A recent letter from Mike Brickner is so typical of the left’s incessant whining and the typical Democrat platform (“We need lawmakers who will support democracy reforms,” Oct. 12). From the cradle to the grave, many seem to think Big Brother has to be the helicopter parent and life should be effort-free in any undertaking.
Though it’s not taught anymore, the outline of our constitution was laid out in the Articles of Confederation. That 1777 document, ratified by the 13 states, established that member states had innumerable rights and sovereignty from the central government. States, as with the central government, would be “representative” and establish checks and balances based on the needs of that sovereign state. That’s why we have a governor, legislature and a state Supreme Court, along with our own constitution.
Now, this is where Mr. Brickner goes off the rails. The sole responsibility of the Supreme Court, at any level in American jurisprudence, is to ensure that no law is passed that violates the constitution of either the state or the central government.
I tire of hearing how the sky will fall because the Supreme Court told legislators that a particular issue doesn’t meet the constitutional standard.
Now, exactly how does Mr. Brickner suppose voting will be hurt?
You mean because a voter planned a vacation in Cancun for that week, and won’t be able to mail in their ballot? Or that, knowing an election takes place every 24 months, you were simply too busy to register your citizenship here in Delaware until 9 a.m. on Election Day, so you could vote before noon? Or, perhaps on a darker vein, someone just moved here from another state. They filed an absentee vote in their old state, and now, they want to vote in Delaware, as well. What’s to stop them?
I applaud the Supreme Court for having the intestinal fortitude to reach this decision. Voting is the duty of every patriotic citizen, but there is no insinuation anywhere that making such a vote should be effortless. In order to maintain American pride, I would suggest it be returned to its original intent. Absentee and mail-in votes should be limited to medically certified individuals. This would stop voting from being a convenience that leads to an apathetic citizenry, instead of a patriotic obligation.
George Roof
Magnolia
