Yet more keen links one might want to share

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

9% Kentucky's eligible age voters are disenfranchised, 26% 0f blacks.

The "solution" is to not commit felonies if you want to continue to vote. Simple as that. But, no, people like the author of that piece feel the need to be hate mongers. To stir shit when there is no shit to stir. Don't make a damn what color you are, you do a felony, you don't vote. Simple as that.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Don't make a damn what color you are, you do a felony, you don't vote. Simple as that.

In 3/50ths of the States. So it's not as simple as that, it's as simple as what zip code you were born in. Without making a value judgement, you can observe that, at least, its a random variable.

[Gravdigr]

What? There's nothing random about it. Felony. No vote. How is that random?

You do realize I, and Bruce, and the piece he posted, the one I quoted, are talking about Kentucky, and not some random fucking zip code?

How is it random?

[Flint]

Most states don't do it.

[Gravdigr]

But we are talking about one that does.

I'm still lost on 'random'.

[Flint]

Babies don't decide what state they are born in.

[Clodfobble]

To be fair, babies don't commit felonies, either. Adult ex-felons could choose to move to a different state.

Perhaps I should clarify that I'm in favor of people who completed their sentences being allowed to vote again. I just think we should encourage people to leave Florida by whatever means possible.

[Happy Monkey]

Florida's changing that rule (unless they find a way to override/water down the referendum, which they will try).

It also was a prime example of why "Don't make a damn what color you are, you do a felony, you don't vote. Simple as that." wasn't true. Whether a felon got their rights back was completely up to the whim of the governor.

Additionally, which crimes are felonies, whether people are arrested, charged, charged to the maximum or minimum level, convicted, paroled, or pardoned are not color blind.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Flint

Babies don't decide what state they are born in.

Waiting for random...

Third post with no explanation of what you mean by voting-rights-being-denied-due-to-felony-convictions being random.

Now you're bringing babies into it? What does a baby's lack of choice in birth location have to do with anything?

What does a baby have a choice in? Nothing whatsoever.

Just to remind you, because you seem to have lost track:

Felon voting rights, in KY. Not other states. Not babies. Not zip codes.

[Happy Monkey]

Flint - which three states are you talking about?

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Flint - which three states are you talking about?

From the article,

Kentucky and Iowa are the two states that disenfranchise people convicted of all felonies for life. (Virginia law provides for this as well, but recent governors have mostly gotten around it with executive orders.

[Gravdigr]

From HapMo's link:

Felony Disenfranchisement

[Happy Monkey]

I guess it's a bit more clear from the map than the wiki text; I assume it's Iowa, Kentucky, and Virginia; Florida's the same color but they're changing the law to "Circumstantial".

ETA: Yeah, my wiki-skimming skills weren't great.

[Gravdigr]

Waiting on random...

Four times.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Waiting on random...

Four times.

It's random because it's not punishment handed to most Americans for the same offence, just ones living in a couple of states.

Even in the state where getting busted for drugs worth over $500 is a felony, it becomes random in that there's no standard. A kilo of pot could be judged to be worth $400 and four joints worth $600, depending on who's calling the shots and who was busted. If you're white and daddy is a prosecuting attorney, there's a real good chance that pot won't be worth very much.