Forum Post: People should have voting power proportional to IQ
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 4, 2011, 10:30 a.m. EST by Art
(17)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I think that this would go a long way towards solving problems in our system. 150 IQ = 150 votes, 80 IQ = 80 votes. Of course the numbers could come from any one standardized test such as the ACT or another standardized test adjusted for age. So many dolts and idiots vote based on shit they see on TV and not on any of their own internal logic. Politicians would have to cater to intelligent people and not hot button issues.
I also think that the number of congressional districts should remain the same but that a computer program should randomly reapportion them every four years.
IQ does not equal wisdom.
If Voting was tied to IQ, then IQ tests would be rigged in order to give high scores to desirable groups (whites and democrats) and low scores to undesirable groups (blacks and republicans). It makes no sense to suggest an idea that is so easily fixed.
A wiser idea is 1 person == 1 vote. And also eliminate political donations unless they come from registered voters (i.e. not corporations, PACs, rocks, or trees). .
I agree
Or inversely, allocate 1 vote for each dollar paid in taxes ;o)
so most people in ows would not be given a vote
Right, but neither would the rich ... we all KNOW they pay no taxes, right?
If "taxation without representation" is bad, then "representation proportionate to taxation" must be good !
that is not true at all, capitol gains tax is 30% on top of any earned income.
Capital gains tax rate is 15%. Unless of course it is hedged in any number of ways including foreign investment.
Hmmm good point. Let's make it "earned income."
what we need is to cut the government down to size and stop printing money, we have awful credit so we should not have a credit card any more!!!
Be a little careful here... read up on the Bretton Woods agreement and the "Triffin Dilemma" that results.
There are consequences to the US having decided to declare the dollar the reserve currency of the world. It forces us to print money in proportion to the WORLD'S GDP, and that's not always good for us (hence the dilemma).
Because we are the reserve currency, our debt isn't quite the same as a VISA card. The world has, however, been clamoring to switch off the dollar to SDRs issued by the IMF (pretty much the 'Bancor' notes the economists wanted at Bretton Woods).
Once the transition off the dollar is complete, our debt WILL be like a VISA card, and we'll have to be more frugal. In exchange, we will be more able to manage our currency for the welfare of our country rather than the world.
The transition off the dollar will take a LONG time, but it has already begun.
Teens' IQs can go up and down, says study:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44962867/ns/health-childrens_health/t/teens-iqs-can-go-down-says-study/#.TrP_fPRKNgM
IQ scores fluctuate dramatically in kids, study says:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20123191-10391704.html
Study shows adults can raise IQ and increase brain function:
http://media.learningrx.com/study-shows-adults-can-raise-iq-and-increase-brain-function/
Americans are educated in the LIE that IQ is a "given" thing, and that it can't be improved.
That's a lie. The studies mentioned above show that kids and teenagers can improve their IQ by about 20 points, and adults may increase their IQ by 11.4 points.
That means that a person who has an IQ of 90 when it is 12 years old, may have an IQ of 120 at the age of 30.
^ Truth
I never said it did.
What did high IQ people do to get that high IQ? Nothing!!!!!!! It was given to them at birth. Oh, sure they may have gone to some school or something to help, but why should I suffer because of their efforts? This is unfair. We should all share IQ resources equally!!!!!!!! Why should we low IQ people suffer?!!!!!!!!! The people with high IQ MUST be FORCED to do some thinking for those with less IQ, or,FORCED to limit their thinking to that of an average person!!!!!!!!!! Another option is to let the IQ challenged have the same rights as the brilliant!!!!!!!! (Wait, we have that one, never mind on that one.) I demand a RESOURCE BASED IQ system! From each according to his ability, to each according to his need!!!! Who is with me?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Teens' IQs can go up and down, says study:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44962867/ns/health-childrens_health/t/teens-iqs-can-go-down-says-study/#.TrP_fPRKNgM
IQ scores fluctuate dramatically in kids, study says:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20123191-10391704.html
Study shows adults can raise IQ and increase brain function:
http://media.learningrx.com/study-shows-adults-can-raise-iq-and-increase-brain-function/
Americans are educated in the LIE that IQ is a "given" thing, and that it can't be improved.
That's a lie. The studies mentioned above show that kids and teenagers can improve their IQ by about 20 points, and adults may increase their IQ by 11.4 points.
That means that a person who has an IQ of 90 when it is 12 years old, may have an IQ of 120 at the age of 30.
why does tiger woods get to play golf better than me and lay more beautiful women than me!!
he should pass them women around.
mmm.
HAHAHA. There are some videos around asking liberal college students with high GPA's if they would shed some of their GPA to lower GPA students to make it fair. While they support redistribution and taxing the rich, they didn't want themselves being hurt when they worked hard and others didn't. The hypocrisy was hilarious.
Instead of an IQ test how about just a test of economics, the Constitution and history of America. Passing grade is 75%. Pass you vote, fail you don't. 1 Try per election season to pass.
Whomever proposes this idea would be left without a vote though.
Totally disagree. IQ level is not enough because it does not measure wisdom. We have enough high IQ's who are corrupt and corruptible. Good IQ and wisdom is what we should shoot for as citizens of this planet in order to achieve the true peace that we long for.
I agree, but wisdom is hard to measure, only the wise could measure wisdom.
we should check our level of greed and desire for glory. presence of any of those equates to no wisdom.
You are wise.
You sound like Socrates in the Republic. He came up with the same argument which he used to explain why the wisest children in a society needed to be put aside and undergo an intense schooling program so that they later would be the become the wise ones of the Republic.
One person=one vote. What we need is a voter registration test for knowledge of American government system, Constitution (original), and history of politics in America., patrotism. The things you should have learned in school had you been paying attention....the things that are no longer stressed in education.
Why don't you just kill people with disabilities and less intelligence, like Hitler tried to do? You're a disgusting pig, and you'd better pray that we don't meet....
Look at the slippery slope this asshole is on.
You know you have proposed a truly rational idea when someone compares you to Hitler/Nazis and threatens you.
If there were ever actually a workable definition of "smart" and an objective way to measure it, then we could start talking about the pros and cons of elite theory.
That might sound like a good idea, except ... intelligence and morality are two different things. Who is voting for what? A stupid person may look after his own interests better than any clever advisor. Note that in practice, due to racial differences in measured IQ whose validity is much debated, the effect of your proposal would be to decrease black voting power by several percent - though hopefully this loss for the Democrats would be compensated by an increase in voting power for the highly educated.
Voting in what - a representative system of government? That system can't be fixed because it already is.
And in case you weren't aware, money is speech. The Supreme Court said so. 85% percent of the time, the bigger campaign fund wins the race.
Money must be entirely divorced from all political processes.
I'm glad surgeons don't vote on how to perform surgery.
Technical problems should be addressed by those with technical knowledge.
For subjective issues, voting works just fine to keep the people happy.
Decision making in a resource based economy
http://catalyst2change.blogspot.com/2011/04/decision-making-in-resource-based.html
But what about smart people who are also insane? Do we detract points, not let them vote at all or do they get double the amount?
It would simplify the system if we allocated one vote for each dollar paid in taxes. This actually correlates to "taxation without representation" ... "representation in proportion to taxation."
I'll let the reader decide if I'm kidding or not.
It's naive to assume people with higher IQs vote more wisely. In any event, I suspect the low-end of the IQ scale is probably naturally underrepresented in the voting booty, since they are probably less politically active. Critical thinking ability is often more important than innate intellect; informed voting doesn't require great intellect, merely access to the objective facts of issues and the tools to evaluate facts reasonably. It doesn't take genius.
that is tempting when you see how retarded the American voter is: voting incumbents back to office 3/4 of the time. And we vote for comedians and WWF wrestlers. But the biggest joke is how many lawyers we vote for. And our reasoning behind our vote: "he seems so presidential". what the hell is that?
as a person with a 180 IQ, I happen to find this idea distasteful and ludicrous.
i do think that the electorate needs to dive in and get educated, and i do think it is long past time that people actually have knowledge instead of a political opinion...
But such fixes are quite possible if society evolves, and far more meaningful than an IQ-ocracy. Any kind of oligarchy is just plain wrong.
Note that I only referenced IQ because it is a commonly recognized intelligence test. I realize that there are better standardized tests out there. Higher order reasoning tests such as GRE GMAT MCAT would grant the voter more votes based on percentile scoring.
Too many dumb people are intimidated by this idea, but its only logical and fair. Someone that can think "better" should have more of a say than an idiot.
Nevil Shute, author of In The Wet, suggested a graduated voting system: everyone gets 1 vote at age 18; everyone has the opportunity, however, to add to those votes based on given achievements: graduate college: 1 vote; raise a family of two children to the age of 14 - 1 vote; live abroad for two years, 1 vote; military service of two or more years, 1 vote; operate a business that employees 10 or more people for at least five years: 1 vote. And the last one was for service to your country above and beyond the call of duty. The theory is that the more an individual contributes to his or her knowledge and to his or her country, the more they should have to say in how the government operates. A bezillionaire who inherited wealth and contributed nothing would only get only one vote.
Teens' IQs can go up and down, says study:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44962867/ns/health-childrens_health/t/teens-iqs-can-go-down-says-study/#.TrP_fPRKNgM
IQ scores fluctuate dramatically in kids, study says:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20123191-10391704.html
Study shows adults can raise IQ and increase brain function:
http://media.learningrx.com/study-shows-adults-can-raise-iq-and-increase-brain-function/
Americans are educated in the LIE that IQ is a "given" thing, and that it can't be improved.
That's a lie. The studies mentioned above show that kids and teenagers can improve their IQ by about 20 points, and adults may increase their IQ by 11.4 points.
That means that a person who has an IQ of 90 when it is 12 years old, may have an IQ of 120 at the age of 30.
If you can prove to me that it's possible to efficiently and objectively measure intelligence then we might consider it. As tempting as it is I don't know if any way to do so exists that couldn't very easily be skewed to base "intelligence" on the degree to which you agree with the test-writer's political views... Also, I feel that it would be far better if American history were taught in far more depth starting in third or fourth grade, through storybooks if necessary, and that some basic economics and political science knowledge should be necessary to graduate high school.
Being educated is not the same as being wise and having a code of ethics. IQ tests focus on those aspects of knowledge and ability that are strong in those who create the tests, thus have an inherent bias that elevates the creators. Have you ever seen an IQ test that includes how to use tools, fix your car, fix your plumbing, asks what garden plants are complimentary, aspects of how to successfully raise livestock, the best timber for furniture, etc... Instead, how about psychological testing for candidates. No sociopaths or narcissists can run...
IQ tests are designed to estimate brute intelligence, and not what someone has already learned. That's why they don't include knowledge about fixing your car. However, the method is highly questionable, and, for our particular case, would be of little value. An IQ test guarantees nothing about the subject's knowledge in politics.
Guess your vote only counts as 4!!!!
Or proportional of your profit, less profit more votes,
Fuck that.
was a joke !!
Haha sorry, the internet really needs a sarcasm button. Well played, though.
No.
You,sir....are an idiot.
People should have voting power
proportional to the number of dollars they have.
plus the number of children they have
multiplied by the number of houses they own
The truth is that the 75% of Americans who habitually pull the D or the R lever at the ballot box, and who donate to the D or the R are the idiots of America who have brought us to this point.
IQ tests are about identifying patterns made from little triangles and squares rotated in various ways. Whether you're good at that or not doesn't indicate whether you know something about politics.
I never said "knowing something about politics" was important for voting. I think that logic and reasoning ability are the important factors.
Logic and reason are used to process data. If you know nothing about politics, then there is no data to process. In such a case, logic and reason will not help you make a better vote. You'll be better off staying at home to play with your little triangles and squares.
In general, IQ tests are better at identifying those who are IQ test regulars than those who really have good logic and reasoning. You can learn to be good on IQ tests. They identify one particular type of ability; pattern recognition.
Amen! love it.
of course it will never happen because an Intelligence test would be called "racial".
then the occupy movement would have to change their catch phrase to we are the 70 point voters
That's still a lot more points than you will end up with.
Thats quite a big assumption, how do you figure? And what does 70 iq mean?
Please dear God, yes! Only the educated should be allowed to vote. Too many bad outcomes have come from letting everyone vote. If you let everyone vote, you're only asking to have people in power to cater to the lowest common denominator.
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