and resident. I know in MO you have to register to vote. I just thought you already had to register in KS as well. I'm just not sure what the big deal is here.
Posted by: Ryan Roedel | January 29, 2011 at 01:22 PM
“There is no disconnect…”
And that, dear friends, is why Ryan can’t be taken seriously. He’s already admitted and (tacitly) approved that the registration process requires an ID at some point, but he is against an ID being provided to protect the integrity of the actual vote. I’d really like to believe he is not that obtuse.
Since Ryan likes to throw around labels like neocon, may I suggest he designate himself as paleomoronic.
With that, I bid the adieu for the day. Hawks/Cats has precedence over our reindeer games.
Posted by: Smarter Than You | January 29, 2011 at 01:19 PM