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In thinking about the June 28 editorial "Voter ID Honesty," I realized there is an easy solution to the problems being addressed by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, the many Republican legislatures' concern with controlling voter fraud and the perennially low turnouts in elections (25 percent in the Pennsylvania primary election this year).
My modest proposal is to eliminate elections. No more worrying about the tiny portion of the population that participates two times each year in voting. No more concerns about who is eligible to vote. No more cogitation about the respective influences of corporate money versus citizens' votes in choosing our public officials.
No! The elimination of the messiness of public voting for leaders, the huge cost of running elections and the dreary debates will all be eliminated!
And what can replace so-called "elections"? A simple auction where our leaders can be selected by anyone -- and by anyone I mean hugely wealthy individuals and corporations -- who can bid and pay what they wish to own (oops! I mean "elect") our leaders.
No more tedious commercials interrupting our popular TV shows. No more annoying robo-calls. No more endless fundraising by candidates. No more angst over vote counting or results.
How simple! Democracy and capitalism combined in the most efficient way! Why didn't we think of this before?
Oh, that's right, we did. It's the form of government that existed before democratic revolutions occurred -- like the American Revolution three centuries ago.
MARTY FRUENDT
Wilkinsburg
First Published July 6, 2012 12:00 am
