[Working Poll]Birthright Citizenship and Amending the Tenth Amendment
Here are my next two proposed amendments to resuscitate the nation of the People, by the People, and for the People. The first is pretty straightforward, the second is my more radical take on an idea that has been kicking around for a long time. Remember, the point of this is to get your opinions, to get us all involved in solving this mess. It is an old rule of thumb that unintended effects of any intervention are 2-3 times the magnitude of intended effects so please comment and help me see how these ideas would go wrong.
Birthright Citizenship is the legal doctrine that anyone born on US soil is automatically enrolled as a citizen. It is considered a major driver of immigration, particularly with the Great Society entitlements and other forms of socialistic welfare available. The not merely uncontrolled, but entirely unmeasured, unconsidered immigration of foreign nationals is changing this country in ways that most US citizens are opposed to. That is indisputable, even if the ‘elites’ think that these ways are desirable.
Proposition: Citizenship in the United States shall be limited to those who are born children of, or adopted by, US citizens. No person shall receive US citizenship without being sponsored by two or more US citizens, without felony records, having known the candidate for citizenship for not less than 2 years and vouching for the candidate’s character or ability to contribute to society. Any alien not possessing a Visa shall be removed from the country, at their own expense, within 30 days unless they shall obtain a Visa in that time. No Visa shall be issued for more than 3 years.
The 10th Amendment states that ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.’ and it’s WEAKNESS might be the fundamental weakness of our Constitution. It defines the Constitution as a delegation of the power of the states and ultimately of the people. The fundamental problem is that it provides no mechanism for the states or people to annul that delegation, short of abolishing the Constitution through secession. The basic problem is not that the States and the People do not have the power to overcome the Federal government but that the cost to use that power is prohibitavely high. The 10th Amendment ought to have provided a Constitutional mechanism for the States and the People to easily reassert their primacy in particular cases without discarding the whole of the Constitution. It ought to read something like this:
Seeing as the United States has no power inherent in itself, but is only delegated power which belongs properly to the States and ultimately to the People themselves, any federal function whether legislative, judicial, or executive may be vetoed by the States or the People. Any state may propose the termination of a Federal power, either by the governor or by legislative act or by popular vote. Should the numerical majority of states agree then that act shall be carried out, whether the annulment of any federal law or regulation, the removal from office of any federal officer or employee, the dissolution of any agency, the cancellation of any treaty, the cessation of any state of hostility. This veto power may be used at the sole discretion of the States except the amending or annuling of this Constitution or interference in the internal affairs of one of the States. The exercise of this power by a governor shall be reviewed by the legislature of that state or by popular vote within thirty days and either be confirmed or annulled. The exercise of this power by the legislature shall be put to a popular vote within one year and either be confirmed or annulled.
Let me know what you guys think, either in the comments here or in the chat if you use the app.