| Kasz216 said: Yeah, i was afraid people might not actually read the actual OP. The title was too good to pass up though. |
Yes, titles are very important in attracting even if you have to flame it up a bit or sensationalize it.
I will say that I disagree with the analogy to "illegal aliens," slaves and the 3/5ths compromise. Here is why:
First, the term "illegal alien" has a distinct meaning. Illegal has to do with them coming over here illegally by bypassing the legal immigration system. Alien means that these people are not of our culture, and like many first generation immigrants they will never fully assimilate, but their children will. "Illegal alien" is an offensive term to many, but it makes perfect sense if you know why they are "illegal" and why the word "alien" is used.
Second, the legal slave trade in the US ended well before the Civil War. Slavery was unique in the US unlike Haiti and other regions because slaves were fed and reproduced naturally. In places like Haiti, the French worked the slaves to death on sugar plantations and when one slave died, they imported another from Africa.
Third, due to the majority of "slaves" being born here by the Civil War era and the guilt that followed during Reconstruction, the 14th Amendment was designed specifically to give freed slaves US citizenship. Over time the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution has been interpreted to apply to all other races and ethnicities besides just the freed slaves it was created for.
Finally, the 3/5ths compromise was a poltitical deal between the North and the South over representation in the US House of Representatives. The South had far fewer Whites than the North, but a lot of slaves. To avoid an early Civil War, slaves were counted as 3/5ths of a person.
This does not pertain to "illegal aliens" because they were not born here and they are not in any way subjected to slavery. "Illegal aliens" are free to and many do move across state lines. Moving slaves across state lines during the antebellum era was a big deal resulting in the Dredd Scott decision.
Yes, most "illegal aliens" are impoverished and work in a country where they cannot vote. They cannot vote because they were not born here. If you want to say well slaves voted! No, Blacks in the USA were intimidated from voting well into the 1960s until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Illegal aliens can vote, but it will open their immigration status up to scrutiny and possible deportation. Furthermore, stolen and illegal social security numbers is a booming business. There are ways for them to get access to vote, but none of them are legal, nor should they ever be.
The best compromise is a path to legalization through a $15k to 30k fine for immigrating illegally. After they pay the fine and pass the US citizenship tests, then I would take no umbrage for them legally voting. Until then, they are here illegally, they are alien to our culture, and they should live within their means without raising an issue which polls have shown the US will not stand in giving, which is illegal aliens the same rights as US born or naturalized citizens without any consequence.
