-

The Right To Vote                                 #396

By Hank Silverberg  


Commentary 

If you are a U.S. Citizen and you have registered to vote and have voted in the past, you have nothing to


worry about as the federal government makes moves to change the voting system. At least that's the narrative that the Trump Administration would like us all to believe as we move into the midterm election cycle this fall. 

But I am not so sure. First, the White House tried to federalize how Americans register to vote, but the Constitution got in the way with Article 1, Section 4 specifically saying, "The times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed to each state by the Legislature thereof."   

And that same section says only Congress (not the president), can change that.  

But now, Donald Trump has fired the leadership of the Election Assistance Commission because it failed to update guidelines for the states on voting machines and impose a "proof of citizenship" requirement on a national mail-in voter registration form.

Trump fired the two Democrats on the bipartisan commision, and the Republican commissioner resigned. The fourth member had resigned in April.    

The commission was created in 2002 by President Bush to oversee the testing of voting systems, distribute federal grants to the states, and maintain a national voter registration form to be used by the states.  

The White House said on Friday the administration continues work to "safeguard elections from fraud and abuse" ahead of the November midterm elections, though there has been NO evidence of massive voter fraud anywhere in the past 50 years.  

According to ballottpedia.org  49 states require applicants to declare they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote under penalty of perjury charges if you lie. Twelve states require PROOF of citizenship to register. But North Dakota does not have a voter registration procedure at all.  

The states from time to time do purge the voter rolls, removing people who have not voted at all in the last two presidential elections or any other election in between, under the assumption that they have either moved somewhere else or are deceased. 

If you haven't voted recently, it would be a good idea to call your local Board of Elections to check on the standing of your voter registration before November.  

 https://www.msn.com/en-au/politics/government/us-trump-looked-to-bypass-federal-election-agency-before-firings-says-report/ar-AA27GiTn


News You May Have Missed 

The White House continues its attack on journalists. The Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times reporters to testify about their stories on the security features on the new Air Force One. 

The Times had reported  that the new plane, a gift from Qatar, lacked some of the security features of previous Air Force One planes, including anti-missile capabilities. Four reporters had worked on the story. The report came as the President was using the plane for his trip to Europe.  

The Times said that the journalists were contacted before the article appeared and were asked not to report it because it created a national security issue.  And the FBI asked the journalists who their sources for the story were. The Times refused to name sources, and that led to the subpoenas. 

It's the third time in recent weeks that the Justice Department has tried to get reporters to reveal their sources. Two other subpoena attempts against the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal on other issues were eventually withdrawn after challenged by the newspapers.    


Rent Scam Alert 


An old scam has returned this summer with an internet twist. 

The Caroline County, Virginia police say it can start on Facebook or some other online advertisements that feature homes for rent. Police say the scammers may be using photos and details from actual real estate listings to create a fake ad. They then ask those who show interest to send money in for an application fee, security deposit or advanced rent. And it turns out of course, that the home is not for rent or the ad was just fake. 

Suggestions for getting around this if you are looking to rent?

First, confirm the property for rent by searching the address online to see if it's listed for sale or rent. 

Contact the real estate agent or property owner only from a verified site. 

Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers to someone you have not met.

Be suspicious of anyone who is unable to meet because they are out of town. And do not provide social security or banking information or identification until it has all been verified. 

Report all fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at this website  https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/


Dumbest Quote Of The Week!

This week's dumb quote comes from Vice President, JD Vance. 

 As the preliminary hearing got underway in Utah for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of murdering right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Vance did an interview with the Daily Wire,a right-wing internet site, Vance floated a wacky conspiracy theory on the Kirk murder where he said:   

"But do I wonder if there are other people who are more directly involved in Charlie’s murder? Absolutely, because I don’t think that it’s possible for a young man to get radicalized like that without somebody encouraging him, whether informally or formally.”

Apparently, Vance does not understand the power of the internet, which has been radicalizing people on the right and left for years. Such talk from the Vice President only plays into such nonsense. 


(You suggestions and comments  are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:  HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)                       

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796


My NEWEST book is now available. It is designed for use in Public Speaking and entry level communications classes. 


                                               
                   You will find the book here:                                                                      https://a.co/d/09fiY9sq



Comments

Post a Comment

Reactive comments are welcome. Please keep it civil. Any direct attack on the blogger or those who post is not welcome and will be deleted.

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
Information Control                                #321 By Hank Silverberg I am not one of those people who has panicked over the first two weeks of the Trump administration. He has been doing exactly what he said he would do, so as annoying as it is, no one should be surprised.  But there are a few things that are making me very nervous. At the top of the list, something many Americans may have missed, is the administration's efforts to control ALL news and information coming out of Washington, not just from the White House, but from the entire federal government.    For example: since 1996, the Centers for Disease Control has been publishing the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). It keeps the state health departments, doctors, and the public up to date with  things like flu outbreaks, Measles, West Nile Virus, Covid-19, and other respiratory viruses and illnesses. It allows ...
Read more
-
Image
A Taxing Week By Hank Silverberg A few years back while doing a story on the financial stability of a local hospital, I was reading through the facility's annual report.   It kept referring to “negative patient outcome,” and it took me a few minutes to realize they were talking about the death rate among patients. Over the years, while covering numerous county boards and city councils, I often heard politicians talk about the need for more “revenue enhancements,” and it was clear that "revenue enhancements" was a code word for taxes.   So, I begin this week’s blog with an old saying slightly modified. There is nothing certain in life except negative patient outcome and revenue enhancements. It’s been a taxing week. I had to write a fairly large check to the U.S. Treasury to meet the April 15 th income tax deadline, and like millions of Americans, I am not happy about it.  Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that each citizen should pay their fair share of...
Read more
-
Image
A House Divided                                    #354 By Hank Silverberg  Commentary  "A house divided against itself, cannot stand. " Those words from a famous Abraham Lincoln speech of 1858 came to mind this week as I watched and listened to the reactions to the assassination of conservative political activist, Charlie Kirk. I didn't know Mr. Kirk, though we had exchanged an occasional post on X from time to time over the last few years. And let me say clearly we did not agree on pretty much every political issue you can think of. But political violence in the United States, though not new by any means, is deplorable and unacceptable.    What strikes me most about the reaction to Kirk's assassination was the rampant and rapid spread of misinformation on the internet about the motive for his murder, even after the suspected killer was found and taken into custody.  Consp...
Read more