Voter ID Required? Bring it ON!

The New York Times (as well as other news outlets) recently reported that the Supreme Court has agreed...

to consider whether voter-identification laws unfairly keep poor people and members of minority groups from going to the polls (emphasis mine)... The justices will hear arguments from an Indiana case, in which a federal district judge and a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in January upheld a state law requiring, with certain exceptions, that someone wanting to vote in person in a primary or general election present a government-issued photo identification.

I am not wealthy, nor would I be considered poor; and generally speaking, I do not belong to a minority race--although that is changing quickly in the area of the United States in which my family live. Maybe that is why I don't understand the statement above. What in the world does one's race or income level have to do with their ability to VOTE?! Nothing. Here's what I think it's all about: stuffing the ballot box.

Somebody, somewhere has figured out that there is a very large number of individuals living in the United States that do NOT carry identification, not because they are poor and/or part of a minority group, but because they DON'T HAVE ANY! Some of those people have been able to vote without showing any proof of citizenship and to require them to do so NOW, might effect the outcome of the vote.

I don't care what the case is trying to prove. I think it's pretty simple. Regardless of whether you are rich, middle income, or poor, black, white, brown, or even green--if you can't prove you are who you say you are--and even more importantly, that you are a UNITED STATES CITIZEN...you ain't votin'! Just because you happen to be in the neighborhood doesn't give you a "say-so."

There are some pretty dumb rich people out there, just as much as there are dumb poor people. There are some pretty dumb people in EVERY ethnic group in this country. There are some smart ones, too. I've proposed this before, and I still believe it's a good plan. Effective immediately, absolutely NO ONE is a registered voter. End of discussion. If you want to vote in an upcoming election, you must do ALL of the following:

1. Go to your nearest voter registration office in person to register.
2. Present three (3) forms of ID, one of which is a government issued picture ID-e.g. state issued driver's license, a birth certificate from an AMERICAN hospital and an official social security card. These three items could vary to some degree, but you will need three forms of ID, proving you are an American citizen of eligible voting age.
3. You must be able to read the entire Gettysburg Address, IN ENGLISH, in two minutes or less. (Note: I realize that for one reason or another, some individuals may not be able to read. I'm still thinking about this one. At the very least, I think an applicant should be able to recite/paraphrase the first sentence of the Address--again, in English)
4. And finally, applicants should be able to sing or recite the Star Spangled Banner. (Extra points if you can hit the high notes.)

If a person can't comply with the simple criteria I've outlined above, do we really WANT them voting?! The down-side to my plan: it might eliminate a significant number of members of Congress.