Ustwo,
It doesn't take too much imagination to conjure up scenarios where stripping the right to vote from a felon seems overly harsh. How about a 17 year old busted for marijuana? If that is the only crime that they ever commit then should they be denied the right to vote their entire life? Therre are mechanisms for felons to have their voting rights restored in some states, but according to your view, felons do not deserve to have said rights restored. To take your example further, how serious does disrespect for the law/society have to be before someone's rights are stripped? Many of us willingly violate the traffic laws of society on a daily basis...should we also be disenfranchised? I know that the analogy is a bit ridiculous, but so are hard-line statements that tar every former felon as a societal malcontent that deserves no say.
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