Voter ID Laws

In the United States, there is no more important right we have than the right to vote. The ballot box is one of the few places in this country that everyone is presumed equal, because the right to vote represents all our other rights; the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But just like they are slowly taking away a woman’s right to choose and a same sex couple’s right to marry, the GOP is disenfranchising voters all over the country through voter ID laws.

Now I’m sure many of you are thinking “But you have to have a valid ID to drive a car or buy liquor and lottery tickets. Heck, you even need a valid ID to watch a rated R movie”. And those of you thinking that would be correct. But all of those activities are recreational and none of them are a right for anyone. While the Constitution does not specifically state that voting is a protected right, it does specify that voting rights cannot be abridged or denied based on the following grounds: birth, race, color, gender, age, or the inability to pay any kind of tax. And voter ID laws are, in essence, a tax. Whether it’s getting a standard state-issued ID or obtaining the documentation needed to get a free voter ID, there is a cost associated with these laws.

Since 2008, 33 of the 32 voter ID laws proposed in state capitols across the country were proposed by Republicans, passed by Republicans, and signed by Republicans. In a report done by the Justice Department during the Bush administration, 196 million votes were cast. And of those votes, there were only 87 cases of voter fraud. That’s about 0.00004% of all votes cast in 5 years. Basically, you’re more likely to be hit by lightning than commit voter fraud. So why are Republicans trying so hard to crack down on this? Certainly not because it’s such a rampant problem and a threat to our democracy. No, the only problem and threat it poses is to them.

These voter ID laws aren’t about “ensuring honest elections” like the 2012 Republican Party platform calls it. As we all know, Republicans have a hard time getting certain people to vote for them. So instead of finding a way to connect with those voters, they come up with a solution to a non-problem: they disenfranchise the people they know have the least amount of representation in government.

So the question now is: what voters are being disenfranchised by voter ID laws? And the answer is approximately 21 million Americans, the majority of which are people of color, the poor, the elderly, women, and young people. A large section of these groups don’t have any form of the acceptable ID required to vote by some of these voter ID laws and they don’t have a way to rectify that. In Texas for example, IDs must be obtained from a Department of Public Safety office. But while there are over 250 counties in Texas, many counties don't have a DPS office. And most of those are poor, rural counties where the majority of disenfranchised voters live.

Voter fraud is as much of a problem in the United States as stealing a piece of Double Bubble is a loss for a gas station owner. If Republicans were serious about ensuring honest elections and more ballot access, they would support campaign finance reform. They would support a streamlined registration process for first time voters. They would support allowing every single eligible voter to cast their vote. They certainly wouldn’t be disenfranchising voters who vote against them.

Lots of Love,
Liberal Ladies

If You Thought Perry Was Bad...

I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news that makes the good news irrelevant. I’ll give you the good news first so that you understand the second part of that sentence. Texas, this is our last year under the tyranny, sorry, that was rude, I mean, tenure, of Rick Perry. Last Monday, Gov. Perry announced that he will not be running for a fourth term. Now for the bad news... Attorney General, Greg Abbott (R.), announced that he will be running in the 2014 Texas Gubernatorial election. Most of you are probably thinking, “Well anything’s an improvement after Perry.” HAH. Wrong. A.G. Abbott has sued the Obama administration 27 times, and has referred to Planned Parenthood as a terrorist organization (Take a few deep breaths now, because if you’re anything like me, that last sentence is about to start a panic attack). 

I don’t know where to begin on reasons why you should hate this guy, but I guess I’ll start with this:

That’s right. He’s one of the many GOP anti-choicers. And he’s not just any anti-choicer. Oh no, it’s no fun to just stop at being against women’s rights! Abbott pushed to cut state funding for Planned Parenthood-- I know that sounds “GOP typical,” but trust me, it gets worse-- because government funding for terrorist organizations is illegal under the Federal Material Support Statute. Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood, responded by saying that the case is not “about Planned Parenthood — it's about the women who rely on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams.” Richards also took a stab at Gov. Perry, and his partisan rulings, by saying that he has “already thrown 160,000 women off of healthcare for partisan political reasons -- now there will be more to come.” Abbott also said that he would cut the entire Women’s Health Program in Texas, that serves about 130,000 women a year, if they had to fund an organization that performed abortions. I guess he wasn’t aware that none of the eight Planned Parenthood facilities that are involved in the program provide abortions. Not to mention, abortions at Planned Parenthood facilities are entirely paid for with private money (See: The Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited taxpayer-funded abortions for decades). Abbott was also a huge supporter of the trans-vaginal ultrasound law, which was passed in the 2012 Texas legislative session, requiring all women in Texas to get an ultrasound 24 hours before an abortion procedure. 

If you thought Abbott only targeted women’s rights, you must be new to the GOP’s crazy views. He spent 1.4 million dollars investigating voter fraud. And guess how many cases of eligible-voter impersonation he found? 000000.00000, zero, zip, nada, nothing, no one. That is exactly what supporters say Voter ID laws would prevent, but I really don’t see anything that needs to be prevented. Abbott is currently in his 28th lawsuit against the Obama Administration, and he’s suing over section 5 of the Voting Right Act. Jason Stanford, of the Huffington Post, wrote this awesome article that compares Abbott to Joseph Heller and Franz Kafka, and said that the lawsuit is “just a $100,000 way of saying that the Texas Attorney General is suing for the right to stop asking permission before passing laws that make it harder for minorities to vote on the grounds that we don't make it harder for minorities to vote anymore.” Stanford also made a sly, and appreciated, dig... “We can only get 15 percent of Tejanos to vote, and Abbott thinks we're cheating?”

Women and minorities are not the only people Abbot’s targeting. Although he is in a wheelchair himself after being partially paralyzed, he supported the repeal of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2003. He called it unconstitutional, and sued over it. You can read more on that here. Abbott has also targeted the LGBT community. In April, this year, he released a statement on his opinion about Austin employers providing benefits to partners. He was a strong supporter of DOMA, and I really hope he threw a big tantrum with the SCOTUS repealed it.

I’m sure all of you are wondering... How is Abbott a Republican because you haven’t mentioned his love of guns and his hate for regulations on them!? Well here you go... Abbott, like most GOP candidates, is against all gun regulations. And like most GOP candidates, he brought religion into his fight, by saying “Texans don’t silence voices of faith; we fight for them.”

Abbott has described his current job as Attorney General by saying, “I go into the office, I sue Barack Obama and I go home.” Some of his lawsuits include suing over ensuring the U.S. Supreme Court building displays the Ten Commandments on its lawn, as well as healthcare providers not providing coverage for birth-control drugs. If that doesn’t do it for you, he was appointed by President George W. Bush, during his time as Texas’ governor, to serve on the Texas Supreme Court (1995-2001). A vote for Greg Abbott is a vote against equality for women, minorities, and the LGBT community. Under him, abortion regulations, like those passed last week, are sure to get harsher, and Voter ID laws are sure to stay in place. Fight to turn Texas blue for the 2014 Government election!

Lots of love,

Two Liberal Ladies

The GOP's War On Women

Over the past few weeks, state Legislatures in Texas, Ohio, and North Carolina have passed some of the most restrictive anti-choice bills in the country. But along with those bills, they've cut off access to low cost family planning services, preventive care services, and a woman’s right to privacy, all in the name of “women’s health”. Fifty years after the historic Roe v. Wade decision, this is the most aggressive, blatant attack on women’s rights we've seen in the United States. 

Republicans like to say that this so called “War on Women” is a phenomena made up by Democrats to scare women into voting for them. I think Texas Senator Kirk Watson said it best in his speech on HB2 during Texas’s second special legislative session: 

“More than one of you have asked over the last few weeks, earnestly and in good faith I might add, why people believe you’re waging a war on women. It’s because the only solutions you’ll consider are the ones that limit women’s options. It’s because women see you driving them back to a dark, painful, terrifying time of unsafe procedures and quiet, shameful, month long exile; a time when abortion was neither safe nor legal. It’s because women are connecting the dots between the decision on this bill and others that have left them with no health care.” 

The GOP’s War on Women is not made up. 

Instead of empowering women with more choices and more education, they shame women for not being able to keep their legs closed. Instead of supporting a woman who had to make a choice between her body and that of a fetus, they call her a baby killer. Instead of thinking that women are capable of making their own health care choices, they tell her where she has to go for a procedure and who she has to talk to about it. Instead of listening to doctors and health care experts, they put their own faulty science and religious beliefs above everything else. Every chance they get, they belittle the rights and choices of women everywhere. No one is pro-abortion. 

We all recognize that it’s a hard and tragic decision for a woman to make. But unlike the misogynistic slut shaming of the Republican Party, the Democrats have put forth logical alternatives to restricting access: don’t cut off the supply for abortions, cut off the demand. Educate teen mothers about birth control and contraceptives so they understand how to protect themselves. Increase funding for low cost clinics so everyone has access to quality health care. Support equal pay for women so they don’t feel that their only option is to terminate a pregnancy. Create an environment of tolerance and acceptance for families who need a little extra help sometimes. 

Regardless of the outcomes of the legislation in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, and every other part of the country, one thing remains true: the voice of the people WILL ring loud and clear. The men and women in the Texas capitol during Senator Wendy Davis’ filibuster were a lesson to us all. Even if things don’t go your way, you should always stand up for what you believe in. Activism is an integral part of the democratic process in this country. Attend a rally, donate to a candidate, check out your local Democratic party. Get involved.

Lots of Love,

Two Liberal Ladies

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Welcome to the wonderful world of two sassy ladies living blue in a red state! This is place for liberals to rejoice in the tolerance and wisdom of the Democratic Party with a Leslie Knope spin. As strong supporters of feminism, the LGBT community, and the POC movement, we're devoted to working for equality, progress, and reform. 

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Lots of love,

Two Liberal Ladies.