Here's an Idea that will accomplish a number of goals for our country.

It is not a new idea, people have been saying this for centuries. If you are not a productive member of society, i.e. employed & paying taxes, you are not allowed to vote. This will very quickly fix 2 problems: 1) People will strive to get off welfare and entitlement programs in order to participate in the democratic process. 2) It will stop the Democratic Party from pandering to the poor, and allow them to actually participate in worthy political matters. Does it make sense for freeloaders to vote for people to run our government based solely on how much that person says he/she will provide for them? Absolutely NOT. Throughout history, economies flourish on Production, not on consumption. Like Maggie Thatcher rightly said: The problem with Socialism is eventually, you run out of other people's money The people who receive the most government monies produce the least. The government punishes those who succeed/produce. If you disagree with this, please explain the progressive income tax. If the income tax rate were 10%, a person making $1,000,000.00 per year would still be paying considerably more taxes than someone making $20,000.00 per year. By raising the rate of tax based solely on income levels is punishing people for being successful/productive. Allowing everyone to vote has lead to the massive entitlement programs, government expansion/intrusion, and therefore, National debt that is unsustainable. If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can ALWAYS count on the support of Paul. Taking money by force (taking your freedom or possessions) is theft. Refer to The Law by Frederic Bastiat, French economist from 1865. By removing non-producers from the election roles, Democrats would have the opportunity to run for office on actual substantive political issues instead of fostering class warfare and the right to free shit. Re-institute the poll tax. If you want to vote, pay a tax. The poll tax must be paid with money you earned. This can be accomplished by stopping giving people on welfare, cash. Food stamps provide for nutritional food, rent/housing, and utilities are paid for, they don't need cash for anything. If you want cash to purchase a Playstation or new fingernails, get a job. If you want to actively participate in the election of our government, then you need to actively participate in a productive society.