My Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition provides two definitions of “constituent” that we should consider:
1constituent n [F constituant, fr. MF, fr. prp. of constituer to constitute, fr. L constituere] (1622) 1 : one who authorizes another to act as agent : principal 2 : a member of a constituency 3 : an essential part : component, element…
2constituent adj [L constituent-, constituens, prp. of constituere] (1660) 2 : having the power to create a government or frame or amend a constitution…
So if a constituent is someone who has the power to authorize another to act as their agent as part of a government, we must conclude that a constituent is a citizen who has the right to vote. It doesn’t matter if the person actually votes, but if he or she has the right to vote then they would be a constituent.
By this definition we must also conclude that a non-citizen who does not have the right to vote is not a constituent and not someone for whom our elected official is an agent.
Therefore, illegal immigrants are not constituents; foreign nationals living in the United States are not constituents; visitors to the United States are not constituents; convicted criminals who have not had their rights restored are not constituents; corporations are not constituents; labor unions are not constituents; political parties are not constituents; and, special interest groups are not constituents. Only citizens of the United States who have the right to vote are constituents.
So, why do we let non-citizens buy our elections? Why do we allow our elected officials to act as agents for non-constituents?
“We the people” need to take our government back and make it work for us. “We the people” need to tell our elected officials that taking campaign donations from non-citizens is unacceptable and vote them out of office if they take the money.
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A constituent in the terms of government, is the voter, or who ever the representative is representing.
Thank you for your comment. You are focusing on the most critical part of our political dysfunction and that is allowing our elected representatives to represent anyone other than a voter in their district. These lines have been blurred for too long.
In this extended sense of the term, farmers constitute an important constituency for the Secretary of Agriculture, labor unions are an important constituency for the Secretary of Labor, small businessmen are an important constituency for the head of the Small Business Administration, and veterans organizations are an important constituency for the head of the Veteran’s Administration.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The important element I was attempting to convey in my post was that only a constituent has the right to vote for their representation. The offices you reference in your comment are all appointed positions even though some require Senate confirmation so there is no election process involved in their selection and, consequentially, no constituency relating to their responsibilities in office. They are all working for the President and serve at his pleasure. Thanks again for your interest.
Have a great day,
Hank
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Thank you for your kind thoughts. My goal here, ;ole that for my book, is to offer some fresh and non-threating ideas about our political situation. If I can geet people comfortable talking with each other, I hope the differences will become more like conversational disagreements between friends. You might enjoy my book, A Broken Sausage Grinder; Is Our Government Fundamentally Flawed?. Thank you again for your comment and I hope you will tell your friends about my work.
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Thanks for your gracious thoughts on my blog post. I hope you will help me spread the word and bring more people into the conversation. If we learn to talk to each other with respect and compassion, we can cool the emotions that are dominating our daily lives. Thanks for helping to fix the Sausage Grinder.
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Republican politicians all over the country have repeated the Great Replacement theory
A century-old racist theory reentered the political discourse around immigration and has become commonplace on the campaign trail as Republicans hope to retake control of Congress in November.
What do you think the voters should do?