Posted on 05/17/2004 2:29:56 PM PDT by jwalburg
WASHINGTON — A scattered movement growing across the country would buck decades of conventional wisdom and allow non-citizens the right to vote in local elections, a move that proponents say would give immigrants the ability to directly impact government in their communities.
"We’re a stronger society as a whole if we have a good quality of life and everyone participates," said Ron Hayduk, political science professor at the City College of New York and a supporter of the movement.
"There is a greater likelihood that our representatives will be responsible to everybody," Hayduk told Foxnews.com. "This is a mechanism to make sure they are held accountable."
Critics, however, dismiss the idea. They say the right to vote is a sacred privilege and responsibility of the American citizen. Giving voting rights (search) to non-Americans "just fundamentally cheapens citizenship," said Steven Camerota, director of the Center for Immigration Studies (search).
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What a stupid idea.
Are the Democrats getting desperate? First the elimination of the electoral college, now this.....
If immigrants want to vote, let them swear allegiance to the country first.
Jeesh, even Canada doesn't let me (non-Canadian citizen) vote! LOL.
What the ....????????????????????
In NYC during the 1800s, non-citizens had the right to vote in local elections. This was true in other cities as well. It was a bad idea then and a bad idea now.
Friggen madness. Haydek & his kind need to be deported - I don't particularly care where.
This is the stuff civil wars and revolutions are made of.
Yep, provide an absentee ballot to anyone, anywhere in the world that wants one ;-)
Yep, we call the President of the United States "the leader of the Free World" after all, shouldn't those folks in that part of the Free World called France get to vote for him? Oh, wait, they did, by using white signal flags. My bad.
Sudan might be nice. It is, after all, on the U.N. human rights commission.
Of course immigrants will change the election results. Most of them are communists, or come from essentially communist nations. If they didn't, they wouldn't have to come here.
Do you really want the "Fox" guarding the Pacific rim for us?
ping
If I read my future history correctly, this was/will be one of the decisive points in the advent of CWII.
Indeed so.
Keep your powder dry.
Calling Bush!Why are our borders still wide open?
Not sure what you mean here. What is an anchor baby?
A child, born on US soil, whose parents are aliens, currently, broadly considered by federal appellate courts to be US citizens at birth.
The issue of their citizenship has not been directly adjudicated by the SCOTUS. Just after passage of the 14th Amendment the SCOTUS, in an oblique matter, suggested that they are not.
The popular term "anchor baby" arose because of increasingly liberal interpretations of the 14th Amendment since WWII which now allow certain privileges to the parents of these babies. These babies "anchor" their parents on US soil regardless of the parents citizenship or legal status.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
It's just like dropping an anchor --- a woman about to deliver a baby makes it over the border to a hospital --- never intends to pay the medical bill or the doctor --- gives birth, leaves the hospital and heads straight over to the welfare office, gets welfare checks, food stamps, government housing assistance, Medicaid and whatever else the baby is "entitled" to get by virtue of his citizenship. Soon other siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc come moving over. For example a family I know very well --- both parents are here illegally, not married to each other, four children collecting welfare handouts, mom has never worked in this country --- not a single day.
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