Miss Constitution received a number of responses to the Citizenship Test released yesterday. Applicants for citizenship study 100 questions but are given only 10 questions and need get but 6/10 correct. In Miss Constitution’s opinion, a 60% success rate is really no success at all, but then Miss Constitution is a bit old-fashioned. In Canada, persons wanting to become citizens must pass their test with a 75% rate. America behind Canada? Even more alarming, the response Miss Constitution got was one of wailing, moaning, and crying “How am I supposed to know this stuff?” “What good is this, anyway?” “Are you some kind of sadist?” Miss Constitution had to instruct certain friends that the answer is usually in the next question. No need to panic. Yes, she may be a quasi-sadist. She would also remind you that this test is what we call “rote” learning. It does not really help anyone know what being an American citizen is really all about. Please do not use this last sentence as a reason not to continue the test! 20 minutes max for the next 30 questions. In case you missed the first 35 questions, here they are in Part 1. Good luck!

36. Who is the current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court?
37. What is one power of the federal government?
38. What is one power of the states?
39. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
40. What is the political party of the current President of the United States?
41. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives?
42. Describe one of the Amendments to the United States Constitution about who can vote?
43. What is one responsibility unique to American citizens?
44. Name one right reserved for American citizens only?
45. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
46. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
47. What is one promise you make when you become a United States Constitution?
48. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
49. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
50. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
51. When must all men register for the Selective Service?
52. What is one reason colonists came to America?
53. Who lived in America before Europeans arrived?
54. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
55. Why did the colonists fight the British?
56. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
57. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
58. There were 13 original states. Name three.
59. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
60. When was the Constitution written?
61. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
62. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
63. Who is the Father of our Country?
64. Who was the first President?
65. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

While we are discussing the Citizenship Test for those who legally immigrate to the United States, Miss Constitution wants to explain some of the difficult issues regarding immigration that seem to be confusing to the American people. So many laws and changes in immigration policy have been passed over the last decades that it is almost impossible to follow. At the risk of over-simplifying, there are two main issues that Miss Constitution considers critical in understanding the problems we are facing. First, the 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that states may not deprive “any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.” What this means is that non-citizen persons, once they touch American soil, are provided the same legal protections as American citizens. This includes Constitutional protections. This is why illegal aliens are entitled to asylum hearings if they touch our soil. This is why Guantanamo terrorists should not be allowed to touch American soil, as they would be afforded full Constitutional rights. The drafters of the 14^th Amendment in 1868 could have used the word, citizen, but they used the word, person. Second, immigration used to be based on what the immigrant brings as a positive to our nation, but now the standard is “family reunification” and unrepresented cultures whether or not individuals from these cultures benefit America by their presence. This is “woke” immigration. The practice for some is to use a child, whether or not your own, to “touch American soil”, trigger Constitutional rights, and then come into the country by “family reunification.” This is partly why we have such a mess at the border. Miss Constitution would refer you to Title 8, section 1182, United States Code, for a definition of persons who are not allowed to enter the United States, and why. These same persons should not be allowed to touch the soil, either.