Any US Citizen for President

I grew up in the United States, educated since elementary school, and have been a citizen of the United States since 1995. Getting citizenship is a long process for some, and it is more difficult now a day to prove your identity acceptable by the department of naturalization and immigration, plus there is the cost of an application fee, which has doubled. After being sworn in by oath, naturalized citizens are promised equal treatment as any natural-born citizen, except running for vice president or president.

In obtaining U.S. citizenship, there are requirements by the Immigration and Naturalization Services department (INS). One has to be a permanent resident for at least 5 years before applying. However, it is at least a two-year residency requirement for a spouse of a US citizen. The person must submit the required documents along with an application for citizenship to the INS for the state, with the correct fee.

While the INS processes the application, which may take months to a year, an applicant should study US history to familiarized themselves with how America came to be, presidents of the past, US holidays, and one's current state officials. INS will contact an individual for an interview to include the US history test, a writing test, and speaking test, where some older folks may have someone else translate for them at the discretion of the INS. The second contact by the INS may indicate a person has passed his or her test, requesting his or her presence at a court ceremony. The judge dubs the group as a whole, swears them in simultaneously, and then a welcome package is given to each person, enclosed with it, a citizenship certificate.

The certificate is similar to a birth certificate and a driver's license. In it shows a photo of the person, full name, place of birth, date of birth, and date of the reception of his or her citizenship, to name a few. The certificate is useful for applying for employment, financial aid and other government programs, and is a duplicate ID for getting blood drawn and necessary for getting a first passport. It is the certificate that distinguishes the naturalized and the other natural-born American citizens. Why we want to become US citizens is a long story.

While I was living with my relatives, I overheard rumors about the possibility of permanent residents may be sent back to their countries. That might have inspired the Cambodians, my people, to go for their US citizenship as soon as possible. Why would we want to go back to a place that we tried so hard to get away from? No one wanted to go back home. The majority of us should know what it is like living there after watching movies about the communists in the Killing Fields or ethnic cleansing by the Nazis. We wanted better treatment than that. In Cambodia, the government tends to be insensitive to its people. There is no justice there. People get away with murder as well as property that did not belong to them.

Although I was raised differently, unlike the typical American family that included the love, support, and understanding which my uneducated relatives did not, school was a big part of my life and helped raise my awareness and understanding of what it means to be an American; I was more or less nurtured by education shown through my motivation, interests, and curiosity. School taught me the value of education, and that if one succeeds, one can realize his or her dream. A good career with a great pay may lead to a home, or to finding the right relationship, if one continuously tries. Education supports an individual's goal by reiterating those words of "Never give up, try and try again."

History class and science were big impacts that say a lot about the world and humanity. Scientists conclude with evidential documentations and studies that the land was one, until instability of the earth caused the separation of the 7 continents we now know as North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and Europe. What were we then? Weren't we all one and the same?

Equal treatment is a major issue that bothers me; I do not feel equally treated, but segregated as the blacks were back then. Although I am an American citizen, not having a choice to be a candidate for a presidency, does not make me feel like a citizen of the United States, but more like a second citizen. They never gave us the reason why we can't become President. We can run for the position of NH governor or a justice of the Supreme Court, take charge of the city and state that way, but not the country. If I am not treated like the natural-born citizen, then why should I vote for a Presidential candidate? I will vote for other officials though.

I have been put through school and the costs associated with education, since childhood to later find out that I cannot be President. This is disturbing. It makes me think I am not good enough. What should a parent tell his/her child, who questioned his/her mother or father, who came to the US young or adopted young from other countries, when the child tells you that he or she would like to be President someday. Would you say sorry, I will tell you when you're older? This can almost be as painful as someone who survived an abortion, lived to tell her tale, and met up with her biological mother later to ask her why she did what she did. How can America suddenly be hurtful and judgmental, when we know America is a place full of democracy, justice, and supportive to its people.

I can see why people who are 60 years old who have just come to the US who don't speak a word of English because sometimes you can't really teach older "dogs" new tricks, since they are set in their ways. Most of the "oldies" are too traditional in the way they run things anyway; they are just like the perfectionist, almost psychotic. Only English speaker should run. Better yet, have someone whose bilingual and multilingual run for President, so we don't have to pay a translator. We pay the President big bucks anyway, so why not accept only the multi-skilled, like Adam from the movie Blast from the Past, starred by Brandon Frasier.

An ideal President should not have to be rich. He or she only has to be intelligent in all aspects of humanity. Working for the people and caring about the environmental issues, enough to do something about it should further qualify him. Before s/he even takes office, he or she should do an internship for a year, or for the appropriate amount of time, just as the doctors and student have to do. That way we will know how he did things that will qualify him or her more for the Presidency.

For the most part, I think America is paranoid. Paranoid of being taken over like America has taken over the Native Americans before them. I think that should be an easy fix. America should always be America no matter who runs it. The only other problem is prejudice people who will fight with force to keep America the same unchanged and run only by a white American who is also male. Women are making ways, but we have a long way to go, longer for the black Americans, and infinitely forever longer for the naturalized citizen. Just make some rules.

To be a President one must be multilingual, in tongue, reading, and writing, one of them being English. He or she can be of any race, 35 years old and up. He or she will do an internship before the final selection for office. While in the field, he or she must produce successful workable ideas to eradicate issues we, the Americans, are currently facing today: environmental problems, poverty, affordable housing and health care, the national debt.

Nothing will be free for the President. He or she will pay for the cost of transportation, food, and hotels, just like the rest of us using his earned income, pay taxes and the like, even after retirement. If a naturalized citizen comes to office, Kampuchea would be considered part of the US. When a different naturalized citizen becomes the President, his or her original country will become part of the US as well, just like Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. We would gain more power this way in economy as well as being a nation. If there were to be a war involving the Americans, we will surely win. It is time to rewrite history that our Forefathers did not see coming. Abraham Lincoln will have signed this request if he were to be alive today, would you?