No amendment for Schwarzenegger

Should Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger be allowed to run for president of the United States? Many Californians support Schwarzenegger in his current position, but do not support the amendment of the U.S. Constitution to allow for foreigners as commander-in-chief and the head of our country.

Article 2, Section I, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution states that only natural born citizens are allowed to run for president. Schwarzenegger, who is now a U.S. citizen, was born in Austria, and thus cannot run for president. As soon as the November elections ended Schwarzenegger and his team began planting the idea that foreigners should be permitted to run for president. This plan is the beginning of an Arnold 2008 campaign.

Supporters of the Schwarzenegger campaign feel that it would benefit America if all citizens were allowed to run for president, regardless of birthplace. The founders of this country made that statement because they felt that having a foreign-born president would compromise loyalties. The Governor has a lot of support in California, and is hoping the amendment movement will spread across the country.

To pass the amendment two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate must vote for it, and then at least 38 states must also ratify the amendment. The chances are slim that the amendment will pass, but Schwarzenegger's followers will spend the next four years planning and spreading the idea.

The Constitution should not be amended just for Schwarzenegger to be able to run. This amendment has been in place since the beginning of this country, and while it is necessary for some updates, this is not one of them. Amending the Constitution now will have unforeseeable ramifications in the future. Changing this law is a gateway to even further alteration. The vision that the founding fathers expounded has worked until now, and there is no reason that these laws should still stand. This idea of only natural born citizens being president makes sense. It will be difficult for Schwarzenegger to gather enough support to run for president, and if he runs against Sen. Hilary Clinton in 2008, it is likely he will lose.

People born in another country, no matter how long they have been U.S. citizens, still have ties to their native country. The founding fathers had that in mind when they wrote the Constitution. Other governmental positions are available to foreign-born citizens. They can run for state offices and even work in the White House. If Schwarzenegger just wants to have an impact on governmental decisions he has many options available that do not require amending the Constitution.