Archy the Blogging Cockroach discusses Michigan Republicans' attempts to disenfranchise those whose homes have been foreclosed, and makes an important point to bear in mind whenever you hear a Republican talk about "election reform":
When conservatives get upset over election problems, they are almost always upset over the idea that someone voted who didn't "deserve" to vote. "Deserve" is one of the most powerful words in the conservative lexicon. They worry that the value of their rights are diminished by undeserving people exercising the same rights. When liberals get upset over election problems, they are almost always upset over the idea that someone was unfairly prevented from voting who was entitled to vote. "Fair" is one of the most powerful words in the liberal lexicon. Being excluded is one of the most unfair things a liberal can imagine. Election reform for conservatives means strict controls to keep the wrong people from voting. Election reform for liberals means making sure no one is prevented from exercising their right to vote.
He explains that for Democrats, rights are granted by the Creator, not by government, and thus taking away the right to vote for any reason is an affront to the entire body public. For Republicans, rights are earned, not granted by the Creator, and anybody exercising unearned rights degrades the value of those rights for people who have earned them.
The founding fathers agreed with the Democrats -- to quote the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ..." i.e., that rights come not from government, but from the Creator. That is, rights are inherent in human beings, not something that are granted or taken away by some external force such as government. But don't tell that to a Republican. They'll throw a temper tantrum and then lie and insist that the founding fathers did not think that way, even though we have reams of paper from their letters, tracts, etc. saying otherwise.
-- Badtux the Voting Penguin
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