Why have my recent posts gone? Vamooshed. Dissolved into electronic cyberspace. Melted into the ephemeral ether
oh no they haven't just on a previous page.
So to get down to the really important issue here. How is the next president of the united States to be chosen?
Raffle.
Draw only from the Canadian population.
Sorry, the Presidency is the only office in this country which requires that the office holder be native born. No canajuns in the oval office--'cept as visitors.
When Lester Pearson went to meet Lyndon Johnson, he was in the unenviable position of having criticized the Vietnam policy, and it is reliably reported that when Lester tried to glad-hand Lyndon upon entering the office, Lyndon said: "Lester, you pissed all over my carpet."
Even if your parents are American borned, for whatever reason they are overseas, if you are borned in a foreign country - you can't be President. something I've often wondered, can you be VP and then President? I know you could be Speaker of the House and then President.
maybe blatham is right. What a perfect way of getting a President:
"Draw only from the Canadian population.", and then,
a foreign born can not be President - saved again!
BillW wrote:Even if your parents are American borned, for whatever reason they are overseas, if you are borned in a foreign country - you can't be President.
This is false. The Constitution says nothing about being born within the national borders of the US. It says the person must be born a "citizen".
"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."
A child of US Citizens that is born abroad is also a US Citizen (as my daughter is..) and qualifies for the Office Of the Presidency.
I search, I look, I find. Got the following:
Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in those gaps. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:"
Anyone born inside the United States
Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe
Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national
Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21
Any one born outside the United States, if one is an alien and as long as one is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)
A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S.
Anyone falling into these categories is considered natural-born, and is eligible to run for President or Vice President. These provisions allow the children of military families to be considered natural-born, for example.
Thanks fishin', I was born in Germany and always believed I didn't qualify. I better get going, time is running:
VOTE BILLW FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 - STAND FOR NUT'IN AND CAN'T BE BOUGHT (NOT WORTH NUT'IN)
Bill...you have my vote...if the pres can't be canadian, then let us do the voting...talk about impartial.
Setanta
Hard not to like that man, even if he was a Texan. One news writer wrote a negative bit on the administration and next day he receiveda a manilla envelope at his newspaper office. It held a large photograph, taken in the oval office by one of the President's aides, of Johnson turned from the camera, bent over, pants around ankles.
Yeah, he was class act, fer sure . . .
What else did he do except piss and fart?
I know ones opinion could be swayed by winning or losing, however the present system seems to work quite well for this country.
My thought is, if we change the system everytime we don't agree with the results we are going to be in big trouble.
If you took the time to look at the colored map of the election, it worked perfectly. The small areas with large concentrations of population voted for one candidate and the whole rest of the country vote for the other candidate.
This was exactly how our forefathers meant for this to work, it worked perfectly, that is of course if you were voting for that out come.
Personally I think one who wants to change the rules just because they lost is a poor loser by any defination of the words.
Sigh, hate to remind you but the last President was appointed, not elected by the people - so now we have an unPresident!
BillW, How about "exofficio?"
c.i.
How did I miss this whole thread....?
c.i., that's a very nice way of putting it, but I'm not sure that 'exofficio' wouldn't have to be stated by law. I know of nowhere that a law is written that a belligerent party may go to the source they desire to declare them the winner! Guess the Repubs have the power now to make it law. The law could state "unless it is a Dem requesting the decision". That seems fair?
Just looking to the future of 'our' country. ;( c.i.
Thanks c.i., may I walk by your side (into the future)?
Look, all our problems would be solved if it was put in the hands of the Able2know community, and you make me "President for Life." The first twenty or so people agreeing with this would of course be my staff and cabinet. I believe Lightwizard is brighter than me and I've grown to trust him in the past year, so he would be vice-president. I would have my Spock, or Cheney, if you will. ( Did anyone notice that in the aftermath of 9/11, Cheney was the one they hid from sight, so we would have someone to run the country?).
...Seriously, I think the present system would have worked alright if they would have made a correct count in Florida.
