News: Bush and Election Reform

John Kerry calls for election reforms...and is criticized by the Republican National Committee.

"While President Bush and members of Congress are working to move our country
forward, it's disappointing that some Democrats are focused on rehashing
baseless allegations more than five months after the election," RNC spokeswoman
Tracey Schmitt said.

You're right, Schmitt, we should've done this before the election. But shouldn't we ensure that future elections run more smoothly? (we will have future elections, right?)

Okay, it might sound fishy that this idea is coming from the guy who lost the 2004 election, but John Kerry is no sore loser. He admits that Bush beat him in 2004. He isn't calling for a recount. He isn't saying that Bush stole the election.
He and Hilliary Clinton are sponsoring the "Count Every Vote" act, which calls for 1. a federal holiday for voting, 2. paper receipts from voting machines, and 3. money for upgrading voting equipment.

The Paper Receipts
Why should the RNC be against paper receipts? I thought only liberal pansies cared so much about wasting trees. I doubt that paper receipts are so expensive; Wal*Mart hands out receipts. Wal*Mart hires illegal aliens to clean their floors just to save a few bucks, so I think that if cutting out receipts would save them any money at all, they would do it. Why do Diebold's ATMs dispense receipts but Diebold voting machines do not? If their ATMs make mistakes--and they do--then how can I believe their voting machines are absolutely infallible and therefore don't need receipts?

The Voting Holiday
Nor do I see why the RNC are against another holiday. I've got an idea: let's name the voting holiday "Ronald Reagan Day." Republicans love naming stuff after Ronald Reagan, and people who work long hours will love finally being able to vote without having to take time off work.

What it comes down to: The Green.
Nor can I understand this reluctance to spend money on our voting equipment. Republicans support spending billions and billions of dollars to bring democracy to Iraq--why be chintzy with $500 mil to improve democracy at home? We could give everybody a $2 "freedom tax" and more than cover it.

I doubt they care what we think, though. Bush certainly doesn't. His administration supports "democracy" but not democracy. "Freedom" but not freedom, "patriot" but not patriot. Some of our GOP congressmen the Judiciary. Ha, they claim to be against "activist judges," whatever THAT means, yet the idea of undermining one of the major checks in our government could not possibly be more activist, more extreme.