The Patriot Post® · Vote ... or Don't

America’s Founders gave us, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “a republic … if [we] can keep it.” The way we keep that republic is to be informed about who and what we’re voting for. As John Adams wrote, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.” And as Samuel Adams put it, a citizen’s vote is “one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”

The trouble is, one of the nation’s two major political parties depends upon the appalling civic ignorance of the electorate. Democrat voter IQ too often hinges on what we call “dezinformatsiya” and “pollaganda” from the Leftmedia. And some portion of the population receives its “news” primarily from late-night comedy shows.

We all get a good laugh when we see “man on the street” interviews in which people can’t name the vice president or the speaker of the House or how many justices there are on the Supreme Court … until we realize some of those people vote. Then it’s not so funny.

In 1789, only white, land-owning men could vote in most states. That has — rightly — been expanded to include minorities and women, but the Founders were absolutely correct in one key respect: Voters should have “skin in the game.” Today, elections are often decided by those who don’t pay taxes and/or who are net beneficiaries of unearned income redistribution. Such voters simply vote for the politician who promises them the most lavish benefits. Conversely, these voters are often motivated by fear that the other guy will “take away” their health care, food stamps, etc. A campaign staffer for Florida Democrat gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum recently said on an undercover video, “You have to whip them up — the poor, the middle income. You have to whip them up into a frenzy in order for them to vote.” Political operatives will tell people anything to get them to vote.

Again, our Founders knew that this constitutional republic could not be maintained unless citizens possess knowledge and discernment adequate for the task. Unfortunately, thanks to the media and the education complex, many citizens are woefully short on both.