Citizenship Law
I suggest we pass a law that makes US citizens take an exam every four years. This exam will assess that the citizen actually remembers and understands what is in the US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, knows why it is relevant, and can actually apply it to real life. If they fail to attain a passing grade on this exam, I suggest we deport these people.
I am thinking this should go over just fine because I was told this weekend by someone that, if they were in Arizona, they wouldn't mind having to carry their birth certificate around and produce it if someone has a "reasonable suspicion" they might be an illegal.
I suggested that this is perhaps a violation of Constitutional rights. This person said it wasn't. I replied with the fact that the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that one ought to have probable cause for a search. (I honestly don't know that it is, but it makes sense that examining someone's citizenship status based on suspicion rather than actual evidence may be on par with such a search or request for one. In fact, my understanding is that it used to be that all immigrants had to carry papers on them at all times, and that this was repealed because of such an issue.) They first said that it wasn't in the Constitution. Then they said it was completely different. I asked how they would feel if someone were able to request to know their citizenship status on demand, and they said they wouldn't mind. (I can only think they feel this way because they're rather fortunate to not be part of a group that is often assumed to be here illegally.)
So since they wouldn't mind having to carry ID to verify citizenship status, perhaps they should also be required to behave like a responsible and knowledgeable citizen who can actually understand the rights imparted by the Constitution, starting by knowing what is exactly in the Constitution. If they don't know, their card is taken away and they have to go someplace else.
I'm not going to say that this is an education fail. I think it's a failure on the part of individuals to understand that those rights are there all the time and just not when it's convenient for our own politics. Or at least, they should be...especially because they'd be screaming awfully loud if it was them.
I am thinking this should go over just fine because I was told this weekend by someone that, if they were in Arizona, they wouldn't mind having to carry their birth certificate around and produce it if someone has a "reasonable suspicion" they might be an illegal.
I suggested that this is perhaps a violation of Constitutional rights. This person said it wasn't. I replied with the fact that the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that one ought to have probable cause for a search. (I honestly don't know that it is, but it makes sense that examining someone's citizenship status based on suspicion rather than actual evidence may be on par with such a search or request for one. In fact, my understanding is that it used to be that all immigrants had to carry papers on them at all times, and that this was repealed because of such an issue.) They first said that it wasn't in the Constitution. Then they said it was completely different. I asked how they would feel if someone were able to request to know their citizenship status on demand, and they said they wouldn't mind. (I can only think they feel this way because they're rather fortunate to not be part of a group that is often assumed to be here illegally.)
So since they wouldn't mind having to carry ID to verify citizenship status, perhaps they should also be required to behave like a responsible and knowledgeable citizen who can actually understand the rights imparted by the Constitution, starting by knowing what is exactly in the Constitution. If they don't know, their card is taken away and they have to go someplace else.
I'm not going to say that this is an education fail. I think it's a failure on the part of individuals to understand that those rights are there all the time and just not when it's convenient for our own politics. Or at least, they should be...especially because they'd be screaming awfully loud if it was them.