What do you think of this?

[mamab]

I know that not everyone here probably watches FoxNews, but someone told me about this and I had to check it out.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jan22/0,4670,HouseDelegates,00.html

What do you think about the people in Washington DC trying to give non-citizens voting rights? IF they're going to give them voting rights, shouldn't they be more than just US territories? Shouldn't they make them become states like everyone else?

 

[framed]

I think the goal should be to combine the territories with other states. In the mean time I'd be fine with them having full-up voting rights in the House, but definately not in the Senate.

One from the article: "American Samoa has fewer than 60,000 people, the Virgin Islands 109,000. Guam has about 171,000." I specifically would not want such small groups of people having equal sway in the Senate as say California or Texas, but I wouldn't mind them having population weighted representation in the House. If they were states you'd have to give them both.

Keeping them out of the Senate avoids the population problems, and rolling them into another state won't upset the balance of power between republicans and democrats in any substantive way. (One reason DC has had such a hard time becoming a state is because its always hard-core democrat. Republican states won't ratify a state that constantly votes against them. I would imagine the opposite scenerio would be true too, thats not a ding on republicans.)

 

[mtatum4496]

I am very uncomfortable with this, simply from the perspective that I view voting privileges as one of the "perks" of being a citizen. We have enough people who think their votes don't matter as it is. I don't see this as doing anything to change their thinking.

 

[FourBear]

I have a feeling that allowing non-citizens to vote would cause more problems that it would solve. I mean, there is a stipulation that only native-born citizens can serve as US president, and I don't think they are going to change that anytime soon.

 

[tater03]

I have not clicked onto the link yet. But just from what I can gather I am just surprised that this is being brought up at all. I mean I would think that it would just be a given that you should be a citizen.

 

[framed]

Just to clarify, this isnt about allowing non citizens to vote. Its about how to count the votes of citizens who are not part of any state. People who live in US territories like Washington DC don't have representation in congress, dispite the fact that they are citizens and do pay taxes.

 

[luvcamerasnic]

As someone with friends who live in Guam, they shoudl consider doing something. After all, the president does affect the territories when he/she makes decisions.

 

[berlinlife06]

Just to clarify, this isnt about allowing non citizens to vote. Its about how to count the votes of citizens who are not part of any state. People who live in US territories like Washington DC don't have representation in congress, dispite the fact that they are citizens and do pay taxes.

After the way Bush lost in DC, I guess he would want to keep things that way! I actually never thought of that! So if they don't belong to any State, how can one find out about their local laws?

 

[framed]

As I understand it they have local governments, those goverments just have no representation at the federal level.