Top things people do once they obtain citizenship

It is a bit sad for me to hear that. One can be cynical about power, but that is not an excuse not to try to make democracy work. At the very least vote for whomever you think is going to represent your concerns and then depending on your amount of energy follow them up and make sure they deliver in their promises. Nobody is going to pay you for your vote, the same way nobody is going to pay you for your blood when you give it to save someone else's life. It is your right and somewhat your duty to vote as a citizen. When democracy stops working, worse forms of government usually take its place. Please help this or any other democracy work by being informed about the issues and voting for what you think is right.

My 2 cents.
 
thrix said:
I just don't want my personal information to be on file somewhere. Identity theft is still growing. In my country voting is not mandatory and I don't vote, because I don't have time. Each GOVERNEMENT wants us to pay for his time (N400, etc). They don't pay me for voting, so no voting.
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Your personal information is already in the hands of the government the moment you submitted your immigration application.

Being smart about identify theft is about managing risks, not about being paranoid. There are many ways that your identify can be stolen that are much easier than obtaining some voter registration list with a few tidbits about yourself.
 
Truthfully, I can't wait to exercise my right to vote. New York is a blue (Democratic) state, so it won't really matter what party I cast my vote for, but as Huracan stated, voting is an important part of making democracy work, and I'd like to do my part.
 
Same here. I never got a chance to vote in India mainly because when I became eligible to vote I had moved to the US. Voting is a right and I definately will exercise it for the US elections in 2008 :)
 
Huracan said:
It is a bit sad for me to hear that. One can be cynical about power, but that is not an excuse not to try to make democracy work. At the very least vote for whomever you think is going to represent your concerns and then depending on your amount of energy follow them up and make sure they deliver in their promises. Nobody is going to pay you for your vote, the same way nobody is going to pay you for your blood when you give it to save someone else's life. It is your right and somewhat your duty to vote as a citizen. When democracy stops working, worse forms of government usually take its place. Please help this or any other democracy work by being informed about the issues and voting for what you think is right.

My 2 cents.
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You still believe in democracy and all people are equal ??
 
It is not a matter of believing, it is a matter of struggling or working for it :) I believe that a good democracy is better than a good dictatorship. Remember that democracy is not only voting, it is also making your voice heard with your representatives. Like anything in life sometimes happen the way you like and sometimes they don't, but at least in democracy you have a better chance to change things that with a dictatorship or totalitarian regime.

PS: Your question reminds me of a similar question, "do you believe in love?". Again, the answer is more putting an effort to achieve things. Long lasting love doesn't usually fall from the sky, and good democracies don't do it either. Citizens have to work to keep checks and balances on power and think hard about what kind of society they want, not just be passive subjects of a government power.

Anyway, at the very least it is good to go and vote for propositions as they don't depend on people and can have far reaching effects on you, and while you're at the polls you could vote for the candidates you prefer (of course this carries the duty of researching about candidates record).

My 2 cents.
 
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I have to wonder if those who question voting and democracy base their views on what they have seen in their own country where corruption and political scandals are rampant.
 
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Me too - can't wait. My state primaries are a week or so after my oath. I will definitely excersize my vote. More importantly MN is almost finely balanced - probably a bit more blue than red. So every vote counts here.

Anyone planning to go for the caucus here? Have no idea what it entails.

Vorpal said:
Truthfully, I can't wait to exercise my right to vote. New York is a blue (Democratic) state, so it won't really matter what party I cast my vote for, but as Huracan stated, voting is an important part of making democracy work, and I'd like to do my part.
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