The 14th Amendment

Okay, so there have been some calls lately to 'adjust' the 14th amendment, which starts:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.


For decades, this has been interpreted to mean that children born to 'unprocessed' immigrants (i.e. illegals) within the borders of the USA have been considered citizens. This has complicated the whole issue and led to the term 'Anchor Babies' because we wouldn't force a parent to part with thier child or send a minor citizen off to some terrible third world country, would we? And there are some pregnant mothers who come here for this very reason.

Now Republicans, in an effort to out-do one another, have come up with this bold idea to amend the Constitution to stop this practice and win points from the Tea Party movement in the process.

Firstly, I'm glad to finally hear mainstream politicians talk about the Constitution. That might encourage them to actually read it. I'm overjoyed to hear people talk about ammending the
Constitution, a tacit admission that government recognizes some kind of rules and limitations, and that there is an actual process to changing those.

Secondly, are they out of their minds?!? Illegal aliens are already an underclass with few rights and ripe for exploitation. And they want to make that class permanent? Whatever your position on the whole mess, at least the situation is limited to one generation. Children who are born here are fully citizens, the same as the rest of us. (I would change it so that anyone who survived and graduated thru high school should be granted the same status, but thats just me.)

But if children born here were not citizens of the United States of America, what would they be? Citizens of a country they had never seen? Nationless migrants consigned forever to the edges of society? Defacto endentured servants or slaves?

No, no, no. This idea is just so very bad. It would turn a temporary problem into a permanent one. Absolutely the wrong direction to go. I apprecieate the sentiment and the attempts at problem-solving, but no. Try again.


Lurker
(Why does no one talk about expanding LEGAL immigration?!?)