Essay Sample on Equal Opportunity: Pros & Cons of Hatch Amendment

Introduction

The Amendment chosen for this assignment is the 28the Amendment, which was the hatch Amendment. The amendment has been one of the most controversial proposals for over the last five decades. According to Baylson and Harris (64), Senator Orrin Hatch proposed this Amendment, in the year 2003. This Amendment advocated for the repealing of the "Noncitizens Act" that makes it unconstitutional for the noncitizens to run for office in the United States.

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Pros and Cons of Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment

The hatch Amendment was a constitutional change proposed that come after a long struggle by the minorities to acquire representation in the top ranks (Baylson and Harris 60). The minority groups were supposed to have the privilege and the right after many people had advocated for them. This Amendment was proposed by Senator Orrin Hatch to repeal the prohibition for the non-born citizens from holding the office of the president or the vice president in the country. It would, therefore, give the noncitizens who have lived in the country for more than twenty years to govern and serve the country as the president or the vice president.

Pros

The equal opportunity amendment act has several pros. The first is that it allows the United States citizens who had been living in the country for years to contest for the presidency or to get the seat of the president or the vice president. This is important because it gave the proposal for the candidate to have enough experience under five different presidents that goes for 20 years. After living in the country for at least 20 years, an individual has enough experience to serve in the country (Motiwal, 20). Apart from experience, they also bring a new dimension or perspective into the political landscape of the country. The United States have always prevailed from the new ideas and innovations that foreigners bring into the country. As a result, allowing the people born in other countries who have experience in the country would bring numerous advantages to the country. The twenty years will enable the citizen to work under different political parties and meet the requirements to run a campaign for the presidency. Twenty years is, therefore, enough time for an individual to gain enough experience for the top office in the world.

The other pro of equal opportunity to govern amendment act is that it enhances the Democratic principles in the United States that protects the right of the minorities. For a long time, the minorities have been fighting for their rights, and this Amendment was a step forward for the country (Ware, 1). Despite the person-running coming from different countries of origin, they can act as a voice of the minorities and show the steps that the country has taken in terms of democracy. The minorities have always felt that their opinions are overlooked by the natural-born candidates, and therefore they also get the feeling of being proud United States citizens (Ware,1). The amendment would allow every citizen including those that had been living in the US for at least 20 years to contest for the office of the president and vice president in the United States.

Cons

When it comes to the cons of equal opportunity act, one of the cons is the disadvantage that he opposers are using, which is that the Amendment makes it easier for the country to affected by the foreign influence. This comes from the belief that the foreign influence that the presidents may bring into the country may poison the spirit of the United States. The other is that the foreign candidate or president may also use the position to benefit their country instead of the United States. There have been cases where the president has the interest of their original country at heart, and therefore they do not have the interest of the United States as their top priority.

Also, in the wake of the elections in California in the year 2003, this Amendment was mainly seen as an attempt to allow California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who was born in Austria and got naturalized in the year 1983 to be eligible and content for the presidency. Many people, therefore, refer to this Amendment as an "Anold Schwarzenegger" amendment (Ware, 1). However, there had been several other politicians who were not born in the United States that benefited from the Amendment, including Jennifer Granholm. Jennifer Granholm was the former Michigan governor who was born in Canada and got citizenship through naturalization in the year 1981. The former senator of Florida Mel Martinez was also born in Cuba, and the secretary of the states, Madeline Albert was born in Czechoslovakia.

Conclusion

In brief, Senator Orrin Hatch the proposed equal opportunity amendment in the year 2003 to repel the "natural -born citizens" clause that prohibited or made it unlawful for non-born Americans to run for top officers. This Amendment had several pros and cons. The fact that it gives the non-born US citizen 20 years means that it gave people enough time to have experience in the United States. This is enough time to analyze the political situation and contest for top officers. The equal opportunity to govern Amendment is an amendment that had taken more than fifteen years but was not implemented or put into action by the Supreme Court. As a result, this Amendment should continuously be advocated for as it gives the minorities an opportunity to serve in the country.

Works Cited

Baylson, Michael, and Cecily Harris. "Equal Opportunity." Judicature 101, (2017): 65. https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/JUDICATURE101.4-Baylson.pdf

Motilal, Om Prakash. "21_Right of Equal Opportunity of Civil Servants." (2016). http://14.139.60.114:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/16062/1/022_Right%20of%20Equal%20Opportunity%20of%20Civil%20Servants%20%28328-343%29.pdf

Ware, Warren. "Proposition for the 28th Amendment to the Constitution: Equal Opportunity to Govern." Medium, Medium, 10 Sept. 2018, medium.com/@WAREWAR/proposition-for-the-28th-amendment-to-the-constitution-equal-opportunity-to-govern-5b2102b4981d.