SameOldRat

Why Can't I Vote?

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Why Can't I Vote?

'Cause Your Retarded.

from JoeUser Forums
I work at a home with adults that have physical and mental developmental disabailities. Today during a routine staff meeting the topic of voting was brought up and I was astonished to hear that out of 40 or so residents, only 12 have the right to vote. As the meeting slowly rolled on, and I drifted farthe into a sleepy state, this really started bugging me. As anyone who has ever been friends with people of similar nature know, although by typical standards the clients are labeled as MR, they are far from being stupid, let alone not being able to make an informed decision. The people that I work with are just as effeceted by this election as anyone else who walks this world and I believe more so. Should they not have the right to vote. The government is responsible for the level of care they recieve, the wages of the people that work with them, the food they eat, the insurance they use, and most everything that goes on in their lives. How can they not have a say in who is making these choices for them. They do not have the right to vote! It is still hard for me to comprehend. Voting is something fought for, died for, sacrificed for. We have fought for many years for the right of everyone to cast their vote and I find out to day that there are people out there still opressed by a label. At one point it was poor people, black people, and women. I am ashamed that our society does not let my friends vote. We move forward so much, but still not enough to make everyone equal.
politics
20,693 views 31 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top
I guess I have nothing else to say other than I can't support taking votes away (or never allowing) from people that have disabilities all together. Their guardians are responsisble and trusted for everything else in these peoples lives, right down to the sustianance of life itself, but they can't be trusted to cast a vote? Incredible.

Rat, you have my support in your questioning if such policy.
Reply #27 from JoeUser Forums Top
Reply #26 By: LeapingLizard - 11/1/2004 6:09:12 PM
I guess I have nothing else to say other than I can't support taking votes away (or never allowing) from people that have disabilities all together. Their guardians are responsisble and trusted for everything else in these peoples lives, right down to the sustianance of life itself, but they can't be trusted to cast a vote? Incredible.

Rat, you have my support in your questioning if such policy.


He can question all he wants. The policy is law and it ain't going to change anytime soon!
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top
He can question all he wants. The policy is law and it ain't going to change anytime soon!


Freakin' A drmiller! I know! If you hammer this home one more time, I'm gonna freaking' puke. Nothing much changes...ever! That doesn't mean I think it's right though. And it's fine if you think it's a great policy...whatever....I accept that. I don't think it is, though. And despite that it is a law, and it isn't going to change soon, and that it is policy...and oh yeah...did I mention that it is the law, ya know like something that is enforceable and legal. BTW, you know, the courts make these kinds of decisions and cut offs, cause they are like laws, ya know, and the law stands. Laws, laws, laws. So, in case you hadn't noticed, I realize the policy is law. I am not happy with it. You don't have to tell me that it's a law again. Your last response doesn't even make sense in that it is practically unrelated to what I stated. You just reiterated that this is the law. And again, I gathered as much.

No personal offense intended, just give it a rest or say something new...please.

ll
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top
I agree that they should not be able to vote. You say "were taking away their rights" well, they are not mentally capable to take care of basic habitation tasks, how can you expect them to make informed/educated decisions for society? There are people who make sure that they are taken care of, hence your job, so how can you say that they are being put in the dark and ignored by society?
Reply #30 from JoeUser Forums Top
Treatment of the people we classify as mentally ill has not come very far at all over the past few milennia. Society has never quite known what to do with these people. We fear them. They are just too darned different for our comfort levels. And so we use all sorts of excuses for what essentially amounts to bigotry.

We give people who are different labels such as "mentally ill", which basically gives us free reign to treat them however we want. Then we shunt them off into institutions so that we don't have to deal with them. It's as though they're not even human to us, they can't even be allowed to participate in society. Every sooften we change the way that we oppress them, but it all amounts to the same. People who know very little about these people making generalisations about them to justify their own bigotry.

" I think you have to consider children eligible too. "

Bloody oath we do! Bring it on!
Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top
In a competent society, the mentally retarded, old, children, etc. who cannot vote should be taken care of by those who are voted into power. But, when taxes are cut, wars are fought, corporate welfare skyrockets, and health care only means health industry CEO care, then something is very amiss. In fact, as these things' costs go up, instead of matching the costs, the government cuts the programs. This whole discussion really comes down to how the disenfranchised are treated in our society. In fact, they are treated like shit, because they are the least capable of complaining in a "democratic" way. They become ignored and thrown out like so much trash.

I'm not comfortable with giving blanket mentally deficient people the right to vote. It should be a judgement call made by a competent family member or medical person, i.e., the person's doctor. Not by the courts, who really often only represent an estate, not the person. But, we should be encouraging the disenfranchised to vote, not shutting them out. But, we are not a very caring society, are we? That would be too......... oh hell.......... I'm not going to say it.