Comments about ‘Senate rejects Bennett move to count illegals’

Senator Bennett, did you really think that the illegal immigrants would admit that they are not citizens on the census form??

of course, cause they are scared to see how big the problem with illegals really is. Too scared to offend those who are breaking the law.

That is ridiculous that illegals are considered in determining number of seats apportioned. The only thing we should be considering in regards to illegal immigrants is how to get them out! And no, I'm not a racist. I in fact come from Hispanic descent, but am here as a citizen of this country. I just expect to obey laws.

-this.

Census is NOT about catching "illegals" but gathering information. The more accurate, the better. Duh! However, I do believe in enforcing the law and sending people back for many good reasons which have never had anything to do with race. There are some fanatics that do think that way but most people just want something to be done more than a congress that cares only about making money.

Our senators accept lobby money. This is a bribe (can you argue that it is not?) and if it is a bribe it is defined as a high crime according to our constitution. Think about that for a while.

Obama knows a lot as president that the general public doesn't. For instance, by the time we have another election illegals will have been given amnesty any way so why shouldn't they be counted?

Darn those non-Constitution-abiding Democrats! How dare the bring the wording of the Constitution into this debate!

This is reddiculous and an injustice to the american people not to designate and segregate illegals from census counts. Illegals have no representaiton and to base repreentation on illegals is an affront to all of america. Why not just go to any foreign country and start counting them too?

Representation is for citizens, not foreign nationals nor illegals and their anchors. Illegals can disappear and float around the country and across borders at will and do not have or deserve any representation. I vehemently object to this slap in my face. Don't count me in for this phony count.

Whether or not they respond in the census count is immaterial, they don't count anyway. But knowing how many illegals are in the country could make a big difference is government doing something about them and get them deported. But as usual, corporate america is in charge of the government, not the people.

Senator Bennett,

Why not offer a 2/3 compromise, were undocumented workers are counted as 2/3 of a person. That is how slaves were counted and the compromise delayed the civil war for at least twenty years.

Blacks were brought here without passports or visas for cheap labor, lived in squalid conditions, were worked night and day and were second class in every way.

Don't think our Latino(a) neighbors are different. They were also lured here for cheap labor, live in substandard conditions, work night and day and are second class in every way. The reason the laws have not changed is because capitalists are making huge profits off of their labor.

History repeats itself, but what have we learned? Very little from what I can see.

Art I, Section 2: "Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons."

Amendment 14, Section 2: "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed."

It does not say "citizens," it does not say "persons here legally," it says "persons."

It is really disingenuous to scream about the Constitution being violated and then in the next breath scream that it is not being violated.

If you want only citizens or citizens and persons here legally to be counted, then you will need a Constitutional Amendment. If that is what you want, then stop whining and get on it. If you are fast, maybe it can be done before the next Census.

Was what Bennett proposed ever done in a previous census?

If the question is whether someone is or is not a citizen than it is neither unprecedented, nor will it identify undocumented immigrants. Since the Census does not share its information on specific people with other government entities this information would not identify undocumented immigrants.
Personally I think they should go back to asking people where they were born as part of the census.
Under the current system, aportionment is by people and not by citizens, and having that information would not allow immediately to apply it in giving different states different numbers of represenativies.
However, it would seem that if the real goal is one man, one vote, than only citizens should count for congressional represenatition.
This would as much exclude documented as undocumented immigrants from the count. Nothing in the proposal to ask people if they are citizens would indicate whether they had come here legally or illegally and since personal identifying information will not be released for 72 years (not until 2082) it will be a long time before anyone could use that information to learn such.

The language in the Constitution is quite clear, "... counting the whole number of persons in each State, ...."

There really is very little to debate here.

If you want it changed, it will take a Constitutional Amendment to do so.