- Washington Post: In states, parties clash over voting laws that call for IDs, limits on where college students can cast ballots
New Hampshire Republicans are trying to prohibit college students from voting in their state because students are "foolish" and they tend to be "voting as a liberal." - New York Times: Fox and Glenn Beck Stare Into a Dark Future
Glenn Beck's ratings have dropped off a cliff. He's discovered that people start ignoring Chicken Little before long. As David Carr puts it, "the problem with 'Glenn Beck' is that it has turned into a serial doomsday machine that’s a bummer to watch." - Balloon Mapping Materials
A list of parts to build your own helium balloon photography platform, for taking aerial pictures. I am *so* doing this. I wonder where I can buy helium in Charlottesville?
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re: NH – Ugh, what a dumb thing to say.
But I get wanting to clarify where a student can vote. I for one thing it’s a matter of primary residency. A student who is only a part time resident of an area for four years doesn’t have to live with the consequences of the elections like permanent residents do. Nor do they pay the same level of taxes into the locality as those who are full time residents. So to demand a say in how a locality operates because you’re there on and off for school is a bit much. They still have a right to vote, just do it at home.
“with about two million viewers a night, [Beck] outdraws all his competition combined.”
Ummmmm, yeah. He’s really done. Better stick a fork in him.
Jason: Students are generally in their college communities for about eight months a year, and longer if they take summer classes. They are equally unlikely to pay taxes in their “home” communities. As for not having a long-term stake in their communities, who’s to say they have a long-term stake in their home communities? They are as likely to settle in their college towns as their hometowns.
A lot of these arguments were debated years ago — property requirements to vote, giving the vote to 18-year-olds — and have been settled.
U-Hoo: If mom and dad declare them as dependents, their primary residence should follow that tax route and voting rights should accordingly. Or, where does DMV have them registered as a primary residence? I’m willing to grant a kid signed onto a 12 month lease is a primary resident of a locality. But living in the dorms? I dunno. A bunch of folks who have no vested interest in a community making a quick splash on something they won’t be around to feel the impact of is a bit off putting for those who do live, work and pay taxes there.
It’s not a matter of property requirements or whether or not 18 year old can vote. They can. And should.
But why should they have the right to vote in local elections where they aren’t permanent residents?
Let’s finish that quote, shall we?
“with about two million viewers a night, outdraws all his competition combined. But the erosion is significant enough that Fox News officials are willing to say — anonymously, of course; they don’t want to be identified as criticizing the talent — that they are looking at the end of his contract in December and contemplating life without Mr. Beck.”
An interesting question Jason… do they have a car registered in a separate state? What are the DMV rules about residency and the requirement to title/register your vehicle? It seems like if you are registered to vote in a state, then you are declaring residency in that state, and the state is eligible for car registration fees. No?
Michael – That was a thought with the to-do in 2008 over college student registrations. Not sure how localities worked that out, if they went after car property taxes or not, but it’s something that could happen.
“I wonder where I can buy helium in Charlottesville?”
Try The Party Starts Here for short term rental of a tank, or, if this might become more than a one time thing, Robertson? Oxygen on Market Street around the 1100 block. Not positive they have Helium, but I’ve bought oxygen and acetylene from them, and they’ll probably do a long-term tank rental for a few bucks a month.
Ha! You’re worried about where college students vote when 63% of Fox News viewers believe that President Obama was not born in the USA? Really? Voter registration should require a passing grade on an intelligence test.
Good ideas! I’ll start with The Party Starts Here—I do seem to recall them having some good-sized tanks available.
Here’s a great story and example of high altitude photography. I believe this one had two smart phones on it, some other stuff, and a parachute w/homing beacon.
Very cool.
Student Balloon Test
Oh, by the way, nothing says success like nearly 300 advertisers jettisoning your program due to consumer pressure. (Herr Beck)
Democracy. You gotta love it.
In 2009, the Virginia State Board of Elections, by order of the legislature, studied the issue of residency specifically due to the confusion in the law over college students and how it was unevenly applied around the state. Registrars in Williamsburg were prohibiting students from voting while students in Harrisonburg had no problem. It was a major issue in the agency for years and I’m not sure the task force completely eliminated the problem, but if you’re looking for a thorough examination of the issues surrounding residency requirements and voting, this is a great place to start:
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Misc/Residency_Task_Force.html
Welding supply stores might get you a better price for all I know.
Williamsburg resolved its controversy, by allowing students to vote in the city, if they declared their prmary residence here. Dorm rooms were accepted as a primary residence. The result was that a student was elected to City Council last spring.
Mark Brooks…
1 – 300? I searched diligently on the google, and all I found was Media Matters (I’m sure they’re unbiased, [/sarcasm]) claiming that 100 had dropped the show. Where’d you come up with 300?
2 – Always love to see Godwin’s Law in effect. Well done.
@ Waldo — I only quoted the part that was relevant and factual. The alleged claim about what someone said at Fox is even less credible than hearsay.
Dropped Sponsors
Try that, and many other publications. You forgot to google everything instead of just the ones you liked.
I think it said 296 at current count, with a list of them.
Pubs, the fact that he’s lost more than one million viewers is also both relevant and factual. And huge, since that was more than a third of his previous viewing audience.
And you know, let’s take all the moral judgement of the quality of Mr. Beck and his show out of the equation for a second — if he’s got a contract with Fox that reflects three million viewers in its value, but he’s only delivering two million and can sell advertisement slots to marketing execs at a rate that reflects that smaller audience size, the show’s a loser on Fox’s financial books. The smart business decision’s to cancel unless Beck’s people will agree to an unthinkably huge restructuring of the contract in Fox’s favor.
Sam, you make an excellent point about his contract. Still, unless and until his show isn’t #1 in his time slot, there is no way (barring a Charlie Sheen impersonation) Fox will drop him. That’s just lefty wishful thinking
@ Herr Brooks… StopBeck.com, eh? You couldn’t find anything *less* credible?
It’s right in the article: “Some 300 advertisers fled the show, leaving sponsorship to a slew of gold bullion marketers whose message dovetails nicely with Mr. Beck’s end-of-times gospel.”
It’s not an “alleged claim.” It’s an actual claim. And it can’t be less credible than hearsay since it is, at worse, hearsay. Which would be shameful on David Carr’s part, using (multiple) sources who don’t have first-hand knowledge of the accuracy of that claim. That doesn’t strike me as very likely.