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Pretty much anything we do is taxed.  Whether it’s flipping on our cable, making a call on our cell phone or biting into a Snickers bar.  Taxes are inescapable.

The one tax-free haven, at least in theory, is voting.  A free and fair vote is the bedrock of our political system.  Voting is the one instance where all of us no matter how rich or poor, influential or humble are completely equal because there is no cost involved.  Voting is the great equalizer, of course, assuming it is free.

However this week the state of Virginia joined a growing number of states that have implemented or are pending implementation of a voting system that taxes voters.  In other words, Virginia has implemented a poll tax.  Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law a bill that requires voters to present a valid photo identification in order to vote.

At first read, the new voting requirement seems innocuous.  Most people tend to have a photo identification either in the form of a driver’s license or school ID.  And if they don’t have one, then the state will provide one free of charge.  But what the bill does not address is the cost it takes to secure the documents needed to get that free ID. Continue Reading →

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This post originally appeared on NBCLatino.

Here in Texas we keep our Bushes straight with some simple shorthand:

George H.W. Bush = 41

George W. Bush = W.

George P. Bush = P.

(We don’t have one for Jeb Bush but he hangs his hat in Florida, not the Lone Star state!)

Now that P. has officially thrown his hat in the ring for Texas Land Commissioner some, most notably Mark McKinnon of the W. administration, have taken to moving from an initial to a number – 47; as in the forty-seventh president of the United States.

At the national level there is much discussion of Bush fatigue.  With talk of P./47’s father, Jeb Bush, jumping in the race, the question is whether enough time has passed for Americans to forget about the foreign and domestic failures of George W. Bush.  W., the 43^rd president, left office with one of the lowest approval ratings of 34 percent and dipped down to a 25 percent low.

Regardless of his own merits and flaws, Jeb Bush is too close to the shadow of his brother.  If Jeb’s last name were not Bush, he would have a good shot at a presidential run.  He is considered a shrewd politico who managed his executive duties as governor of Florida efficiently, especially the record-breaking hurricane seasons of the mid 2000s, a stark contrast to his brother’s handling of Katrina.

Jeb Bush has also been a visionary in the need of the GOP to reach out to the Latino community.  Sure, he’s recently waffled on the granting of citizenship to undocumented persons but his past actions and statements all point to a very consistently moderate stance on immigration.

While Jeb Bush may cling on to the belief that time cures all, eight years likely isn’t going to do the trick.  Let’s give it 24.  If things go as planned for P., he could very well be following in his family presidential footsteps by 2038.  In other words, dad’s presidential role may best be served by guiding his son. Continue Reading →