2008 Woodie Awards
Constitution isn't the only limitation to becoming president
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Letters to the Editor
- Page 1 of 1
Bañes, you can't be president, but it's not because of your heritage; it's because nobody would vote for you.
That aside, let me argue the issue. The Founding Fathers were not in a "haste to establish a country free of foreign influence." The reason for their decision to only allow American-born citizens of at least 35 with 14 years of in-country life is so that we would be sure to get American presidents who knew the country and had no possibility of allegiance to another one (mostly for fear of an American president from England, not Latin America). Granted, with the requirement you hate, we disqualify 33.5 million Americans from elections. However, in a country of 300 million, that's only about 11 percent of the population. There are also about 120 million people in America too young to be president according to the CIA's World Factbook. There are also 950 thousand people living with HIV/AIDS (the actual number is probably much higher due to the percentage of people who don't report it), and they're not going to be elected. The Constitution provides certain limitations on who can be president, but the American people provide a lot more limitation. Let's remember that by the time elections start, there are only two people really capable of becoming president.
Stop thinking of America as a direct democracy where anyone can be president. It's not. It's a Federal Republic where politicians and lobbyists decide who will run the country. The power in America is not wielded by those with the best ideas or by those who Americans want to be president. The power is wielded by those with money. There are 151 million people in the labor force, and maybe 20 of them have the real possibility of becoming president.
The Constitution limits American presidential candidates to maybe 200 million (at best), but the corporations, interest groups, and citizens limit that number to just two individuals per four years.
Andrew Roberts
Junior, Psychology
That aside, let me argue the issue. The Founding Fathers were not in a "haste to establish a country free of foreign influence." The reason for their decision to only allow American-born citizens of at least 35 with 14 years of in-country life is so that we would be sure to get American presidents who knew the country and had no possibility of allegiance to another one (mostly for fear of an American president from England, not Latin America). Granted, with the requirement you hate, we disqualify 33.5 million Americans from elections. However, in a country of 300 million, that's only about 11 percent of the population. There are also about 120 million people in America too young to be president according to the CIA's World Factbook. There are also 950 thousand people living with HIV/AIDS (the actual number is probably much higher due to the percentage of people who don't report it), and they're not going to be elected. The Constitution provides certain limitations on who can be president, but the American people provide a lot more limitation. Let's remember that by the time elections start, there are only two people really capable of becoming president.
Stop thinking of America as a direct democracy where anyone can be president. It's not. It's a Federal Republic where politicians and lobbyists decide who will run the country. The power in America is not wielded by those with the best ideas or by those who Americans want to be president. The power is wielded by those with money. There are 151 million people in the labor force, and maybe 20 of them have the real possibility of becoming president.
The Constitution limits American presidential candidates to maybe 200 million (at best), but the corporations, interest groups, and citizens limit that number to just two individuals per four years.
Andrew Roberts
Junior, Psychology
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