Another subcutaneous irritation (among many)

Today there was a letter in the local newspaper from a dimbulb using the name Lorta Kola. I wonder if that's anything like Lorta Buv ? Anyway, this Kola character was writing to the opinion page on the issue of voter fraud in Texas and the resulting need for mandatory photo identification as a prerequisite to voting. According to Kola, the need for voter photo ID laws is a "no-brainer" since there's so much dishonesty in Texas and the U.S.A. at large. Trust me, Kola writes like someone with firsthand knowledge of "no brains."

This whole issue has started to chap me off, and I've been pissing up a rope about it for almost as long as the state legislature has been in session, since it was one of the first matters taken up in the Senate. The Lorta Letter was like a straw that damned near broke the camel's back. Utilizing internet search engines, I started looking for news reports of voter fraud in Texas, prosecution of vote fraud, and on and on. You name it and I googled it.

Here's what I came up with, more or less: There aren't many voter fraud cases being prosecuted, and the ones that are probably wouldn't have been prevented with a photo ID law. There's some indication that the few people being prosecuted are Democrats and people trying to help old folks with their absentee ballots. We also had Attorney General Abbott proclaiming on an official website in 2006 that voter fraud in Texas was reaching epidemic proportions. Since there is so much fraud and so little prosecution, the conclusion to be reached is that Greg Abbott is a singularly ineffective AG who should be replaced as soon as possible.

The other possibility is that Greg Abbott is another Republican political hack with an agenda, who'll say anything and to hell with reality. Just keep the dimbulbs in the base agitated and worried about the Illegal Alien Invasion. That's possible.

I found roughly as many news stories about minority voting trends turning Texas from red to blue as I found about vote fraud. Of course, people who don't like the photo ID requirement always argue that it would discourage voting among people most likely to vote for Democrats. Maybe it would, maybe not. But I wonder if Republicans think it would when they start spouting off about rampant fraud.

Another possibility is that Texas news media are not accurately reporting the pervasive fraud that law enforcement is investigating and prosecuting. Given what I know about Greg Abbott and the conservative tendencies of Texas newspapers, I'd expect Greg to be cranking out news bulletins and press releases by the hundreds if he was really doing anything about a massive problem threatening our sacred democratic traditions, and the Dallas Morning News would be scooping it up by the bucket.

If there really is a problem, where's the fucking evidence ? If there's not a problem, why do we need a law making voting more complicated than it already is ?

Maybe Texas Republicans see their grip on the levers of legislative power gradually slipping away, and are up to the same kind of games that led to the redistricting wars a few years back. Until I see something to the contrary, that's my guess.