Noncitizens voting?

Nope, I like having electricity and running water in the house. However I can see good things coming if we were to establish some criteria other than being born and breathing our air for 18 years as giving one the right to vote. I think as well as being a landholder, one should be required to pass a basic civics test so we know they understand how our government functions (or is supposed to function). I would also like to see the voting age raised to at least 30.... that would allow time for the voters minds to mature, and grant to prospective voter time to accumulate a bit of world experience prior to allowing them to make decisions that affect all of us.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Renters pay taxes too, including property taxes.

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I saw something nasty in the woodshed

You might want to actually think about what you are saying. Some rich foreign national could come in buy up all the land around you and then have the right to decide what happens with regards to laws, taxes and how you might be able to live your life.

If an LPR foreign national were that rich and had that much vested interest in control, they could just go ahead an naturalize anyway...it wouldn't be much skin off their nose towards getting what they wanted.

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I saw something nasty in the woodshed

NO, the land lord pays the taxes.
But the non land owners can vote in levys so the property owners have to pay more taxes, whaich is wrong.
I am not sure but the person who has their name on the deed pays the taxes.

The govener of this state did the nessasary cuts to get this states bills paid off so the people of this county, many of them not home owners and some of them getting their rent payed by the tax payers voted for the school levy to raise other peoples taxes. And to give teachers raises.
They didn't think that some people in this economy had thamselves lost their own jobs or were living on reduced wages. It was one of the most selfish acts of welfare give me's I have seen.

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squashnut & bassketcher

Champagne D Argent, White New Zealand & Californian Cross Rabbits

Think of it this way. If land ownership controls the vote only. Other countries could could funnel in money to their now naturalized former citizens. They would in turn buy up land in certain areas monopolizing the vote. Each family could give land to each child as it is born increasing their monopoly.

At least then they would have to own property.
Now the only thing other countries have to do is buy a politician. Many can be bought much cheaper than property.

I agree that land ownership should not control voting privileges, that's an idiotic idea for so many reasons.

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I saw something nasty in the woodshed

OK, lets get it through our heads. Unless you are a citizen you do not vote. Unless you are a citizen and legal resident of any State, County, or Town, you do not vote. It's a pretty simple idea some people have trouble wrapping their minds around. I know the dream is that the Chinese will elect Obama to a second term, but no.

Sure, the landlords submit the taxes, but the rents they charge reflect those costs.

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I saw something nasty in the woodshed

Many smaller municipalities already allow LPRs to vote on local issues and have for some time.

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I saw something nasty in the woodshed

This is like saying you have a vested interest in Microsoft because you pay tax on the Computer you buy.

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squashnut & bassketcher

Champagne D Argent, White New Zealand & Californian Cross Rabbits

How does that make sense? The taxes are paid to the government not to Microsoft?

Microsoft collects the taxes then gives them to the gov. just like the slum lord.

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squashnut & bassketcher

Champagne D Argent, White New Zealand & Californian Cross Rabbits

So in the end the consumer pays the taxes every time! So what was your point?

Looking at the posts from all us legal residents, it seems we do not want or expect the right to vote until we are US citizens. After that we are probably more qualified to vote than a lot of natural citizens because we will have taken a US civics test to prove we have a knowledge of how this country is run. (said with tongue in cheek)

While you may have said it with tongue in cheek.... it is a very valid point. Most US citizens who vote really are pretty clueless about our government.. the countries history and especially our Constitution.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

That is right. I have a copy of a citizenship test. I doubt that many citizens could pass it without studying for it.

I doubt that microsoft collects many taxes from the sales of their software or computers.... does microsoft even sell computers? I will agree that some states collect a sales tax on those purchases... but the retail outlets collects those taxes, not microsoft.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

And by studying for it, you are bound to learn a lot more than just what is on the test. I have always maintained that a naturalized citizen is far more qualified to vote than is someone born here.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain