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I seldom post on the local, Tennessee, State-level political scene...sorry, I look at the thing and immediately think...inept.

From the days when I first moved here, with that fat button-popping Governor McWherter in charge (who was so far in the liquor lobbyists's pockets...but then, he does own interest in beer distributing. Think I'm kidding about the button-popping? That rotund behemoth actually had to cut down the Governor's Desk to fit behind it!) Since we've had a succession of fine-feathered (lined pockets?) peeps.... Donald (RINO, Income Tax) Sundquist, Al (fence-mending-couldn't-win-his-own-state-in-2000) Gore...and the State Legislature. A comedic central.

We just saw, this year, the original Lt. Governor John Wilder (D), dragged kicking and screaming, out of his post. It took a scrappy Democrat, Rosalind Kurita, to work that miracle, even though Republicans had the majority. Ineffective buffoons, the lot of them.

There was a 'blogger fest' at the State Capitol, sometime back. Many local bloggers visited the thing (couldn't sleep, I guess). I would have visited, if they had had a re-enactment of the "Tennessee Waltz" arrests where Senator John (Memphis) Ford was arrested, handcuffed and led out by FBI and other agents. That's the highlight of Tennessee Politics, in the years I've lived here; and I would like to see that scenario played out (live) at least every 4-6 years, just to remind these buffoons that they can be replaced by zombies...

Which brings me to the reason for this post. Today, in the Nashville City Paper, we have an article describing how and why our lovely State Legislature killed three elections bills for the year, including one that is Common-Sense to any Thinking Person (well, except those who need votes): a requirement for Photo ID's for Voters.

Rep. Ulysses Jones (D-Memphis), the chairman of the House State and Local Government Committee, said the photo ID to vote bill, as well as two other election bills, were dead for this year.

(emboldenings mine)
Another 'Proud' Democrat:

“Now you’re going to force them to go through some hoops to get them some kind of special ID,” Sen. Joe Haynes (D-Goodlettsville), said in opposing the bill. “I think you’re going to preclude some people from voting that should be allowed to vote.”

and, the obvious...

"Democrats have opposed requiring photo ID to vote because of numerous reasons, including intimidating voters who don’t have the identification and limiting people’s right to vote."

Democrats have to have a ready supply of ignorant voters, those who can be easily manipulated with promises of handouts (expanded social services), and new benefits to already staggering, costly programs; and promises of more, and more, and more, including free health care. Doesn't matter if you are a legal citizen, or in many cases alive...just pull the handle, baby, we luvs ya!

Hmmmmph. I don't see where it would be a hardship to positively identify a voter, to prevent fraud and abuse. In the future, I would equip every voting booth with a retinal scanner, for positive ID. Something of that nature that would effectively end the cheating, vote-early-vote-often mentality that has tainted our country's otherwise exemplary voting system. Until then, a simple photo ID would be a big step in the right direction.