Time for Naturalized Citizens has come

For some reason the Founders decided that only persons born within the United States should become President. Thus, every since that day, naturalized citizens of the United States have been barred from serving. So much for the American dream!

In an LA Times op-ed piece, historian Richard Tedlow uses the biography of Intel founder, Andy Grove, as an example of why this should change. We think of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a possible presidential candidate, if only he weren't born in Austria. But as Tedlow points out there are lots of important contributors to American life who are naturalized citizens. It' s a good thing that the nation doesn't prevent them from serving as business leaders, inventors, and more.

The prohibition against naturalized citizens becoming president of the United States is as counterproductive as a similar prohibition on their becoming chief executives of major corporations would be. It is telling that no other governmental position in the country is similarly restricted. The other branches of government all welcome naturalized citizens. Foreign-born U.S. citizens have served with great distinction in the Cabinet, from Alexander Hamilton, President Washington's brilliant and indispensable secretary of the Treasury, who was born in the West Indies, to Prague-born Madeleine Albright, President Clinton's secretary of State.

I agree, why should this relic of a different age prevent perhaps a most accomplished person from serving as President. Since I'm not an Arnold backer, I say this not to allow him to serve, but to free others who could lead us into the future. The time is now for change!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Interesting thoughts, tho Arnie baby is one of my greatest fears. Remember the last California governor who was elected President?
Or maybe you can't, but trust me, when he was running I went around saying, "Can't you remember all the awful things he did when he was governor (like dumping the mentally ill out on the street with no net whatsoever)?" but nobody could. What we should probably have is a prohibition against movie stars, not immigrants.
Robert Cornwall said…
You may be right about banning movie stars. I'm not pushing for Arnold, but the principle is sound -- we shouldn't preclude naturalized citizens from the presidency. It's an idea whose time is long past!!!
Anonymous said…
The need to ban Naturized citizens from being President is more important now than it was when our founders first placed it in the constitution.

It is incredible how so long after it was written our constitution is still saving us. It must have been to some extent been divinely inspired.
Anonymous said…
I think the time is ripe for the leaders of our great nation to put their act togather and rethink about this centuries old policy that our fouding father so wrongly made of prohibiting naturalized nationals from holding the top job of the land....that very clause puts a spoke in our wheel of truly calling ourself a DEMOCRACY
Anonymous said…
If one can irresepective of his birth origins rescue the nation in the times of crisis, enthrall and entertain its denizens, lay their life to protect the nation then what stops them even-though they are naturalized citizens from holding the post of Presidency of our truly democratic nation. It is very much agaist the norms that this coutry was founded upon...its high time we correct this wrong else we will have no wright to correct the wrongs happening else where in the world

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