I didn’t realize he could be drafted. Did Charles Rangel win that battle? I could have sworn there hasn’t been a draft since the 1970s.
And another vote, and I agree with the Hazle y los Scrivener. 
Indeed. Without the registration system currently in place, it would take an act of Congress to restore the draft.
;)
This is like saying that if a person buys a new Toyota Corrolla for the full sticker price, then it would be fair for the car dealership to throw in a mountain bike. Fairness has nothing to do with it–the parties have struck a bargain, and any meddling by an outsider about “fairness” is a complete non sequitor.
If someone wants to address my comments on allowing de facto free-for-all immigration, go for it. I originally assumed it was a hijack, thinking this thread was more about 'foreigners meddling in our affairs", but it seems to be turning into an immigration thread after all.
I don’t see why this David Byrne fellow (I don’t actually know who he is) is any different from his neighbors and fellow New Yorkers who presumably can vote, serve on juries, collect Social Security, etc. Is it his accent? Is he a violent Communist agitator? What precisely makes him less worthy of a vote than me?
And this is like saying that all laws are perfect and no one should ever do anything about changing them.
What? No it’s not. If the U.S. determines that it is not attracting quality immigrants to obtain green cards, then the rules could be changed. Otherwise, people that get green cards are apparently fine with the bargain they’ve struck.
Green card holder… non citizen (for now).
I can understand not being allowed to vote in federal elections. I do find it utterly ridiculous that I cannot vote in state and local elections, though. A person can move from Alaska and rent a house door to me, and can vote for the mayor of Alexandria up to the governor of Virginia. However long I live here, as a property owner, unless I become a citizen I don’t have that same right.
It’s not a huge deal for me at all. I’d become a citizen except for not being able to find time to do the paperwork (sad, I know). But it is just illogical. If states are meant to mean anything, my allegiance and ties to Virginia are just as strong, if not stronger, than a person who moves here from another state.
No offense, but ISTM that the fact that all that is stopping you from becoming a citizen is that you haven’t filled out the paperwork, then perhaps your commitment to Virginia is not as strong as it might be.
I guess I don’t get the objections of this Byrne guy. If he wants to vote badly enough, then he can apply to become a citizen. If he doesn’t want to bother, then don’t complain.
No, Shodan, that would mean my ties to the United States aren’t that strong. Becoming a citizen of a state requires only that you move to the state with the intention of permanently residing there, IIRC.
And the problem I am facing is that I simply cannot fill out the form. I just don’t know the exact dates of every time I have been outside the US over the last 14 years, and would have no idea how I could find that information out.
Well, again, no offense, but not being able to remember the details of all your trips does not strike me as a good enough reason to let non-citizens vote, even in state elections.
The general consensus, I would guess, is that one is a citizen of the US first and a citizen of your state second. That would be why you can change states and vote (if you live there for ten days, or what ever it is). This wasn’t always the case - Shelby Foote claims that it was only after the Civil War that we ceased to say “the United States are” and began to say “the United States is” and loyalty shifted to the US before state. I believe Lee accepted the generalship of the Confederacy because of loyalty to Virginia.
And the practicalities of allowing people to vote for state office but not national office would be nightmarish. I voted for a whole shitload of state offices on Tuesday.
And I still think that if you are not willing to jump thru at least a few hoops before becoming a citizen, that implies a certain lackadaisical attitude towards citizenship. People tend to hold things a little dearer when they have to work for them a bit.
And it shows, once again, you have no clue as to the difference between state citizenship and national citizenship.
I can see that rationale behind not letting non-citizens vote in federal elections. After all, it is at that level that foreign policy decisions are made. Local and state elections, on the other hand, center on local and state issues. And my ties and connections to the Commonwealth of Virginia are as strong, if not significantly stronger, than many people who are permitted to vote here.
If the idea was that Virginia was requiring some sort of hoops before voting, then all non-native Virginians would undertake those steps. And those steps would lhave some sort of connection to the Commonwealth. That doesn’t happen, and it is illogical.
How much paperwork did YOU fill out to become a citizen of the US?
Come on, man! We allow newborn babies to be citizens of this country. They could literally be mentally retarded, illiterate criminals their entire lives and we’d still let them vote when they reached adulthood. But I suppose villa was born on a different patch of dirt and for that he’s unworthy…