Letter - Voter ID: a distracting ploy

To the editor:

I write this letter to, again, express my contempt for the voter ID legislation now being forced through by our Republican politicians.

Representative Mary Franson continues to insist that this legislation is necessary to curtail voter fraud. Perhaps the Echo Press should investigate the hundreds, thousands of people prosecuted for voter ID fraud in Minnesota in the last 50 years. I would ask her why she isn't trying to pass legislation to end bank fraud, insurance fraud, investment fraud, etc., etc.

Secondarily, since Republicans always express their support of the military, perhaps she can also explain her reasoning to the veterans who held a press conference expressing their opposition to this legislation.

As a veteran, I can tell you that it was not a high priority to guarantee active duty personnel the right that many have shed their blood and body for.

This attempt by the Republicans to continue their assault on so-called moral issues is clearly a ploy to redirect attention from the fraud perpetrated by the entities that I have mentioned. We are fed a daily diet of their moral platitudes.

One can only wonder if the Republicans will be able to prosecute the thousands of voters who commit voter fraud and incarcerate them at a cost of $30,000 a year. I'm sure the rest of us will be safer when these criminals are brought to justice. Maybe there'll be a "bailout" fund established for them.

Until then, I guess we'll muddle through the Republican manifesto to see who will be their next target. Perhaps children selling Girl Scout cookies without a business license, or the sports organizations selling candy bars, or people having garage sales without an accurate accounting of income. The possibilities are endless.

Arthur J. Le Suer

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters