Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Immigration, the Right to Vote, and Products of our Public School System

 In order for an immigrant to become a naturalized citizen legally in the United States a person must:
  • Be 18 or older
  • Be a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
  • Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application
  • Have continuous residence in the United States as a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of the filing the application
  • Be physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
  • Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization up to the time of naturalization
  • Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (civics).
  • Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during  all relevant periods under the law
In addition, the immigrant must pass a citizenship test, a sample of which can be found at this link:
Take the test for yourself and see how you do.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm

Upon becoming a citizen, the person has earned the right to vote.

Now, people born in this country automatically have the right to vote, as long as they register, but after watching this video, I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps a person should have to pass the citizenship test or something similar in order to register to vote. It's very hard to vote intelligently, when you have no clue as to what is going on in the country or don't have at least a passing knowledge of how government works. Watch the video below for an example of the product of our Public School system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MHtDF-z77wk

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