I know, and also know closed borders in the US is a relatively recent thing. I was reacting to the picture.
It's hard when we want to bring up some good things, usually ideas from the past in an area where it was worse in the past.
And especially with Trump making the call to the past so central.
A picture of a random open valley would reflect how some of my ancestors accidentally crossed over from Canada and homesteaded in the Dakota Territory, but it wouldn’t communicate what an Ellis Island picture does.
To be fair, we turned away asylum seekers back then, too. But that's before international law changed that.
Still, it should be pointed out that our current immigration policy is the most strict that it has ever been, despite what conservatives try and tell you. Immigrants are easy scapegoats.
They can't vote legally, by definition. Until they become naturalized citizens, which is a wholly separate and difficult process as well. They are easy to point out as impoverished. They don't get the same legal protections as the rest. They are one petty crime away from deportation.
To be fair, election interference is an old practice already. The US has long manipulated foreign elections and other nations have done the same back. Russia is famously a culprit as well.
In some ways it makes sense, too. America enforces its will in the world—and its waste.
The presumption is that the election system would still count residents which entails registering in some form with the government holding the election.
It's not suggesting "count every person that shows up to vote"
Likewise, there's a difference between "anyone can come" and "anyone can come and immediately have all the full rights and credits of a citizen." A 2-year residency requirement would solve any problems.
Issue is that right now, it's easier to get a PhD than an American citizenship. MUCH easier!
What if the entire population of, let’s say, Europe, turned up on the day of the election to vote for a candidate that was 10% down in the polls, who then won - and the entire population flew home the following day - that’s democratic - even though they’re not any part of the demos?
If they managed to somehow capture all of the world's air traffic for the day and performed the world's largest airlift by several orders of magnitude to do this... it feels like they deserve that one.
And they'd probably vote for someone better than we would have.
Comments
Proving again the importance of context.
It's hard when we want to bring up some good things, usually ideas from the past in an area where it was worse in the past.
And especially with Trump making the call to the past so central.
https://blueearbooks.com/books/troublemakers/
https://youtu.be/_NKtz9Rpbbc
Still, it should be pointed out that our current immigration policy is the most strict that it has ever been, despite what conservatives try and tell you. Immigrants are easy scapegoats.
We used to have guest worker policies, which raised our economy.
We used to accept asylum seekers within our borders and we're violating international law every time we tell them to wait outside.
We used to have a clear path to citizenship.
They just want a better life, and they can become productive, tax-paying citizens.
(Currently, they tend to be tax-paying residents with no say)
but that doesn't mean we shouldn't shoot for a more perfect union
I mean, I get that countries are entirely arbitrary things, but why does just turning up mean you get a say?
Why do you have to turn up? - isn't that just as arbitrary?
Why can't you vote if you just happen to be in another country?
Or what if you fly in for the day?
In some ways it makes sense, too. America enforces its will in the world—and its waste.
It's not suggesting "count every person that shows up to vote"
Issue is that right now, it's easier to get a PhD than an American citizenship. MUCH easier!
What if the entire population of, let’s say, Europe, turned up on the day of the election to vote for a candidate that was 10% down in the polls, who then won - and the entire population flew home the following day - that’s democratic - even though they’re not any part of the demos?
Just sent a bunch of limeys to "vote"
Voting didn't really come into it - more machine guns / cannons.
Not much of an argument though.
I can’t think of a comparable historical example - maybe the Roman Empire - though this was not a democracy.
And they'd probably vote for someone better than we would have.