Ballot Box Boneheads

Do Massachusetts liberals view their American citizenship as a privilege...or a hassle?

It they view citizenship as a privilege, as I do, then why do they work so hard to undermine it? Abandoning border security is bad, but I can understand the "hey, we'll never keep illegals out anyway" pragmatism of some open-borders advocates.

But for the Left, it doesn't stop there. The McCain/Kennedy amnesty plan offers citizenship as a direct reward for people who choose to cheat and enter America illegally. LEGAL immigrants don't get the favorable treatment that illegals do.

Gov. Patrick happily offers taxpayer-subsidized housing to illegal immigrants, while American citizens go without. He wants them to have the same subsidized college tuition as American citizens, too.

So should we be surprised that Massachusetts liberals in Amherst, Cambridge, Wayland and now Newton have taken the next step: Giving non-citizens the right to vote.

True, these governments are technically offering the right to vote to legal aliens, but does anyone doubt that this will make it easier for illegal aliens to sneak into voting booths the same way the snuck into the US?

And even if we could be assured that every non-citizen who votes is a legal alien, how does that change the fact that this is yet another assault on the value, the privilege, of citizenship?

When I'm in Ireland, I don't get to vote there. When I was in Iraq, Iraqis were voting on a constitution, but the American soldiers risking their lives to protect them weren't allowed. Is that going to change? No. Do the people of Amherst, Cambridge or Newton think it should?

I'm betting the answer is no.

You can't support giving non-Americans the same rights as Americans without embracing the idea that being an American is no big deal. Nothing special. So what. I'd go so far as to suggest that this is the ultimate expression of the lack of patriotism of the Angry Left. What's more "anti-American" then assaulting the idea of being an American as inherently valuable and worthy of protection?

One last note: Taxpayers in these towns should be aware of the political consequences of immigrants with access to the ballot box. Some immigrants are college professors and the like, and no doubt they will cast well-informed (though overwhelmingly liberal) votes. But the majority of immigrants aren't college professors...or even high school grads. Most come from countries whose political systems are rife with graft and corruption.

If you want Newton's public servants to uphold the high, ethical standards of the Mexican Police Department--then let the citizens of Mexico vote in your elections.