How Is This For Radical?

By R.A. Wentworth

Last November in Atlanta, GA on a cold, rainy, dark morning, I was waiting to catch a bus to MARTA (the commuter train) to get to work. It was 5:45 AM, but in order to get to work on time, I had to catch the 5:52 AM bus that got me to the train at 6:07 AM. Out of nowhere, an automobile approached me, then screeched to a halt, and a female driver rolled down her window. The car was packed with four adults (three women and one male, I believe) and two or three children. “Can you tell us how to get to Main Street?” she yelled. I gave them directions but couldn’t help wondering why they were in such a hurry at this time in the morning to get to Main Street. After I gave them directions, they sped off like a bat outta you know what!

As I jumped on the train heading for work, my curiosity set in. When I came upon Main Street, I looked out the window, and to my surprise, there was a long line of people standing in the cold, in the rain, in the dark, that stretched around the corner of Main, down about four or five blocks long, trying to get into a building. I inquired of a few people on the train if they knew what was happening. Just like me, no one on the train seemed to know what was going on.

About 5:30 PM, on my way home from work, I passed Main Street and there were still some people trying to get into that building. What I found out was that these people were trying to get into a federal building so they could register to receive Section Eight! (Section Eight is a federal grant program that offers funds for low-to-middle income families to help them secure a place to live. The government pays, I believe, 90% of the rent and the tenant is responsible for the rest.)

I thought to myself that the line I saw that morning reminded me of the lines that were formed in South Africa for miles after the people there (who ousted the Apartied regime) had finally gotten the right and privilege to vote for the first time in their lives! What a blessing that day was for them! I will never forget the jubilation and the exaltation that was expressed on their faces and bodies for finally getting a chance to have some real power and control over their destiny! They really understood the importance of the vote!

In my reflection, I came up with a radical idea. Why should a person, who was not registered to vote and did not vote, be able to receive Section Eight?! Furthermore, if you did not vote the last time it was time to vote, you should not be able to receive welfare benefits either! Until you do vote, you should not be able to use the library, go to college, receive social security or any of the beneficial services offered by town, city, state and federal governments or the private sector…period! You should not even be able to secure a job or receive a paycheck unless you register to vote and vote!

The only thing we should be forced to do in a democracy is vote!! How’s that for radical?! n