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If you live in Indiana important information:

On Monday, April 29, 2008, the Supreme Court upheld Indiana's law requiring voters to present government-issued picture identification at the polls.

Read more at FoxNews.com and from the News Journal Gazette
 

Did you know that not everyone has always had the right to vote in America?  I have had an interest in the history of voting in the United States so here's a timeline of events I have been keeping.

  • In 1776 we announced our Independence from Britian. Voting rights then were granted according to property ownership. At the time it was mostly white males over the age of 21.
  • In 1787 the first signing started on the a newly drafted Constitution gave the rights to the states to set voting rules. The states still favored mostly white males that owned property.  Explore the Constitution, a timeline, and primary documents in American History.
  • By 1830 many states had dropped the religion and property ownership requirement and political parties started to form.
  • In 1868 the 14th Amendment to the Constitution recognized Black Americans as citizens.  This gave them the right to vote, however, many states found ways to keep them from voting.
  • 1870 was the year the 15th ammendment was ratified granting "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Some States found ways of keeping Black Men from voting by using poll taxes and literacy tests.
  • 1890 women's right to vote was recognized by the state of Wyoming.
  • In 1920 women across the nation were granted the right to vote by the 19th Amendment.
  • 1924 Indian Citizenship Act
  • In 1964 the 24th Amendment declared that no person should be denied the right to vote because they could not pay a "poll tax."
  • In 1965 The National Voting Rights Act, was signed banning the use of literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers designed to keep people from voting.
  • On March 12, 1970 the legal age for voting was lowered to 18

* Information about the history of voting can be found at the following sources:

Before the Civil War there were not protective measures in place with regard to voting.

After the Civil War do you know what a radical Republican congress did? Men like: Thaddeus Stevens, John Bingham, and Charles Sumner to name just a few.

1868 it was a time when a man by the name of William Du Bois fought for civil rights for black people in the United States. 

William Dubois
There were many more important people during this time that had a lot to do with the civil rights for black people in the US like,
Frederick Douglass
and  

 

 Booker T. Washington

This was considered the time of reconstrution and of political battles.

In 1870 the 15th Amendment was ratified, which provided specifically that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on the basis of race, color or previous condition of servitude. This superseded state laws that had directly prohibited black voting. Congress then enacted the Enforcement Act of 1870, which contained criminal penalties for interference with the right to vote, and the Force Act of 1871, which provided for federal election oversight. That still didn't change things.

It wasn't until National Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed, by President Johnson, August 6, 1965. 

There is a wealth of information available on the these topics online and also here's list of books at Amazon or Barnes & Noble if you would like to learn more.

Sharing my View:

It is our character that is important, not the color of our skin.

In 1792, Thomas Jefferson founded the Democrat-Republican Party. There was only one party until 1824, then the party split and officially became the Democrat party. This happened during the reconstruction era after the Civil War. In 1848, the Democratic National Committee was founded.
Hillary Clinton t B. Obamam
Check them out 1st!

Democrats need 2,025 delegates to win their primary. As of March 12, 2008, Barak Obama has more delegates than Hillary Clinton.

Super delegates comprise 20% of the delegates at this time.

Where do they stand?

Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are very close in the polls at this time.  They have both made trips to our town, Fort Wayne, Indiana in the past days and weeks. 

Democratic Party Headquarters at 1920 Bluffton Road, Fort Wayne, IN  46809, visit their website here.

People

There are a large number of people that would like to do away with the Electoral College.  Many do not understand how the electoral college got started, why, or whether or not it is important to keep it.

Simply speaking:

The Founding Fathers had some issues to handle on how to get a President elected.  First let's think about what it would have been like in 1845, when the the law was written on how elections would take place. 

  • there were 13 large and small states and these states were used to being charge of their state and weren't sure they liked having a federal government
  • 4 million people, and they were spread all over the place
  • communication was poor
  • transportation at the time would have been difficult even if it were available
  • it would have taken weeks and months to collect and deliver all the information
  • some British men, believed that political parties were bad
  • some people believed that gentlemen shouldn't seek an office, instead the office should seek the man

A great way to start finding out more:

Here are some great links:

Why do the democrats need 2,025 delegates and Republicans only need 1,191 delegates? They are two different parties and their rules are different. 

The following primaries are left: Today is April 5, 2008

  • Pennsylvania April 22, 2008 for both parties:
    • Total delegates 181 with 25 alternates
  • Indiana and North Carolina May 6, 2008 for both parties
  • Nebraska and West Virginia May 13, 2008 for both parties
  • Kentucky May 20, 2008 for both parties
  • Montana and South Dakota June 3, 2008 for both parties
  • An interactive map state to state of delegates for the Democrat party
    • John McCain has won the 1,191 of required delegates to win the Republican Primary.
    • Neither Clinton nor Obama have the necessary amount of delegates at this time to lead the Democrat party.

Making an informed decision is not an easy task.  Sure the media fills our heads with all kinds of information daily, but that's not enough. Do you really know what the candidates stand for? 

What topics are a concern to you?

  • Terrorism
  • Economy
  • Illegal Immigration
  • Health Care: Imagine this what if we had government imposed Health care and we had to wait on the political parties to make a decision about the health care system and fought about every little detail everytime a different party won the election. Scary thought! Yes, we do have health care problems in the United States, but I really do not believe that government control over health care is the best solution.

    They can't make decisions about protecting our country,judges, social security, and they're spending endless amounts of time reviewing the use of steriods in sports, do you really want them making decisions about your healthcare. This a really controversial topic, and honestly there are no easy answers. I have chatted with people from other countries that hate their government imposed National Healthcare.

A list of what's health information in other countries:

Many people will tell you who to vote for and why.  I won't.  I believe voting is a personal decision. Before you decide on a candidate; remember that person is supposed to represent you and others that believe the same way you do! Do you know what they really believe?

I have not made my decision about who I am voting for because I have not done enough research yet. I will vote for the candidate that will best represent my beliefs.

Other links with great information about the candidates:

President Coolidge stands with four Osage Indians at a White House ceremony

President Coolidge stands with four Osage Indians at a White House ceremony

My knowledge in this area is thin, so I have been working on it.  Here is some of the information I have found to share.

Did you know the Republican party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists and modernizers? Abraham Lincoln, was the first Republican president. Republican National Committee was started in 1854.

John McCain Donkey
Check them out 1st!
John McCain has one more than the 1,191 delegates to win the republican primary. Who is most likely to become McCain's, running mate (Vice President)?

Picture of the Republican Headquarters at 135 W. Main St. Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Republican Headquarters located at 135 W. Main St. Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802, visit their web site

There are considered to be only two major parties in the United States. There are other parties, to many to mention and they have not gained much momentum:

What are and who are super delegates?

The Democrats decided to change their delegate system in the 1980's after George McGovern, a leading anti-Vietnam war liberal, made it to the head of the Democratic ticket in 1972 and then lost 49 states in the general election. There were also some top party official that were upset about the outsider campagin of Jimmy Carter in 1976.

The 796 super delegates, who make up 20 percent of total delegates, were created to discourage anti-establishment candidates and guide the party away from a disastrous choice. They're also intended to pick a winner when there's no clear frontrunner.

They are not ordinary people elected to super delegate status.  Well here's how it goes, if I've forgotten anyone, please contact me I wouldn't want to leave anyone out.

  • All current Democrat members of the United States Congress
  • Democrat governors
  • Members of the DNC (Democratic National Convention)
  • all Former Democrat Presidents and Vice Presidents
  • various additional elected officials
  • all former Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • all former Democrat leaders of the US Senate
  • all former Chairs of the DNC
  • all former Democrat Minority Leaders
    • Exception:  Joe Liberman has endorsed John McCain so he has been declared ineligible to be a super-delegate because he has passed party lines for baking a Republican candidate.
  • 2008 Democratic Convention Watch
  • The importance of super delegates
  • Wis-politics

Republicans do not have have super-delegates.

 

What really does the President of the United States do?

He is the head of the executive branch of the United States government and uses the powers granted to him by Constitution and by Federal law. Basically the President oversees the country and even though he has a lot of power, it is the Senate and the Congress that truely represent what we believe.

The President has the right to veto the Bills that are given to him for signing.  There are certain rules that apply.

The Vice-President is the President of the Senate. He does not vote unless there is a tie. If something happens to our President he is in the first line of succession.

Did you know that women didn't have the right to vote at one time? It took some very dedicated, intelligent woman, working together to make a change. It wasn't until August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became law, and women could vote in the fall elections, including in the Presidential election.

Women's Suffrage Movement

Learn more about Womens suffrage at one of the links below:

Sharing my View:

Wow, we've come a long way; Hillary Clinton, is the first woman to run for President in the US. I do not believe women should vote for her because she is the first woman to run for President.  A person should vote for her because they agree with her principles or her character. Voting for president is an important priviledge we have as Americans and it should not be taken lightly.

A person's gender, race, religious preference, political affliliation, and/or age should not have anything to do with whether or not they should be a President.

a quote to share:

“Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly
of them, when instead they should try to get their people to
think more highly of themselves.
It’s wonderful when the people believe in their leader.
It’s more wonderful when the leader believes in their people!
You can’t hold a man down without
staying down with him".Booker T. Washington
find more quotes at Thinkquest

 
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