Voting is one of the cherished rights of American citizens. Let’s not cheapen it or our democracy by treating it as a matter of no importance. Felons aren’t permitted to own guns, because we rather suspect they wouldn’t be putting them to good use. The same can be said for their voting rights.
American Thinker |
"It’s also at the heart of Bernie Sanders’ proposal that incarcerated felons be given the right to vote.
"That leading Democrats are now seriously opposed to the Census inquiring into citizenship, and at the same time favor giving felons the right to vote, is a sign of how far we have fallen from the idea that voting in our elections is one of the most sacred privileges Americans enjoy.
"Only citizens can vote, and that’s what’s behind the Supreme Court case. At issue there is whether the Census form can ask whether a person is a citizen.
"But Democrats argue that asking about citizenship will discourage immigrants, particularly Hispanics, from answering the Census and thus result in such groups being undercounted. So far, lower courts have accepted this bizarre argument, though the Supreme Court justices are likely to overturn their holding, likely on the ground that Congress has left it up to the executive branch to design the Census, period.
"If someone isn’t a citizen, he shouldn’t count when congressional-district boundary lines are drawn up. Otherwise, non-citizens will be overrepresented in Congress. If there were a district where only half the residents are citizens, it shouldn’t have full representation in the House of Representatives.
"What liberals are playing with is one of the most important things about belonging to a country — the sense of fellow-feeling for fellow citizens." . . .