by Paul Jacob

More people should be informed about the issues and candidates, and then vote intelligently. Agree? Okay. So let's start bribing people to show up at the polls.

Wait. Not so fast. Aren't we already bribing people to vote? It's called porkbarrel and special-interest politics.

And don't you think our fellow citizens should cast their votes based on informed assessments and honest principles -- not because they hope to receive a fat envelope stuffed with cash as they leave the voting booth? They should, I think, vote out of desire to help preserve and protect the republic.

Yet the fat envelope is very close to what a guy out in Arizona is proposing. He even managed to get an initiative on the ballot that would make his proposal the law of the land. If it passes, in every election from now on in that state, one lucky Arizonan will walk away with a million dollars. Taxpayers would get to foot the bill for this election lotto. The winner would not have to vote a certain way to get his payoff, but it's still a payoff.

The author of this "Voter Reward Act" promotes it with the slogan, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Vote!" He's excited about getting the uninterested to the polls. I'm not. If you don't care about our laws enough to vote, just buy a lotto ticket and stay home.

Paul Jacob's "Common Sense" is published by Americans for Limited Government. Their website can be visited at www.limitedgov.org.