As long as we continue to allow non taxpaying citizens to vote, we will continue to have socialists and their ilk being elected to guarantee the handouts they overwhelmingly demand. When the nations founders set forth the framework concerning voting privileges, they did so in a manner to align the resultant legislation with the needs and desires of those who would ultimately foot the bill. Restrictions on voting rights of slaves and women, were established in a such a way as to reflect their perceived economic contribution to the new nation, not as a ideological statement as to their individual worth as humans beings. In many respects, the actions of subsequent generations to open voting rights up to all citizens has perverted the intention of our forefathers. They knew that without a vested financial interest in the outcome of the legislation, it would be more convenient to make the easy "feel good" choices rather than the right and often difficult choices in matters of the Republic.

Follow up:

Throughout the 20th century, we have repeatedly seen disastrous unintended consequences of many feel good ideas because the requisite measure of financial accountability was missing from legislation. Progressives, in particular, have moved our nation so far from away from our forefathers initial guiding principles towards a pollyanna social utopian ideal that they seem to have overlooked what would happen when they ran out of "other peoples money". Continued expansion of welfare, social security, medicare, medicaid et al. beyond the mere safety net envisioned at program inception, to the all enveloping tools of societal enslavement they have become, threaten our very existence as a Republic.

It seems highly unlikely that we will ever return to a place where voting was the sole province of the responsible landholder or merchant but such a move would surely bring some much need sanity to our current financial woes. I say it's time for a new right to be given solely to those responsible for actually funding the runaway entitlement programs our career politicians trip over themselves implementing to secure votes in the next election.

We must allow taxpayers themselves to apportion their federal tax payments to the programs they wish to support on income tax returns thereby enhancing the measure of representation of their wishes beyond unresponsive elected officials. Unpopular programs would be eliminated when funding was not forthcoming based upon their apportionment, those living on handouts would have some motivation to seek gainful employment and the influence of special interests would be greatly diminished.

I say return the "power of the purse" to the taxpayer!

Are you with me?