Trump has announced that he wants the next Census to include
a question about whether or not the person surveyed is a citizen.
This has caused an uproar.
Critics say it will suppress responses from illegal
immigrants. They point out that the
Census is supposed to be a true count of all people residing in the country. It
shouldn’t matter if any of those people are here illegally – they’re here.
California officials have already said they will sue. The
mayors of a lot of big cities say they will, too. Their premise is that it’s discriminatory,
and irrelevant. They add that it’s a shameless ploy by Trump and Republicans to
fire up the conservative base before the mid-terms.
So let me clarify why they are so afraid of this question.
It has absolutely nothing to do with discrimination. Or
firing up the conservative base, although it will probably do that as
well.
It’s all about money. In particular, Federal money. And
power.
Ever wonder why big cities want to attract illegal
immigrants? Or why California puts out the welcome mat for illegals through
sanctuary city policies?
Headcounts, not citizen counts, are used to determine how
much Federal money is allocated. So it actually rewards places with large
populations – legal or otherwise – with more money. If, as critics claim,
illegals are less likely to respond if asked about their citizenship, then many
areas will see their population numbers go down, and Federal funding will also
decline.
Now, Trump is saying he wants the citizen question as part
of his effort to ensure that only citizens are voting. That’s a valid goal,
especially since many blue states – such as California, and soon Pennsylvania –
are aggressively trying to avoid policing who is, in fact, voting. Democrat mayors and governors are working
furiously to prevent any attempt to crack down on voter fraud.
In some cases, they are going to extreme lengths to enable
voter fraud.
Chicago's Rahm Emmanuel has approved a “government-issued”
(Chicago only) picture ID card anyone can get to bypass any requirement to
prove citizenship to vote. Anyone can
simply show a utility bill to get one, and it can be used to register to vote.
Geez, I wonder what he’s up to.
Several states also have “motor-voter” laws that automatically
register to vote anyone who gets a driver’s license. Do you think all those
states are demanding a passport or birth certificate to get a driver’s license?
Go ahead, take a minute to think about that.
Pennsylvania’s governor – a Democrat of course – is asking
his legislature to approve same-day registration to vote. He’s also pushed
online registration to get more high-school students registered, and now wants
to eliminate the requirement that PA voters give a reason why they need an
absentee ballot. Yeah, asking for a reason has kept so many PA voters from
getting an absentee ballot.
Maryland allows municipalities to set their own standards
for who is eligible to vote. In this, one of the bluest of blue states, being a
citizen is not required in many municipalities.
Does anyone not see what’s going on here?
Having lived in Pennsylvania for many years, and worked in
downtown Philly for most of those, voter fraud there is already rampant. It’s a
running joke in Philly, where people are urged to vote early and vote often. In
some areas in Philly, 100% of the votes in some precincts went to Democrats,
which is statistically impossible because that presumes no errors at all. In
other PA districts there were more votes cast than registered voters.
PA is not alone in this. Other, predominantly Democrat, states reported
similar weirdness where more people voted than were registered to vote, or more
people voted than lived in that district.
Anyone who believes there is no voter fraud in national
elections is a liar or an idiot.
Or a Democrat. Perhaps all three.
There’s a very simple answer: a free national identity card
for adults, with their birthdate, their picture and thumbprint, and a bar code
for scanning. Only one for each citizen.
Whenever anyone becomes a new citizen by following the
proper legal process, they get this card. Whenever someone is born here, they
are automatically registered, and on their 18th birthday they show
up with a valid birth certificate and have their picture taken and thumbprint recorded
to complete the card. Cards would be renewed every five years in a process
similar to getting a new passport; you’d have to turn in the old one to get a
new one.
That would prevent non-citizens from voting, college students
from voting multiple times, and seriously curtail voter fraud. The same card would also verify that someone
is eligible for government benefits – that alone would probably save us
billions every year.
I’ve heard all the arguments against a national identity
card. It’s “big brother.” There’s no
need for it. It’s too much of an
inconvenience for the poor and minorities. It’s fascist. Why should anyone have to prove who they are
to exercise their right to vote or get benefits …
All these arguments are bullshit.
The only reason anyone is opposed to a national identity
card is because it would separate who is here legally and who isn’t, and who
deserves the rights of a citizen and who doesn’t.
And of course, who is really who they say they are.
It’s like the census question Trump wants. The only people
opposed to it – and a national identity card – are those gaming the system for
their own purposes.
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