One of the key aspects (and obvious to everyone) that make America strong is our right to vote, and to vote without repercussions or forced to vote for candidates the government has chosen to put on the ballet (at least so far). And what makes voting a powerful tool is it allows American “citizens” to make their voices heard and change things or keep them the same by a simple mark or a hanging chad.

Since voting is fundamental to America’s freedoms and the role its citizens play in our government, why, then, is it even a debatable topic that a voter ID is required to use this powerful preserver of freedom? Of course the answer is politics.

The left preaches that a segment of society will be disenfranchised from voting because they can’t afford an ID. For the price of two hot dogs at Costco you can get a copy of your birth certificate, so that argument is feeble at best. When over $1 billion has been squandered on the Obamacare website alone, perhaps some of that wasted money could have been used to provide a more efficient system of who is a legal American citizen.

Not to get too off track, but Obamcare was supposed to take care of some 40 million uninsured. So far, only about 7 million are using Obamacare (and that’s a number that can’t be proven). More than 6 million lost their insurance (all these numbers are so fluid). So it’s a wash. For the over $1 billion spent on a dysfunctional website, we could have just as easily given every American (citizen) over $3 million and let them buy their own insurance, and then those who needed to acquire an ID to vote could have spent the $3 for a copy of their birth certificate or an official (subsidized, everything is subsidized) government ID.

Talk about government inefficiency. The word insane isn’t even strong enough.

In Iraq of all places, rich or poor, and you know there are more disenfranchised there than in America, they are required to show proof of who they are before they can dip their finger in purple ink and proudly display they have voted. In fact, I don’t believe there is another nation on the planet that doesn’t require ID even if it’s a dictatorship feigning voting rights or China who tells you who to vote for.

At home we need (demand/require) to have an ID to check into a hotel, board a plane, use a credit card, write a check, buy liquor if you look too young, drive a car, ride a train, attend concerts, but we don’t need an ID for one of the most important rights we have that can affect 300 million people on a national level? And the Supreme Court doesn’t recognize this? Again, insane.

Something as essential as voting should not have a left or right component to it. It’s a cut-and-dry, no gray area point of discussion. If you are an American citizen, you have every right to vote and you need to prove you are an American citizen before doing so. If you are not an American citizen, you don’t have a right to vote in America. It’s up to you to prove it. You don’t need mother government to hold your hand. Grow up. End of story.

— Henry Schulte of Santa Barbara owns and operates Dos Pueblos Ranch. He has been politically active in the community for years. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.