UGA Economist Dwight Lee has an idea that he claims would help the immigration controversy in the United States, and the homeless/panhandling problem: allow US citizens to sell their citizenship to non-Americans. The American selling their citizenship would have to leave the country, and the buyer would be a US citizen.
What do you think of this idea? Do you think it would work at its stated purpose (with restrictions on selling citizenship to terrorists, etc.)?
(Taken from Walker Economics Blog)
32 comments:
No, I do not agree with this idea. I think it will bring up problems with unwanted people ending up with US citizenship. Identity theif is also a problem where someone could steal your information and sell your citizenship. People could sell their children or kipnap people to sell it as well. People are greedy and will look for ways to get rich fast through this.
Brennan B.
I think that selling ones citizenship would be a big problem for the United States if it were passed. Problems would arize such as breeding babies, then people could sell to others and people who shouldnt be in the country would be legal. Yes its going to help the economy, by increasing the GDP which would boast the US economy as the best. The entire standard of living in the United States would be better, by less poor and less homeless people in the streets. It would give the poor chances at a whole nother life, with the money they can start over again somewhere else. Everyone who has it bad in the economy at the moment can possibly benefit from this idea, only if they didnt want to live in the country. But over all its bad and unethical. People would be selling citizenship illegaly and then scam others and many shady transfers would take place.
NO i dont beleive that selling citizenship will help anyone at all becasue if a pandhandler sells his citizenship to someone who is not listed by the gobveremt as a memebr of a terrorist oragnsization, that person can get an entry level job working for the government and slowly work his way up until a terrorist has substantial power in our government. However this could be an extreme scenerio that may not even happen. Selling citizenship has only one benfit and it is that anyone who doesn't have anything going for themesleves in american can sell thier link to america for a significant amount of money and start fresh in another country. Eliminating the problem of people who hate the country but do not have the funds to start a life in another country.
-JOE M
I think that selling ones citizenship is a good idea but other problems can arise from this happening identity theft can occur and you can sell someone esle citzenship, babys can be sold for citzenship of other babys. This would greaty help the economy because you would be exporting the poor and importing the wealth, increasing GDP. This would also help increase the overall standard of living in the U.S. because if all the people that couldn't work (panhanders), were off the streets and living in Mexico with a big chunk of cash in their pockets there would be no need for as many shelter homes for the poor and therefore that would lower down state taxes. By doing this you would also be importing well educated, or at least wealthy people from Mexico and whoever else would be wanting to buy citizen ship into the US.
This idea would benefit for those who are poor and want to move to another country. Other than that, and the risk of selling to a terrorist, the idea of selling your citizenship to an illegal immigrant is crazy! Not many immigrants can pay the amount of money that an American Citizenship costs, and then to pay for the living expenses in America is impossible. {The only person truely benefiting in such a transaction would be the person selling. Although you would have to leave the U.S., you can move to any country you want with your newly recieved money, that is if the currency isn't a huge change.} The above is only true if you are happy with completely giving your American life away and losing all of those previous benefits. The only immigrants that could buy citizenship would be those who are wealthy, and as Erik mentioned in his first post, we would be trading the poor forthe weathly and helping the economy. But this seems to only be able to happen in an ideal world. So basically, in reality this is a stupid idea! It would only work in an ideal world! Its like communism or something.
RAchel T
I think that selling ones citizenship is a good idea. It would benefit the country as well as the poor people selling it. It would give the poor people money and bring in richer people to the country. The poor could move somewhere cheaper and have money to start a new life. The country would have to monitor the sales of citizenship because if it was sold to terrorists that could put the country in a lot of danger.
The idea of selling one's citizenship may be a great benefit not only to the less fortunate of American society, but to the country's economy as well. As the cost of living in this country rises, more and more people are being forced into the streets. The price of citizenship would be extremely high, and one that, based on the levels of illegal immigration in America, at least some foreigners would be willing to pay. In selling their citizenship, one would be giving up many of the freedoms granted to Americans, but would be gaining the opportunity to have a better life and a chance to escape poverty in their new land. This idea would benefit the country's economy by increasing the amount of people who are able to spend money and contribute to economic flow, and decreasing the number of people who aren't contributing very much at all.
~Amanda
I think that this idea is economically smart. People who are not making our economy any money might as well sell their citizenship, giving a foreigner a chance to. The homeless person then has money to live in another country. This increase our country's GDP. Although this could improve our economy it could become abused. People could have many children and sell their citizenships to make money. Identity theft could also arise from this. Also selling a U.S. citizenship shows a lack of pride. The value of a U.S. citizenship will diminish if it can just be bought and sold.
I agree with Brennan B. and how greed would ultimatly ruin such an idea. Some people are too greedy and can easily sell anothers citizenship through identity theft. Also, how can you tell if the person is a terrorist or not? Somewhere along the way, a bad person will buy their way into America, which would definitly not be a good thing!
This is just silly. No government would ever be willing to allow their citizens to randomly sell there citizenships. There is a possibility that this could help the economy and introduce better educated and qualified people into the system but it is unlikely for multiple reasons. First, the people from other countries that would like to enter the U.S. would most likely be the people who don't have enough money to buy the citizenship. Secondly, the Americans who would sell their citizenship would probably not be able to gain citizenship anywhere else and so would make earning money or bettering themsleves that much harder. So why would they ever want to sell it? Economically it makes sense for the U.S., but almost no sense for any other country because they would be losing their most valuable citizens. It could help the U.S. but will never be put into effect. There are just too many logistical problems.
Selling citizenship to foreigners is an economically smart decision. Although it really devalues the meaning of American pride and loyalty, America overall would be economically, and perhaps even politically, stronger. Those who purchase citizenships have everything to gain: U.S. citizenship grants them all rights provided by the Constitution, they get the benefits of working with insurance, and they'll have the benefit of social security after retirement. Those who sell their citizenship, however, might not lose more than they would gain. The impoverished would most likely fare better in a country with a lower standard of living and less cutthroat capitalist society. There are arguments that the mentally ill and criminals are not mentally sound to sell their citizenships to reliable "new" citizens; people worry that terrorists might purchase citizenships. But one must consider that terrorists know other ways of entering the U.S., and selling citizenship would likely not have any effect on the number of terrorists coming into the U.S. Therefore, I believe selling U.S. citizenship is economically beneficial to America's economy overall.
I believe that this idea is excellent. It calls for getting rid of the poor and importing those with money. It is a great win, win situation for those who can not afford to live here; they get paid money to live somewhere else where the cost of living is less than it is here. For those in a prediciment.
Selling citizenship to foreigners is an economically smart decision. Although it really devalues the meaning of American pride and loyalty, America overall would be economically, and perhaps even politically, stronger. Those who purchase citizenships have everything to gain: U.S. citizenship grants them all rights provided by the Constitution, they get the benefits of working with insurance, and they'll have the benefit of social security after retirement. Those who sell their citizenship, however, might not lose more than they would gain. The impoverished would most likely fare better in a country with a lower standard of living and less cutthroat capitalist society. There are arguments that the mentally ill and criminals are not mentally sound to sell their citizenships to reliable "new" citizens; people worry that terrorists might purchase citizenships. But one must consider that terrorists know other ways of entering the U.S., and selling citizenship would likely not have any effect on the number of terrorists coming into the U.S. Therefore, I believe selling U.S. citizenship is economically beneficial to America's economy overall.
I think selling one's citizenship is a horrendous idea. There would be so many social problems. If your citizenship is sold and you are caught where are you going to be deported to? If we instate the country swapping idea with whoever you sold it to, it would almost be like selling your life. Let's say that person now gets deported to Iraq. He doesn't know the language and customs. Chances are he would stick out like a soar thumb. It would almost be like a vicious cycle because hes then arrives to the country homeless, jobless, and without family. The other big point about this is the entrance test. When people legally imigrate here they need to be qualified for the citizenship. The fear I have is too many unqualified people will be given citizenship.
This is a dumb idea. When a person sells their US citizen, they sell their right to life, liberty and happiness. They sell our country's history. The sellers will give up their home and their family to live in a foreign country, which costs them their liberty and rights as a US citizen. And what would be the exact conditions of those allowed to sell? Would someone who is mentally ill understand what they are doing? If they, the homeless and mentally ill, are unfit to make day to day decisions, should they be aloud to make that choice? And then there's the problem of citizenship speculators and underground deals. These citizenships could end up being sold to criminals. It's not that difficult to lie about your name and background. And what happens to the people buying their citizenship? What happens if they have a family? They'll leave the family in their home country and hope they get into the US from a lottery? Or would the family be able to buy a social security number too? The cost of changing over social security numbers and passing a law to allow this to happen would cost the government a huge amount. And in reality, is it possible to put a price tag on our benefits as a US citizen?
I agree with mike h. Only I don’t believe that selling your citizenship illegally. The government would have to come up with a law allowing it. But even that is going to create too many problems that our country doesn’t have to deal with right now. Besides, the whole concept is just bizarre.
allison f
I think that this idea can have a positive effect on the economy of this our country. The people buying the citizenship would be a lot more motivated to work than the people selling their citizenship. This could only benefit our economy by better goods and sevices to sell. The article states, "when people are free to buy and sell, markets do an impressive job directing assets to those who will make the most valuable use of them." People willing to sell their own citizenship would be less of an asset to the economy than people willing to spend a lot of money to buy the citizenship and who want to lead a successful life. The only problem with this is the morality of the issue; things could get very confusing when something as valueable as citizenship is being sold.
allison f
I think that this idea can have a positive effect on the economy of this country. The people buying the citizenship would be a lot more motivated to work than the people selling their citizenship. This would benefit our economy because more motivated and skilled workers would lead to the production of better goods and sevices. The article states, "when people are free to buy and sell, markets do an impressive job directing assets to those who will make the most valuable use of them." People willing to sell their own citizenship would be less of an asset to the economy than people willing to spend a lot of money to actually buy the citizenship and who are striving to lead a successful life. The only problem with this is the morality of the issue; things could get very confusing when something as valueable as citizenship is being sold.
allison f
I agree with Amanda in that the actual value of citizenship could decrease if people become willing to buy and sell it just to make money. If the selling of citizenship were to take place, I think people would have to be really careful because there could be a problem with identity theft, as Brennan pointed out. Also, problems could arise if people move to a foreign country, become very wealthy, and then want their citizenship back.
Erik G said...
I think that selling ones citizenship is a good idea but other problems can arise from this happening, identity theft can occur and you can sell someone elses citzenship, babys can be sold for citzenship of other babys. This would greatly help the economy because you would be exporting the poor and importing the wealthy, increasing GDP.
Jeff W
This idea is wrong on so many levels. To start, the thought of one selling his/her citizenship is treasonous and unethical. People who belittle their country and freedoms that much don't belong to live here, but that doesn't mean that they should simply be able to sell their citizenship to some random opportunist. Our country has a very complex system of naturlaization, and if someone wants U.S. citizenship that badly, they should be willing to go through that process. In addition, this blind selling of citizenship would never be compatible with our legal system (not to mention the threat of terrorists and other dangerous people aquring citizenship). The Immigration and Naturalization Act, Fourteenth Amendment, Naturalization requirements, and citizenship test are there for a reason, and that reason is to regulate who deserves to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that this country has to offer. This whole idea in general is ignorant and unrealistic
Jeff W
I completely agree with Allie M. She raises very good points/questions about logistics and ramifications of this whole idiotic pocess. The question of mental capacity in this decision-making process was brought up, and in my opinion anyone considering it probably lacks the capacity to make any such decision in the first place. All of her arguments definitely help reaffirm how unrealistic and unethical the idea is.
However clever this idea may seem in theory, it has no bearing in today's society, especially due to the increasing capabilities of computer technology. If American citizenship would be selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can guarantee there would be people trying to make a fortune selling stolen identities.
On another note, would other countries agree to substitute their rich and successful members for the homeless and panhandlers of America? Probably not. From an American perspective, it seems great, since we would possess the hundred thousand dollar citizenship. I'm not so sure the idea would please other countries, expecially those who would get stuck with less valueable citizenships.
I agree with Jeff, mostly because he uses fancy references to specific legislature that would be challenged or nullified upon the enactment of this citizenship sale. The legal mayhem that would result from this idea parallels the problems with the idea itself.
In theory this idea looks appealing but their are too many problems that would arise. It is inevitable that someone whoshould not have one, like a terrorist, would get a hold of one because people will do anything to make money. I agree with Ryan that it will hurt other countries because they will be stuck with all the people who left the U.S. It would probably hurt relationships with other countries because we are using them as a dumping ground for our unwanted citizens. There are too many people who would take advantage of the situation and too many problems that would arise with selling citizenship.
I like the idea Allie presents of people gaining economic wealth in a foreign country after they have sold their American citizenship and then wanting said citizenship back. Also, I can see how numerous morality issues would arise, such as the idea of "breeding" children to sell their citizenship. Sadly enough, it really wouldn't surprise me based on the amount of greed present in the nation.
I agree with Ryan. The idea is just impractical on all levels. The author is living in a fantasy world. First off no government would allow the selling of citizenships. Second as I said before. No one would take our panhandlers so where would they go? And then if they couldnt really go anywhere they'd never be able to sell their citizenship in the first place. Finally, as soon as people started selling citizenships they would be worthless. Why? Because no government would really take them into account anymore. Plus in the modern world, with the economy becoming more global, there's already a shift to more international citizen standards take for example the EU.
I think that selling citizenship could benefit the economy, but there are too many moral issues involved with it. As Allison F said, the people willing to sell their citizenship are less of an asset to our economy. If someone is willing to sell their US citizenship and all the rights they have with it, then they're most likely not going to benefit our economy. People that really want to live and work in America would be the people buying the citizenship, so they would help the economy. Unlike some illegal immigrants, the ones buying citizenship would stay in America and put the money they earned back into our economy. Many illegal immigrants present today just work for a couple of years here and then take their earnings back to their home countries, so they wouldn't even bother buying the citizenship. The idea in theory could work, but if it was actually put into effect it would probably by a huge failure.
Lisa B
Michael M said...
I dont think U.S. citizens should be allowed to sell their citizenship to other people. A major reason especially during this time is that people could sell their citizenship to a terorist, making the U.S. more vulnarable to attacks. Another issue that I came across was that people may start to bread babies and sell their citizenship. If this idea ever becomes reality then the government must create affective laws which strictly limits a U.S. citizens rights to selling thier own citizenship. Another problem is that the people who have sold their citienship will now belong to no where and not be a citizen to any country. Also what if the person seling their citizenship has a criminal record gainst them, do they get away by selling their identity and citizenship or does the person who purchases the sellers citizenship now pick up the sellers criminal record. Although I am against this idea on the other our U.S. citizenship is a privalage, many people do not realize their potential, the fact that their free and are offered an education to even excell above others in life. Not many other countries offer such freedom and oppertunity. So by having people who may take for grantage their citizenship and selling it to someone who will use that citizenship to the fullest extent may help the economy of the U.S.
I thought that it was an atrocious idea when I first read it. But upon reading the second clause, that US citizens would have to leave the country, I think that it's not too bad of an idea. Firstly, one must consider that some US citizens will want to leave the country anyway, and thus is a wasted citizenship to those who are abrely scraping by on illegal wages because they are not legal to work or lvie in our country. These people and their families deserve to be citizens just as much as we do. I think the only problem would be concerning the price and regualtion of it. I feel that many people would overcharge for citizenship, simply because they can, and a black amrket would emerge. Overall, personally, I might leave the country when I am able and I wouldn't mind giving up my citizenship to a struggling immigrant because, if I ever wanted to return to the US, it would be so relatively simple to be accepted back into the U.S. culture.
^ That was me (Debbie C) i forgot my login stuff. (9:45 AM, Friday)
Commenting on what michaelh said, there are already so many unqualified people who possess U.S. citizenship. And who are you to judge who is qualified or unqualified? Also, the people who choose to sell their citizenship are doing so fully knowing that they would be in an entirely different country with a new culture, it would not cause social problems for the U.S. at all. In fact, it would probably be better because people who want to live in the U.S. would probably be more loyal to the U.S. and be more active in the economy.
Post a Comment