Posting a discussion topic to stop a thread hijack.

[Irving]

CMP 5.56, if your citizenship was revoked through some atrocious file room mishap, and you didn't find out about it for months, you'd feel the exact same way when you woke up every morning.

Also, it's a lot easier to pay $90 every ten years than it is to pay for all the testing and other stuff that goes along with getting to become a citizen.

[sneakerd]

[Elhuero]

personally I think it's bloody awesome that there are so many here that are not natural born citizens of the U.S.

I am a natural born citizen of the U.S.

you know what difference that makes? Not a damn bit!

I raise my glass to my AMERICAN brothers!

[CMP_5.56]

CMP 5.56, if your citizenship was revoked through some atrocious file room mishap, and you didn't find out about it for months, you'd feel the exact same way when you woke up every morning.

Also, it's a lot easier to pay $90 every ten years than it is to pay for all the testing and other stuff that goes along with getting to become a citizen.

If my citizenship was revoked, instead of crying to everyone around me, i would produce the documents that show I was born in this country, to natural born citizen parents and be on my way. What I wouldn't do is wake up every morning feeling sorry for myself and looking for someone to blame. I would fight regain my citizenship.

And I do agree with you, it is easier to pay $90 every ten years. It is easier to take that path. Thankfully this country was founded by men who chose to take the path less traveled, the harder path. Cop outs are for the weak. I would say it is a good weeding out process.

[CMP_5.56]

personally I think it's bloody awesome that there are so many here that are not natural born citizens of the U.S.

I am a natural born citizen of the U.S.

you know what difference that makes? Not a damn bit!

I raise my glass to my AMERICAN brothers!

I agree with that statement. And like previously stated, I have many friends born on foreign soil that were proud to become citizens. Though none of them yelled discrimination on anybody. They put in the time and effort and money to gain their citizenship.

Remember, I'm also the guy that thinks all high school students should have to take and pass the same tests before they are allowed to graduate.

[jake]

So I ask others that choose to come and stay here, but not become a citizen, why not? To me the only thing I can think of is wanting the rights, freedoms, and privileges of being a citizen without the responsibilities. Not too mention an easy exit out of this country in the event things don't go there way.

My mother-in-law is Danish, and has lived in this country for about fifty years. She's still a permanent resident and although I can only speculate as to her reasons for remaining so before I married her daughter, her reason while I have known her is because Denmark prohibits dual citizenship and she wanted to retain that connection with her former home.

I can understand her point of view: I love living here and can't ever imagine moving back to the UK, but it is where I was born and raised and if dual citizenship wasn't an option for me then I probably wouldn't have considered citizenship at least until my parents were no longer around.

As for the idea of dodging responsibilities of citizenship, as a PR I paid taxes every year and would have willingly served this country in whatever capacity I could during a crisis (I suppose unless I'd been interned during the full scale invasion that Queen Elizabeth and David Cameron have been planning for 2012... but I've said too much!).

Other than serving on a jury or voting (which I would consider a privilege as well as a responsibility, so the disadvantage for me would outweigh the benefit) I'm not sure what other responsibilities I would have been avoiding.

[CMP_5.56]

Jake, you covered what see as responsibilities. And I see some peoples point of view, but I would never leave a country I was born in to live elsewhere unless I loved that country more than my homeland. And I see things different than most. If I was going to be a citizen in another country I would learn the language and laws and do whatever it took to gain my citizenship.

[KevDen2005]

personally I think it's bloody awesome that there are so many here that are not natural born citizens of the U.S.

I am a natural born citizen of the U.S.

you know what difference that makes? Not a damn bit!

I raise my glass to my AMERICAN brothers!

That is awesome and I agree wholeheartedly. I will join you

[mcantar18c]

Jake, you covered what see as responsibilities. And I see some peoples point of view, but I would never leave a country I was born in to live elsewhere unless I loved that country more than my homeland. And I see things different than most. If I was going to be a citizen in another country I would learn the language and laws and do whatever it took to gain my citizenship.

I agree with you 100% CMP, I see absolutely no reason to move to another country permanently and then not want to become a citizen.
However, I don't see what responsibilities one would dodge by becoming a PR instead. In fact, it seems like it would give you all the responsibilities without some of the benefits.
My dad is from Toronto, has been living here for almost 40 years now with no intention to ever move back but is still a Canadian citizen. I've never asked as he and I don't talk about much in the first place, but I've wondered many times why he hasn't applied for citizenship. He pays all the taxes that you and I do, contributes just as much to our country as any working, tax paying citizen does, however he can't vote in elections, serve on a jury, etc. While I don't see any reason for him to keep himself in that position, I don't think he's avoiding any responsibilities by doing so.
As a natural born citizen of the US, I see voting and jury duty as a responsibility. But for somebody that immigrated here, I think its more of a privilege than a responsibility or a right.

[CMP_5.56]

I agree with you 100% CMP, I see absolutely no reason to move to another country permanently and then not want to become a citizen.
However, I don't see what responsibilities one would dodge by becoming a PR instead. In fact, it seems like it would give you all the responsibilities without some of the benefits.
My dad is from Toronto, has been living here for almost 40 years now with no intention to ever move back but is still a Canadian citizen. I've never asked as he and I don't talk about much in the first place, but I've wondered many times why he hasn't applied for citizenship. He pays all the taxes that you and I do, contributes just as much to our country as any working, tax paying citizen does, however he can't vote in elections, serve on a jury, etc. While I don't see any reason for him to keep himself in that position, I don't think he's avoiding any responsibilities by doing so.
As a natural born citizen of the US, I see voting and jury duty as a responsibility. But for somebody that immigrated here, I think its more of a privilege than a responsibility or a right.

I too see voting and jury duty as responsibilities, as well as signing up for selected service. Those are three big ones I see. And I hate it just as much as people that were born citizens not voting as well. Especially since they be the ones that seem to bitch about it the most.