Are You Exercising Yet?
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem… and the problem is, there are too many Americans taking their #1 asset for granted. Of course I’m talking about US citizenship. The INS gives a basic knowledge test to all applicants for citizenship. I believe the INS test should be amended to include a physical fitness test as well. Immigrants who could not pass would be given a deadline and the choice to either shape up or ship out.
Our military and law enforcement agencies have a minimum standard for fitness. If candidates don’t meet the minimum requirements they don’t qualify. I also believe all current US citizens should have to meet a minimum standard for physical fitness. If minimum standards aren’t met, their rights as citizens are placed on hold until they qualify. The minimum standards would be age and gender specific and there would be exemptions for medical reasons. This reform would go a long way to reducing health care costs in the US.
Most people who say they “don’t have time to exercise” are just using that as an excuse. The actual literal translation is, “I don’t want to find the time to exercise.” It’s time to make keeping your citizenship an ongoing, proactive process. Much like having to keep up with CEC’s for teachers, medical professionals, trainers etc. US citizenship should have a caloric cost. If you can’t maintain a minimum knowledge of US affairs (at least equal to recent immigrants) and your physical fitness is so poor you have to use your shopping cart as a walker, you have no business calling yourself a US citizen.
The following link gives sample questions asked by the INS on the US citizenship test. Do you think you’d qualify for US citizenship? Take the test and find out.
