Should the requirements to become the POTUS be changed?

[Gooblah]

Thought it was ripe for a poll dealing with this express topic, considering it's been brought up in every birther thread (of which there are three AFAIK). Should the constitutional/legal requirements to become POTUS be changed? The current requirements are (from the Constitution):

* be a natural born citizen of the United States;
* be at least thirty-five years old;
* have been a permanent resident in the United States for at least fourteen years.

(Thanks, Wikipedia!)

Edit: The poll is multi-choice. Please elaborate on the poll options you chose (do you think the age limit should be 65? 15?).

 

[GoodGame]

Might as well be a poll.

I'd say no, except I might raise the age bar a few years.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Instead of the age limit, can we have a mandated government experience requirement?

 

[Kennigit]

No poll option for changing only natural born section? That's the only section that I have beef with (any naturalized citizen should be eligible imo).

 

[Bill3000]

No poll option for changing only natural born section? That's the only section that I have beef with (any naturalized citizen should be eligible imo).

That's "Yes, the right should be extended to all citizens." Might be a little miscommunication, but that's clearly Gooblah's intent.

 

[Cutlass]

I see no reason to change anything.

 

[Rashiminos]

I would like to see opinions to votes for changing age/residency limits.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I would like to see the concept of natural born citizenship (either jus solis of jus sanguinis) done away with, making anyone who wants to be a citizen need to pass a test (the education to help one pass would be free but non compulsory for anyone), and replacing the social contract with a real contract required informed consent about thr rights and duties of citizen. I would then make citizenship the only requirement for any elected office.

 

[GenMarshall]

If you change the requirements; the Birthers, Obama haters and bashers would find something else to proad Obama with.

 

[Leonel]

Frankly I think any American citizen should be the President. It seems unfair that I'll never be one because of something I have no control over. I didn't choose to be born in Indonesia but I was born a US citizen.

 

[kulade]

Whoever is elected by the elector colleges...

 

[Babbler]

Drop the natural born requirement.

 

[Rashiminos]

I would like to see the concept of natural born citizenship (either jus solis of jus sanguinis) done away with, making anyone who wants to be a citizen need to pass a test (the education to help one pass would be free but non compulsory for anyone), and replacing the social contract with a real contract required informed consent about thr rights and duties of citizen. I would then make citizenship the only requirement for any elected office.

Congratulations, you've made education a requirement for citizenship. Now let me get in my truck and drive straight through compulsory education. Second class slave population, here we go!

 

[Bei1052]

It might sound dumb, but the age limit should be lowered to 18. I would think a president who is in their 20's would be more apt to make better decisions if they're likely to be around 40 years down the road to feel their effects. There's nothing I hate more than 60 year old dudes selling out future generations because said policies will never affect them.

 

[Archbob]

Drop the natural born requirement.

Since I wasn't born here, I like the idea but I still think it isn't wise to drop it.

For instance, a man who lived the first 30 years of his life in China and then lived here for 20 years and is a citizen may be in reality still more loyal to China than the United States. I would not want such a man running the country.

 

[Bill3000]

For instance, a man who lived the first 30 years of his life in China and then lived here for 20 years and is a citizen may be in reality still more loyal to China than the United States. I would not want such a man running the country.

The man could be born in the US, live in Russia for the first 30 years of his life and go back to the US for the next 20. He would be a natural born citizen with the same problems.

As for loyalty thing, you could make it a requirement for dual citizenships to be rescinded for the office of President. This is already true for people who are naturalized, anyway.

 

[Rashiminos]

It might sound dumb, but the age limit should be lowered to 18. I would think a president who is in their 20's would be more apt to make better decisions if they're likely to be around 40 years down the road to feel their effects. There's nothing I hate more than 60 year old dudes selling out future generations because said policies will never affect them.

I think 40s to 60s are on the appropriate sides of future-impacting decisions (in their younger days) to realistically gauge future effects of Presidential actions whereas a twenty-something has not had all that much independent experience.

 

[emzie]

Since I wasn't born here, I like the idea but I still think it isn't wise to drop it.

For instance, a man who lived the first 30 years of his life in China and then lived here for 20 years and is a citizen may be in reality still more loyal to China than the United States. I would not want such a man running the country.

Let the voters be the judge of that. If there's a question of loyalty, the polls are a better barrier than an archaic principal.

As I said in another thread, my mom moved from the UK to the US at 6 months. She's never known another home, never known another culture. When she was in the Army, she tested in to code breaking but her place of birth complicated her security clearance and she ended up in journalism instead. It's quite silly.

This is already true for people who are naturalized, anyway.

Not really. When the oath's taken, the first sentence

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen"

but most countries require you to do more than renounce in an oath, usually renounce in paper at the embassy. My grandparents took the oath but still have British citizenship.

Children don't (or didn't) take the oath; if one is (was?) under 16 when his or her parents took the oath, the citizenship was acquired by the minor at the same time. My mom never took an oath of citizenship.

 

[MobBoss]

Just leave it the way it is. If it aint broke, it dont need fixin.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Just leave it the way it is. If it aint broke, it dont need fixin.

Wow. I actually agree with MobBoss.