Voice of Reason: Citizenship should be earned by all
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From the Mexican laborer to the Indian software designer to the Chinese peasant, becoming a citizen of the United States is seen by many, including many of those who hate us, as the springboard to a better life.
The pull of America, and all that it stands for, the freedoms and the opportunities, is strong. It is what entices countless Mexicans and other Central and South Americans to sell everything they have to pay to make perilous journeys here, journeys with no guarantees of success or even survival, to cross deserts with little water on the off chance they might make it across the border undetected.
It is what leads Cubans and Haitians to build primitive rafts with which to traverse the rough ocean in the chance of reaching American shores alive. It is what makes many Chinese pay thousands of dollars to smugglers to stuff them in shipping containers and dank ship holds so that they might make a better life for themselves and their children here.
Every year so many undertake such measures for just a chance to have a portion of what many of us take for granted every day.
For the most part, these immigrants, both legal and illegal, are not the drain on society many nativists make them out to be. Taking the jobs we don’t want, from nursery worker to chicken plant worker to motel maid, these individuals, as a whole, work harder, I’d say, than the average American, and for a whole lot less. They work long hours for low pay just to survive. They keep working though, so that one day their children will have a better life than they did. In short, they’re what America’s all about.
The difference between these immigrants and most of us is that these immigrants want, I mean really want, American citizenship. They have to earn it, while the rest of us are simply born with it. But we must remember that it was only by chance we were born here. Each of us could have just as easily be born in Bangladesh or Honduras.
The way I see it, American citizenship, and all that comes with it, should be not be granted by birth but should have to be earned – by everyone, native and foreigner alike. Just because someone happens to be born here, that shouldn’t entitle them to citizenship. Citizenship should be something one should have to want and work for.
For starters, one should have to prove his willingness to give of himself in service to the state. This could be through military service or service in the Peace Corps-like program, or a willingness to work in areas for the common good, by entering the education, medical or other such fields, for a stated amount of time.
Secondly, all wishing to become citizens should have to pass a citizenship test, similar to the one now required of immigrants. Such an exam would test an applicant’s knowledge of American history, our system of government, the English language, etc. I dare say as a sizable portion of native-born citizens would fail such a test if required today.
Under this plan, the rights of native-born Americans not willing to undergo the two above mentioned citizenship requirements would still be protected under the law. They would still be entitled to an education, to travel abroad and they would still be required to pay taxes. However, they would not be allowed to vote, hold office, or otherwise influence the course of the nation. This system, I think, would do much to remedy the current malaise and apathy which seem to affect a majority of Americans.
Like in ancient Rome, citizenship shouldn’t be a right, it should be a privilege. Let anyone who wants it, whether born in McMinnville or Dhaka, have an equal opportunity to achieve it.
(Will Stewart is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at education@southernstandard.com.)