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New Lunacy From NYC's Screwiest Councilman

The New York City Council's resident Black Panther, Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), spent most of December trying to whip up the city's Black population into a violent anti-police insurrection (video of his incitement is here).  In a series of incendiary rallies, Barron called for "an explosion" sufficient to "put the fear into" the hearts of New York's finest, in response to the death of Sean Bell, who was shot by police in an incident outside a Queens strip club last November.

Now we learn that Barron's disrespect for the rule of law doesn't end with the promotion of race warfare and violence against police officers.  He's now wielding the race card in an incredible effort to devalue the rights and privileges of American citizenship.

Immigrant-rights activists yesterday renewed their push to allow legal noncitizens to vote in the Big Apple.

A bill that would grant permanent residents and other legal immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections has been stalled in the City Council since last year.

"More than 50,000 adult noncitizen taxpayers in those two districts are disenfranchised by citizenship voting laws," said Cheryl Wertz, of New Immigrant Community Empowerment, referring to today's special election for council seats in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), the sponsor of the Voting Rights Restoration Act, said that years ago, when immigrants were mostly European, they had voting rights.

"Then when the complexion of immigrants changes, then all of a sudden, the laws change," he said.

Yeesh, citizenship as a prerequisite for ballot access?  What's next, an ID requirement?  That'll only further discourage fraudulent and non-citizen voting.  A slippery slope we simply can't afford to slide down if we're serious about keeping race-baiting politicians securely in office.

The text of Barron's bill suggests that the principle of "taxation without representation" argues for voting rights for non-citizen residents.  So why only legal immigrants?  Surely illegal immigrants are similarly deserving of voting rights, assuming they've made any taxable purchases within the city limits during the year.  For that matter, we might want to think about tracking tourism, so we can be sure to send absentee ballots to residents of other states and foreign visitors who may have passed through the Big Apple and gotten dinged by our ravenous tax scheme.  And I guess it goes without saying that corporate entities legally incpororated in New York State, being distinct, taxpaying "persons" under the tax law, ought to be able to cast their own votes in municipal elections.  Unfortunately, once we adopt the logic that paying tax in New York City is the single standard that earns one a vote, we'll have to start turning away citizens without any municipally taxable income for the year, unless they can produce sales receipts or other documentation of tax-paying to their poll workers.

That'll all be a lot to get used to, but at least we'll no longer be "disenfrachising" citizens of other countries by preventing them from voting in our elections.

Previously:
The Counterproductivity of Race-Baiting Protestors
Inciting Race Warfare in NYC
New Black Panthers Want to Kill Cops

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New Lunacy From NYC's Screwiest Councilman

The New York City Council's resident Black Panther, Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), spent most of December trying to whip up the city's Black population into a violent anti-police insurrection (video of his incitement is here).  In a series of incendiary rallies, Barron called for "an explosion" sufficient to "put the fear into" the hearts of New York's finest, in response to the death of Sean Bell, who was shot by police in an incident outside a Queens strip club last November.

Now we learn that Barron's disrespect for the rule of law doesn't end with the promotion of race warfare and violence against police officers.  He's now wielding the race card in an incredible effort to devalue the rights and privileges of American citizenship.

Immigrant-rights activists yesterday renewed their push to allow legal noncitizens to vote in the Big Apple.

A bill that would grant permanent residents and other legal immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections has been stalled in the City Council since last year.

"More than 50,000 adult noncitizen taxpayers in those two districts are disenfranchised by citizenship voting laws," said Cheryl Wertz, of New Immigrant Community Empowerment, referring to today's special election for council seats in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), the sponsor of the Voting Rights Restoration Act, said that years ago, when immigrants were mostly European, they had voting rights.

"Then when the complexion of immigrants changes, then all of a sudden, the laws change," he said.

Yeesh, citizenship as a prerequisite for ballot access?  What's next, an ID requirement?  That'll only further discourage fraudulent and non-citizen voting.  A slippery slope we simply can't afford to slide down if we're serious about keeping race-baiting politicians securely in office.

The text of Barron's bill suggests that the principle of "taxation without representation" argues for voting rights for non-citizen residents.  So why only legal immigrants?  Surely illegal immigrants are similarly deserving of voting rights, assuming they've made any taxable purchases within the city limits during the year.  For that matter, we might want to think about tracking tourism, so we can be sure to send absentee ballots to residents of other states and foreign visitors who may have passed through the Big Apple and gotten dinged by our ravenous tax scheme.  And I guess it goes without saying that corporate entities legally incpororated in New York State, being distinct, taxpaying "persons" under the tax law, ought to be able to cast their own votes in municipal elections.  Unfortunately, once we adopt the logic that paying tax in New York City is the single standard that earns one a vote, we'll have to start turning away citizens without any municipally taxable income for the year, unless they can produce sales receipts or other documentation of tax-paying to their poll workers.

That'll all be a lot to get used to, but at least we'll no longer be "disenfrachising" citizens of other countries by preventing them from voting in our elections.

Previously:
The Counterproductivity of Race-Baiting Protestors
Inciting Race Warfare in NYC
New Black Panthers Want to Kill Cops