Cognition testing’s time has come. It applies on a couple of critical fronts in the U.S. – voter registration and gun permitting.
On the voter front, to be eligible to vote you’d have to pass a short test to demonstrate you didn’t think A was B or someone’s political position was the exact opposite of what you believe it is. It would also be good to lay out some simple facts and test the applicant’s ability to demonstrate that s/he knows the facts from the farce. Pass and you get your voter card.
Same thing applies to guns. To demonstrate you can own and operate a gun, you must pass a mental health test. Questions designed to ferret out schizophrenia, severe anger management problems, bipolar disease and (throw in your personal favorites here) would need to be passed before a permit was issued.
Like any test, neither of these would be perfect. But both would serve important functions in our society.
For voter registration, the test would identify people who either don’t face reality about certain political facts by choice or lack of ability to recognize facts. If an individual cannot make a correct decision to pull the lever based a clear understanding of an actual situation at hand, then it doesn’t make sense to allow that person to select who leads our country (or your state of local community, for that matter).
Similarly, if you cannot demonstrate you are mentally stable on a simple test, putting a gun in your hands is not a good idea. People who believe in the good guys having the guns should jump on the bandwagon for this test.
While we’re at this, let’s throw in terms limits for people who are elected to the U.S House of Representatives, Senate and the Supreme Court. It’s time to open the door to continual fresh blood.
For years and years, I’ve supported letting voters chose when they go to their polling place. The greatest way to change faces is to exercise your right to vote. But for some reason, I’ve changed my view on this the past 3-4 years. Too many long-term entrenched elected officials have stayed in office for years past their prime.
Experience is a good thing. So is knowledge. Both qualities help get things done the right way.
But being in office too long breeds complacency. It also tends to give a larger voice to the big bucks contributors who support these officials, taking the voice away from the little guy. Having term limits – though it would not eliminate that problem -- would at least shake it up a little bit. And shaking things up is sometimes all you can do.
POTUS (President of the United States) is already term limited. It’s actually kind of odd that we don’t say you can be a U.S. Senator for 12 years (two terms) or Congressperson for 12 years (six terms) or a Supreme Court justice for 10 or 12 years before it’s time to exit and let someone else have a crack at the difficult issues of the day. If there’s gridlock, fresh blood can hopefully break it.
Breaking the long-term stranglehold that big money and entrenched interests have on our national political process will not be easy. These steps would help.
On the voter front, to be eligible to vote you’d have to pass a short test to demonstrate you didn’t think A was B or someone’s political position was the exact opposite of what you believe it is. It would also be good to lay out some simple facts and test the applicant’s ability to demonstrate that s/he knows the facts from the farce. Pass and you get your voter card.
Same thing applies to guns. To demonstrate you can own and operate a gun, you must pass a mental health test. Questions designed to ferret out schizophrenia, severe anger management problems, bipolar disease and (throw in your personal favorites here) would need to be passed before a permit was issued.
Like any test, neither of these would be perfect. But both would serve important functions in our society.
For voter registration, the test would identify people who either don’t face reality about certain political facts by choice or lack of ability to recognize facts. If an individual cannot make a correct decision to pull the lever based a clear understanding of an actual situation at hand, then it doesn’t make sense to allow that person to select who leads our country (or your state of local community, for that matter).
Similarly, if you cannot demonstrate you are mentally stable on a simple test, putting a gun in your hands is not a good idea. People who believe in the good guys having the guns should jump on the bandwagon for this test.
While we’re at this, let’s throw in terms limits for people who are elected to the U.S House of Representatives, Senate and the Supreme Court. It’s time to open the door to continual fresh blood.
For years and years, I’ve supported letting voters chose when they go to their polling place. The greatest way to change faces is to exercise your right to vote. But for some reason, I’ve changed my view on this the past 3-4 years. Too many long-term entrenched elected officials have stayed in office for years past their prime.
Experience is a good thing. So is knowledge. Both qualities help get things done the right way.
But being in office too long breeds complacency. It also tends to give a larger voice to the big bucks contributors who support these officials, taking the voice away from the little guy. Having term limits – though it would not eliminate that problem -- would at least shake it up a little bit. And shaking things up is sometimes all you can do.
POTUS (President of the United States) is already term limited. It’s actually kind of odd that we don’t say you can be a U.S. Senator for 12 years (two terms) or Congressperson for 12 years (six terms) or a Supreme Court justice for 10 or 12 years before it’s time to exit and let someone else have a crack at the difficult issues of the day. If there’s gridlock, fresh blood can hopefully break it.
Breaking the long-term stranglehold that big money and entrenched interests have on our national political process will not be easy. These steps would help.