Nothing racist about requiring voter I.D.

The U.S. Department of Justice is bringing suit against states that mandate photo I.D. (as proof one is who one claims to be) as a requirement to cast a vote in an election. The State Department maintains that, for some unproven fact, it is more difficult for minorities to obtain a photo I.D. than it is for those who are not African-American or Hispanic, thus making it racist to require such identification.

When I renew my driver's license (a common form of photo I.D.), the place is loaded with African-American and Hispanic applicants as well as white. It is no more a burden on minorities than it is upon non-minorities to get a photo I.D. However, they claim it is harder, and to think otherwise is racist.

Using the same faulty logic, and knowing that one in 15 African-American men and one in 36 Hispanic men is incarcerated for criminal activity, it could be claimed that the installation of burglar alarms is racist because the result is the arrest and conviction of a higher percentage of minority criminals than white criminals. Of course it would be stupid to not be able to use burglar alarms to prevent crimes and apprehend criminals, as it is stupid to not protect the integrity of voting by not ensuring, through a photo I.D., that the voter is who he claims to be.

Golly, is it possible that Attorney General Eric Holder and his cohorts want to make sure that things remain the way they are, thus continuing this potential for voter fraud? Remember what General Douglas MacArthur said: “Old soldiers don't die, they just fade away.” In President Obama's hometown, Chicago, it is said, “Old voters may die, but they just keep on voting.”

Gene Maril

Arlington Heights