Is being a citizen a privilege? Why?

Answer 1

If you are talking about the USA, then if you are born here it's a right.

If you were a citizen of another country and wish to become an American citizen then it is a privilege.

Answer 2

Considering the incompetence of the BCIS or whatever they are called this month citizenship is not a priveledge. It is nothing less than a beurocratic miracle!

Let's compare the INS (bcis) to the IRS shall we.

IRS very quick to collect tens of thousands of tax dollars from me.
The IRS can process my tax return and have my refund to me in a few weeks; while they are processing the tax returns of 300 million other Americans.

The INS is equally quick to take your filing fees. The time to process your application may be months or years. You can not check to see what the hold up is on your paperwork or talk to an immigration official. They have a website where you can enter the number of your application so it can tell you "no information found"

Consider this from my personal experience:

1.5 years to get a work permit
3.5 years to have a permanent resident card
5 year waiting period
currently 9 months and waiting for citizenship application to be processed.

Now I have been in the US for ten years and I am still not a citizen.

Now it's election time again.
I still can't vote!
Taxes paid in the last ten years - a quarter of a million dollars!

I know what your thinking.
Must come from a country full of terrorists.
Must have a shady background.

Well no not really... I'm a hospital Pharmacist from Canada!
Not exactly the profile of a terrorist!
Never in any kind of trouble in Canada. My background was completely checked before I was given my green card including accses to R.C.M.P. records and local police records. Never in any kind of trouble in the last five years (oops speeding ticket)

So what does this add up to?
I pay heavy taxes.
I can not vote.

Say isn't that taxation without representation?
Didn't we fight a revolution about that.

Maybe I should dump some tea into the harbor?

Answer 3

It is a privilege and a responsibility.
The United States is a nation, not an open international frontier. As a sovereign country we have the right to determine who enters or who is denied entry. We do this by immigration laws that set quotas and categories of people we desire to have legally join our country. There is no shortage of foreigners who want to come to America. Mexico exercises the same right to control its borders. It has militarized its southern border with Guatemala deporting 203,128 illegal immigrants in 2004. The ability of a country to protect its territory is a prime function of its government. Secure borders are necessary for national stability.
America has a right to determine its destiny by selectively choosing those who are accepted as citizens. We are a nation of immigrants who have been required to pay our dues. This has made for a dedicated and committed population that believes in the core values of the American way. All citizens have a responsibility to learn English, to become assimilated and support and love the traditional values that have made America great. This is necessary for the future of our nation.

Answer 4

I assume you mean a citizen of the US. Of course it is a privilege. To those born here it is a birth privilege. To those who immigrate to the US it is an earned privilege. To those that immigrate to the US illegally it is a stolen privilege. It is a privilege as opposed to a human right.

Answer 5

There are millions of people who are virtually dying to get into the USA and their highest hope is to become a citizen.
Why is it a privilege ?
You need to visit a few other countries...
You need not travel far..
Just go across the border to Mexico..

Answer 6

Of course....unless you live in Great Britian,because then you are a subject.

Answer 7

it is a "right",and rights have OBLIGATIONS and liberties which most of us take for granted.