The latest canard to come out of the Democratic establishment is that Georgia is suppressing the vote of “brown and black” people (their terminology, not mine) because it — wait for it — is a hopelessly racist state and people.
President Biden even said the new law was worse than Jim Crow and was in fact “Jim Eagle”. Not really sure about that word choice, but maybe he isn’t either.
The point is that Democrats and Leftists are seizing on this bill to mount their all too typical, bad faith attack not just on Republicans, but on our dear state and our nation in general.
The truth is that this bill, SB202, is nothing but an attempt to address the concerns that Ms. Stacey Abrams originally made after the disputed 2018 election about the integrity of our election process, a claim that was made by the other side after the 2020 election.
As State Senate majority leader Mike Dugan said, “we can’t have this uncertainty that we had for the last two (elections) in a row, ‘Is this a valid election?’ That’s why we codified some stuff that was best practices, and then we just cleaned up some other areas.”
While Democrats and media repeatedly lie about what the law does or doesn’t do, the truth is that it does make voting more accessible while also ensuring greater voting integrity. Anyone who thinks having to provide a state ID (which are freely available) to vote at a polling place or by mail is racist voter suppression is just engaging in rank partisan deception, or falling prey to the lies of partisan hacks.
The time for early voting was extended. The use of ballot drop boxes, which were only allowed under the pandemic emergency order and never been used before, was codified into law. Areas where long lines occur have been required to open additional polling locations.
One of the most misrepresented aspects of the law regards providing food and drink to voters while in line. There already was a law that banned the practice of giving gifts within 150 feet of a polling station, but that law was being abused by Democrats, who were giving bottles of water with candidate names (e.g., “Warnock Water”) to voters waiting in line.
The law expressly prohibits such “line warming” tactics while also empowering the polling staff to provide water if needed. (By the way, if you’re of voting age, can’t it be expected that you’re responsible enough to bring your own water??)
Despite the law’s reasonable requirements and similarity to many states, including New York, Leftists have attacked it as being specifically targeted against racial minorities with zero evidence. Their main argument is that white guys passed it and so it must be racist, but that is school-yard taunting, not actual argumentation.
Corporate America, fully cowed by the woke mob, has caved already and is rolling out its condemnations of Georgia, following the lead of our president, who is outright lying about the bill’s intentions and content in order to score political points.
I, for one, am sick and tired of politicians, media figures, and Democratic activists calling our state and our country racist. There is precious little evidence to support their claims and they are doing way more harm than good.
If their statements were accurate and backed by facts, like they were in the 1950s and before, then we would need to do something. But the whole point of going through the civil rights movement and changing our laws was to make such racism illegal and to address those terrible inequities.
Our country has made massive strides in the cultural arena to not only discourage racism, but to make it anathema in decent society. That is a good thing, but those on the Left need some way to justify their existence and increase their political power, and so they will do and say anything, including ripping apart our body politic and damaging race relations in our country.
The worst thing about this race-baiting tactic is that it teaches young minorities that their situation is hopeless due to the endemic racism of our country and their neighbors. If that is the case, why even try? Why not riot and loot if your country is such a terrible place? That is a horrible thing to do to a young mind, and does not help improve their plight in any way.
But the condition of poor minorities in our country takes a backseat to gaining political power and the perverse joys of castigating your fellow citizens as evil purveyors of secret and not-so-secret plots to harm minorities.
I again harken back to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who did not dwell on the real racism in the hearts of his opponents, but instead called on the better angels of their nature to do better, to honor the principles of our country and our faith by judging others not by their race, but by the “content of their character.”
Though his life was tragically taken away by a racist, his message and his movement succeeded. We should be grateful for that and not descend unnecessarily into division based on false attacks and misrepresentations of both the content of certain policies and the motives of their advocates.
We should know better and do better for the sake of our children.
Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.
Those of you on this blog supporting the merits of Georgia’s new election laws – like the dimwitted Hoffman who displays his fatuity weekly in nonsensical rants – can’t see the proverbial forest for the trees. The perversity of these new laws is not in the regulations they insinuate on the populace, but rather, that any modification was considered at all. All but devoted Fox News viewers know that the most recent presidential election was devoid of widespread fraud. Georgia’s Republican governor, Lt. governor, and secretary of state have clearly disavowed any shenanigans.
The only reason that Georgia legislators addressed voting changes at all was to placate the orange man and his acolytes. What better way to genuflect to this sore loser and to mollify his uninformed base?
Quit wasting your time parsing the merits of the new legislation. Muster the integrity to admit the real reason for the laws. The truth will set you free!
The truth is always somewhere in the middle. You’re truth, my truth, and then we get the Govt’s truth.
Don’t sit and think you are the only one who knows the truth.
Specifically, which part of the new law resembles Jim Crow? Which parts make it harder to vote?
Taking away drop boxes. But the most scary part is that that state can override local election that they believe are “fraudulent.” Oh, and by the way, why do we need reform just because people that Trump conned don’t believe the last election result, even though there is absolutely no evidence. Wake up, you lost because you ran a despicable human being who showed zero leadership with regard to Covid-19.
It’s racist and its suppresses voter turnout when you have to show proof that you are who you say you are. Think about that for a minute. Why would you NOT want people to prove their identity when voting??? And stop with the nonsense about how it disenfranchises minority votes……you’re telling me they don’t have some sort of government-issued ID? A drivers license? Or they have no ability to get a free voter ID card? That’s just total hogwash.
if you read further through this thread, you will see an explanation of why many voters don’t have and can have difficulty getting an I.D. if you are actually curious.
But I.D. is only one facet of the bill. Other incomprehensible components (unless you agree that the racist law is designed to suppress the minority vote):
-Why the law was needed as there had been no voter fraud under existing laws.
-Why the law allows the (party controlling the legislature) to remove and replace local election officials and appoint someone to oversee elections rather than the duly elected secretary of state.
-Why the law criminalizes the distribution of water and food to voters trapped in long lines (especially hurting voter turnout in Black precincts which have been shown always to have the longest lines).
-Why the law makes voting by mail and absentee voting more difficult while also cutting back on polling places which guarantees voting in person will be more difficult.
All of these provisions unduly impact minority precincts. Why were they needed? They were not as there had been no voter fraud under existing rules. The only explanation is that the GOP-controlled legislature wanted to keep minorities from voting as they have been shown to vote Democratic. The facts are simple when you look at them rather than just reacting badly to being called out for racism.
– The “existing laws” were not approved by the Legislature as required by the US Constitution, therefore any vote accepted under the terms of the Consent Degree is in fact fraudulent.
– Because the United States Constitution vests the power to regulate elections solely with States Legislatures, and not with anyone in the Executive.
– The law does not criminalize the distribution of water and food by poll workers, individuals, or non-partisan groups. Partisan groups handing out something of value in order to influence voters was actually already illegal.
– The law expands the times and places of in person voting, and also expands vote-by-mail.
It’s bad enough that people like you aren’t even addressing the real insufficiencies of how elections are conducted. But you wantonly lie about what the real issues are. And then you try to claim it’s to help minorities. Hint: you’re not helping.
PTCitizen–
Not so!
If you are addressing Visionaryjax,
her posts always seem to be helpful. Her comments are well-researched from authorities I trust.
Her delivery is always charitable
and good humored. These days, I
welcome such civil discourse. And I hope that her sincere attempts are indeed helping our broken society,
including minorities.
However if I misunderstood and you were referring to Mr. Hoffman…
AMEN!
Yes I am a simple thinker:
Are there more restrictive voting laws in other states?
The Jim Crow laws were produced my Democrats.
I think Republicans actually care about all people and want it to be fair for all…that tis true liberalism.
I think Democrats want to weaken America to keep the middle class and poor people dependent on Government.
I believe that Democrats at the national level are dishonest, liars, power hungry, hate most of us, will steal and cheat to keep their seats, tell the big lie like Hitler and will willingly sell their souls to the most evil influences to hold power.
Why doesn’t Black Lives Matter care about the 900 Black babies aborted every day in NY?
You are being led by your nose rings to servitude.
vics1966–
Forgive me for being dense, but I need to ask…You ARE kidding,
right? Because this manifesto is hilarious.
However if you are serious, it is beyond sad. It is tragic.
How did you go from “Trust me–when I was young and ultra
liberal I had many of your feelings and impressions.” to THIS?!
More importantly, can you retrace your path and return to your
earlier days when you acutely felt part of shared humanity?
Wise elders who have not lost their compassion and hope are
guarantors that change is possible. Unfortunately they are also
exceedingly rare. As your life apparently bears out.
Hi Suz
In my early years from the 50’s, I watched The Lone Ranger on TV, I watched the Kennedy funeral, I was present to see Apollo 11 launch, my parents generation made America a clean and healthy place to live, I did not want to go to Vietnam, went to “Who” concerts, skipped college to be 7 years full time in a rock band, went back to school, pulled 20 years at a local airline and 21 years in a “financial type job”.
Although I was liberal, I did not want to fight anyone who was conservative…it was not at all like now…I’m really am sorry young people don’t know and may never know that most folks were at one time sort of in the middle.
Yes I am now hardened to the Left…the Left is not liberal…it is more like the old Communist even approaching a Hitler or Mao mentality.
However, I maintain my liberal views of free speech, live and let live, liberty, love the one your with, good citizenship, and accepting of new ideas….but just don’t take my stuff or impede my Freedom.
I invest in EV tech and green industries….but I’m also smart enough to know there is not yet an “economy of scale” for many of the Green jobs and am warry of AOC who tells us the sky is falling…she is immature…do you want all Green or do you want the lights to come on?
Killing the oil industry is stupid.
Biden is sick…no …really…sick…my Mom had dementia…he is a puppet for the ones who will finish off folks like me who might just save your Rights and Liberty.
I ramble…just don’t lock into the Left …they will take your very soul and keep you down….I am farther Right now…it’s a survival response.
That is why I am hardened.
“The latest canard to come out of the Democratic establishment…”Thats really as far as I should have read. It’s an indicator that what will follow is partisan accusations and blame instead of opinions on a better way forward for all Georgia residents as it pertains to our voter system. The reason our society is so broken is that so many can’t see past their political party or ideology. Therefore anything that doesn’t fit within it is wrong, bad, and for some even evil.
Trey Hoffman–
If I had any doubts, you have convinced me–the new voting law,
SB202, is indeed a racist attempt at suppressing minority votes.
According to your screed, the new changes and regulations are no
problem to you whatsoever–to you, a white, affluent. able-bodied
voter in a conservative community.
It won’t affect you at all. Those who will suffer from it are the poor, the elderly, and the disabled (mostly people of color).
Exactly as intended. They are the target. And it is racist.
I know you bristle at the insinuation that in supporting such a law, you share the guilt. But honestly, your flippant, belittling remarks betray you.
You write–“By the way, if you’re of voting age, can’t it be expected that you’re responsible enough to bring your own water??”.
You really don’t have a clue. do you?
Historically, people living in poverty are the ones who wait for long hours at the polls. Again mostly minorities. They endure
one more indignity to exercise their hard-earned right to vote.
Unlike you and I (as your ally, Spyglass exults, the wait in PTC is
a matter of minutes); and most of us have cases of individual
bottles of water in storage. Others are not as fortunate. Your
callous remarks are beneath us all.
And so is SB202.
Another jumbled mess of thoughts from Trey Hoffman. Lets start with things Trey Hoffman thinks the Democrats said but in reality are just straw man arguments or poorly informed opinion:
1.) “The latest canard to come out of the Democratic establishment is that Georgia is suppressing the vote of “brown and black” people (their terminology, not mine) because it — wait for it — is a hopelessly racist state and people.”
The opposition to the new law is not b/c the state of GA is racist. It is b/c the new law makes it more difficult to vote. Specifically it makes absentee voting less accessible: nytimes.com/2021/04/02/us/politics/georgia-voting-law-annotated.html
2.) “Their main argument is that white guys passed it and so it must be racist, but that is school-yard taunting, not actual argumentation.”
Please show me where the f**k that argument is coming from. You have made this one up in your own head.
3.) “…but those on the Left need some way to justify their existence and increase their political power, and so they will do and say anything, including ripping apart our body politic and damaging race relations in our country. The worst thing about this race-baiting tactic is that it teaches young minorities that their situation is hopeless due to the endemic racism of our country and their neighbors. If that is the case, why even try? Why not riot and loot if your country is such a terrible place? That is a horrible thing to do to a young mind, and does not help improve their plight in any way.”
Honestly this is just embarrassing. Again, you have made something up in your own head and declare it to be the truth. There is no evidence to support that Democrat messaging has incited riots and looting.
4.)”Though his life was tragically taken away by a racist, his message and his movement succeeded. We should be grateful for that and not descend unnecessarily into division based on false attacks and misrepresentations of both the content of certain policies and the motives of their advocates.”
Let’s be very clear MLK’s message and movement is not over. There is still work to be done to rid our country of racists and it is very clear that there are not “good people on both sides.” Also, very rich of you to ask for unity based on truth when you fully supported a con-man president who couldn’t identify the truth if it slapped him in his face. (If you would like examples of him using divisive rhetoric based on false information I can provide plenty, I can even put a Fox News header on it if it would help you digest the information)
The Citizen would be a much better place without your hypocrisy and ramblings.
While we debate about politicians who are too white and therefore must be racist and those who are real persons of color (tan, brown, red, yellow, etc.) ….and all the past ,present and future real or perceived injustices each has given and received…the real question is…how do we determine the best way to confirm a true and real vote by a legal registered voter….while making the process just easy enough to vote , yet ….structured to stop cheating?
Someone give me a structure for this…do you think there should be time limits for mail in, location limits, in person voting time limits…personal ID requirements?
What cheating? There was no election fraud in 2020, that is why this bill is receiving so much attention.
The system in place is already structured to stop cheating…. That is why elections are local. That is also why we elect a Secretary of State that the citizenry can hold accountable every election cycle.
The law is at best unnecessary and at worst it provides more obstacles to GA voters. Why would Republicans want less people voting?
The new legislation was designed specifically to appease the Trump base so all of those politicians can keep their power. I mean, why wouldn’t everyone want the orange buffoon to stay? Landslide, I tell ya!
Why were these new restrictive laws passed? There was NO EVIDENCE of voter fraud in the 2020 elections. (Despite the former president’s lies about it!). So there was no need for the new laws.
Why do people believe the new laws are racist? Because their cumulative effect is to prohibit people of color from voting. That’s the very definition of racist.
What do the laws do?
– They allow the General Assembly to remove and replace local election officials, something historically used to disenfranchise minority voters and removes the Secretary of State as Chairman of the State Elections Board and replaces him with someone appointed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, something even current GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disagrees with! Why was this considered necessary? Apparently to give the GOP majority the authority to overturn election results they don’t like, county by county. The former president couldn’t pressure Raffensperger to do this in 2020, so the legislature decided to take that power for themselves.
– The laws also make it more difficult to vote by mail — an obvious reaction to President Biden’s massive share of the 2020 mail-in ballot. If the mail-in ballots are likely to be cast by Democrats, then it is important for the GOP majority in GA to STOP people voting by mail. They can’t come out and say this, but there’s no other reason for making voting by mail harder: Colorado sends every registered voter a mail-in ballot, MOST of their ballots were cast by mail in 2020, and there is not a hint of voter fraud … so why is Georgia suddenly afraid that vote-by-mail leader to voter fraud? They’re not. They’re afraid that legal mail-in ballots will be cast by minorities who will vote Democrat. It is all politics and nothing to do with voter security.
– The same goes with the other restrictions: decreasing the time for requesting and returning your absentee ballot, making sure polling places are harder to access and that lines are longer and that no one can offer voters water while they are stuck in line …
– The longest lines for Georgia polling places are traditionally in Black precincts. It has been years since the state has slashed polling places in majority-minority areas, leading to longer lines. This suppression attempt led to relief organizations rallying to help protect voter rights by making it easier for minority voters to withstand the long lines … and this part of the new law is obviously an attack against those charities, and in turn, another attempt to suppress minority votes.
The rest of the country can see the new law for what it is, objectively. It was not needed, as there was no voter fraud, and its results will be to suppress minority voting.
Now, if you want to say that is not racism, ok, let’s call it, “suppression of the minority vote.” Does that make you feel better? Let’s say it together, “I am not a racist, I just don’t want minorities to vote unless they are going to vote for my preferred party.” Yes, that sounds better.
Now, if you want to say that is not racism, ok, let’s call it, “suppression of the minority vote.” Does that make you feel better?”
Question, are the rules applied differently to different races to vote? Your statement sure seems to imply that.
Hi Visionaryjax
As you educate me on what it means…are there any other states with equal or more “restrictive” voting laws that are run by Democrats?
It’s an honest question
IF you can’t produce proper ID, etc..you don’t deserve to vote.
Right on Spyglass
I’d like to hear someone offer a contra-opinion to that….in every situation from birth to death you have to have a verifiable ID.
Many Americans do not have one of the forms of identification states acceptable for voting. These voters are disproportionately low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Such voters more frequently have difficulty obtaining ID, because they cannot afford or cannot obtain the underlying documents that are a prerequisite to obtaining government-issued photo ID card.
– Millions of Americans Lack ID. 11% of U.S. citizens – or more than 21 million Americans – do not have government-issued photo identification.
– Obtaining ID Costs Money. Even if ID is offered for free, voters must incur numerous costs (such as paying for birth certificates) to apply for a government-issued ID.
– Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money, a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The combined cost of document fees, travel expenses and waiting time are estimated to range from $75 to $175.
– The travel required is often a major burden on people with disabilities, the elderly, or those in rural areas without access to a car or public transportation. In Texas, some people in rural areas must travel approximately 170 miles to reach the nearest ID office.
It is very easy for people with white privilege to say, “You can’t do anything without a government I.D.!” because it was very easy for you to get your government I.D. This is not the case for everyone, and to assume that it is simply points out your privilege. Educate yourself.
– Voter ID Laws Reduce Voter Turnout. A 2014 GAO study found that strict photo ID laws reduce turnout by 2-3 percentage points, which can translate into tens of thousands of votes lost in a single state.
– Minority voters disproportionately lack ID. Nationally, up to 25% of African-American citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8% of whites.
– States exclude forms of ID in a discriminatory manner. Texas allows concealed weapons permits for voting, but does not accept student ID cards. Until its voter ID law was struck down, North Carolina prohibited public assistance IDs and state employee ID cards, which are disproportionately held by Black voters. And until recently, Wisconsin permitted active duty military ID cards, but prohibited Veterans Affairs ID cards for voting.
– Voter ID laws are enforced in a discriminatory manner. A Caltech/MIT study found that minority voters are more frequently questioned about ID than are white voters.
– Voter ID laws reduce turnout among minority voters. Several studies, including a 2014 GAO study, have found that photo ID laws have a particularly depressive effect on turnout among racial minorities and other vulnerable groups, worsening the participation gap between voters of color and whites.
Voter ID Requirements are a Solution in Search of a Problem. In-person fraud is vanishingly rare. A recent study found that, since 2000, there were only 31 credible allegations of voter impersonation – the only type of fraud that photo IDs could prevent – during a period of time in which over 1 billion ballots were cast. Do you really think it’s more important to deny hundreds of thousands of minority legal voters the right to vote in order to catch maybe 1 case of fraud per election year? No, of course you are not. You are saying: I want an excuse to deny minorities the right to vote!
Identified instances of “fraud” are honest mistakes. So-called cases of in-person impersonation voter “fraud” are almost always the product of an elections worker or a voter making an honest mistake, and that even these mistakes are extremely infrequent.
– Voter ID laws are a waste of taxpayer dollars. States incur sizeable costs when implementing voter ID laws, including the cost of educating the public, training poll workers, and providing IDs to voters. Texas spent nearly $2 million on voter education and outreach efforts following passage of its Voter ID law. Indiana spent over $10 million to produce free ID cards between 2007 and 2010.
To fix a problem that doesn’t exist (in person voter fraud) we’re disenfranchising legal voters and wasting taxpayer dollars on voter education that doesn’t work. And why? So Trey and Spyglass and Vic can congratulate themselves on not being racist while at the same time denying people of color the right to vote. Congratulations, guys! You are pulling the wool over our eyes — no one thinks you are racist at all.
Every bit of this person’s post was copied and pasted from the ACLU. Which just goes to show that people who believe this are mind-numbed robots incapable of rational thought, and therefore aren’t listening to.
Yeah, because those words hurt you – don’t they?
If y’all PTCitizens can’t be bothered to look up WHY people think the laws are racist, it’s up to us mind-numbed robots to do it for ya! 🙂
They have their marching orders for sure on the C&P….not an original thought to be had…it’s quite telling actually.
While I want to be able to agree with everything you said – I just can’t. I don’t agree with the Trey’s and Spyglass’s and Vic’s of the world. Their simplistic view is all too real. They know that when voter turnout is high, the less of a chance they can get their preferred candidate in. It is true, the Georgia Legislature has attempted to fix a problem that isn’t there. But here is where we differ. We just went through one of the most tumultuous elections in our history. We had a President that hyped up his base with lies and in turn they stormed the Capitol, believing in their hearts that what Trump claimed was in fact true. I don’t want that again. I don’t want another fruitcake to be able to have any further ammunition to make up excuses as to why they lost. Give them their voter ID requirement – I don’t care. Give them their stupid food and water denial within 150′ of the polling location – there’s plenty of ways around that. If they want to play these stupid games, then we form groups to get disenfranchised voters their ID. If it’s that important to the person that wants to vote – then they will take the steps necessary to find someone to help them get their ID. Now, I’m fully aware that the Repubs will again move the goal posts, such as making it illegal to help someone get an ID or putting restrictions on the length of time someone has an ID before voting, but no matter – we’ll keep playing their games and we will overcome their ridiculousness. Don’t give these jerks the satisfaction of giving up. I am so tired of hearing how these poor white Christian men are being persecuted.
I want all legal voters to have their votes counted if they take the time and abide by the rules of voting. Being properly identified is part of it. What is there to disagree with?
Who goes to vote to eat and drink anyways? Properly ran precincts do not have hours worth of lines. I have never had to wait here in Peachtree City for more than 5 minutes…but our County is ran well. The places with long lines, they all have issues for some reason or another..always an excuse.
You know why there’s no problem with lines in PTC? Because we live in a well-off white-bread city. Duh. Like they say – get out of your self-induced bubble.
Stewart, I’ve lived in 3 metro south Counties, Clayton, Henry and Fayette, never an issue voting, your comment speaks volumes, think about it.
Hogwash.
Hi Visionaryjax.
True, getting an ID takes some effort or help.
Adults generally have an ID or get help with this.
Delta Airlines hates this law…but if you want to fly you gotta have an ID.
Start with trying to get on a plane with out ID.
You make a very large argument for a very small group of potential voters who should be able to find help with this matter from churches and community organizations.
Trust me…when I was young and ultra liberal I had many of your feelings and impressions.
Her points are valid as some of yours are as well. In general, the disenfranchised voter doesn’t fly – period. And your statement “You make a very large argument for a very small group of potential voters” show us all exactly where you are with that group of voters. You’ve just admitted, point blank, that they don’t matter.
You know what would have been genuine? If the Repubs had said “Hey everyone, you’re going to have to have a governmental photo ID to vote and if you don’t have one, we’ll help you get it.” Now that would have been genuine. Of course, we’ve heard nothing about that and we know why that is.
The contra-opinion here is that Free Citizens of a Republic do not need certification from a government authority to exist nor to exercise their rights. In not so many words, what you have stated is “ihre papieren bitte”.
Whereas we ARE a Republic (NOT a ‘democracy’), the citizens poses the exclusive right to choose who is endowed with the reigns of State. The burden of proof should not be on the citizenry to demonstrate that they are eligible to vote. Rather, the State should have the burden of proof that people are NOT eligible to vote.
If the sounds familiar, that’s because it is precisely how our election system has operated. If you have ID, that speeds things along. If you don’t have ID, then your ballot is accepted on a provisional basis pending verification by other means (or challenge by election monitors). The only difference here recently is that Stacey Abrams tricked our idiot Secretary of State into allowing the signature match process to be bypassed, making it impossible for the government to prove a given voter ineligible, thereby opening the flood gates of fraud.
But yeah… we don’t start from the default position of you having to prove your rights in this country. Rights are presumed. And when the State seeks to restrain you from the exercise of right, they need to show a compelling public interest to do so.
Tricked? The signature match had to fulfilled twice before the ballot was actually counted. I see you’re spreading your misinformation again.
Nice letter Trey
The new Ga law is not Jim Crow, I am old enough to remember the Jim Crow era and the DixieCrats (Democrats) who enforced the separate but equal status.
This is a fair law , it makes it easy to vote, not so easy to cheat.
Corporations are being strong armed by the different social mafia groups that are making the loudest threats in America. I’ll leave it to the consumer and stock holders to decide how that works out.
Let’s not assume that corporations are being strong-armed too much. In some cases, there’s a wink and a nod. Corporations today have found themselves to be proxies for government to enact policy without the legislative process nor the threat of being struck down by courts. In exchange, they get laissez-faire treatment that allows them to act as monopolies and maximize profits.
Add to that that the conception of rights in this country has been utterly eroded to the point that people think their freedoms (speech, property, liberty) only exist with respect to the government.