People should never be allowed to vote for All-Star lineups -- or anything

I was passing through ESPN's telecast of the Los Angeles Lakers-New York Knicks game Friday night when I heard color commentator Jeff Van Gundy get all worked up about something.

"The fans should NOT be allowed to vote," Van Gundy said, talking about how the NBA determines its starters for its All-Star Game.

Of course not. Never give the people what they want, or they'll only want more.

Van Gundy's beef came from Allen Iverson being voted to the Eastern Conference starting lineup and Tracy McGrady very nearly getting voted to the Western Conference squad.

Iverson was released by the Memphis Grizzlies early this season, and had played in just 16 games this season through Thursday. He is now back with the Philadelphia 76ers.

McGrady has played in just six games this season and none since Dec. 23. The Houston Rocket has an arthritic knee.

I think it shows people have a sense of humor, albeit it a warped one. They were allowed to vote for broken-down players and did just that. It's like when Missouri, in 2000, elected Mel Carnahan to the U.S. Senate. Carnahan was dead at the time.

Look, if you let people vote on anything, they'll inevitably do the wrong thing. Just look at some of the people Americans have voted to the presidency, the Senate, and to the winners' circle on "American Idol."

In my perfect future world, some sort of machine using a combination of lasers, sensors, and a very special piece of high-tech gadgetry that has yet to even be invented will detect the right person for the right situation each and every time the right person for the right situation is required.

Whew, that was a long sentence.

Voting usually entails voters. Voters often are uninformed, biased, selfish, foolish, and often mean. That's not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Certainly not the Founding Fathers who didn't own slaves.

In my early days at the Gazette, a few co-workers thought it was hilarious to write me in for Linn County soil commissioner. I thought that was a waste of their time, and it wasted the time of the good volunteers who tally the votes.

I, on the other hand, would write-in "Pete Moss" for soil commissioner.

Hey, if enough people cared to stuff the ballot box for Iverson, let Iverson start. The NBA should be glad people cared enough about their product to do the wrong thing.