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Civic Participation




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Felons voting rights.

So, insane persons breached the social contract? Or insane persons cannot vote responsibly? What guarantees do we have that non-felons vote responsibly? That anyone votes responsibly? That they make an informed decisions?

It is a fact that most voters cannot even say few opinions on important issues of representatives they vote for. Even our representative don't vote responsibly for laws - they often vote for laws they didn't even read. Felons have breached the social contract and, like insane persons, have raised questions about their ability to vote responsibly. Absolutely! Everyone should not only have a right to vote, but be encouraged to vote as if it was a duty and not only responsibility.

By voting people get more acquainted with the government and laws, and they are more likely to follow those same laws. This attitude shows ex felons that their prison sentence was not enough of a punishment, but that they have to live for the rest of their lives as a second class "citizens". This fact does not encourage them to be good citizens, but on the contrary it discourages them.

We don't have a right to silence another person. Their right to vote is their right to opinion, and we must not take it away from them.

Felons are not a majority, and we should not be afraid of them "making" our laws.[1] Individuals who have shown they are unwilling to follow the law cannot claim the right to make laws for the rest of us. We don't let everyone vote, not children, for instance, or noncitizens, or the mentally incompetent. We have certain minimum standards of trustworthiness before we let people participate in the serious business of self-government, and people who commit serious crimes don't meet those standards.[2] Should felons be allowed to vote? Felons voting rights.





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References:

1. http://best-google-videos.com/video.php?csid=121#next
2. http://old.nationalreview.com/clegg/clegg200410180844.asp


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