Three dad sit around a kitchen table stuffed from the feast and start talking about politics, the responsibilities of an educated electorate, and the opportunities that their children can expect to have in the future.
It was a good conversation to have and you know it took place at dinner tables around the nation. This conversation was especially timely because on June 17, 2011, Governor Nixon vetoed SB 3 so that all Missourian's can vote without paying a fee for the privilege. The legislation was of course worded in specific language not mentioning the fee, but requiring certain forms of ID that you have to pay a fee for - paying a fee for the right to vote is a poll tax at its essence - and that is what SB 3 added up to. Nonetheless, this is the second time that Missouri's legislature has passed such a "poll tax"in a decade.
Some bad ideas are hard to silence.
In the mid 2000s, Missouri's own Supreme Court struck down a similar law as unconstitutional.
Thank goodness for three separate and distinct branches of government and for good people in every branch, but more specifically in these cases - a bright and fair-minded Governor and Supreme Court Judges who follow the law. Otherwise, Missouri would be a much worse place - one where you have to pay a fee in order to vote.
All in all, it is the best result that the dads could have hoped for - government protecting the rights of its citizens from a clear violation of civil rights; a future for the children; and a demonstration that the constitution in a living document that is vital to issues in everyday life.
Thats something worth celebrating.
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