Authentic Citizens of the United States

How do we know who is embodying the principles of citizenship in concert with their entitlement of residency in the greatest nation? Moving ahead, the time is right to for a working definition of an Authentic Citizen of the United States, beyond just being born or naturalized in a land the defined by democracy, freedom, opportunity, prairies, mountains, and oceans white with foam. North America alone is geographically defined by 23 independent states who would never call themselves Americans.

A participatory democracy is a most authentic sentiment that not all United States citizens fully understand. Those who fully embrace our national ideology are authentic citizens. Failing to preserve the values of our founding fathers casts many out of the definition, some by choice, some only by lack of awareness. Many citizens are not authentic since their self interest is greater than their desire to protect the common welfare, domestic tranquility, safety and happiness of the United States for our posterity.

The Declaration of Independence and Constitution defines the people of the United States, written in another time, yet appropriate for modern life. The preamble is our mission statement, defining the dream our forefathers sought to deliver to their descendants and our posterity by addressing the problems of their day with a vision of perpetuity. Authentic Citizens of the United States are committed to the Safety and Happiness our great nation, a goal that will be accomplished by everlasting vigilance and resilience. We all must work together to form a more perfect Union by preserving justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defence, and promoting the general welfare to forever secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity

In 2017 citizens of the United States are witnessing our country evolve to a condition dominated by polarized self interest and elitism. Many middle class people find themselves behind the eight ball, and those in poverty with less options than before. Communities of people are are wondering what happened to their towns, local businesses, social organizations, places of worship, vocational occupations, their dreams of a secure life, and an equal or better opportunity for their posterity. As I drive around New England I pass through town after small along the rivers of past industry that have been decimated with employer flight, job loss, blighted property, and stories of hidden addiction, leaving many authentic citizens of the United States looking for solutions.

Connecticut was one of the original 13 colonies, the home of many of our great industrial and intellectual communities. New Haven was the first planned city (1638) in the New Republic, laid out in nine squares with three churches in the center. New Haven evolved into twenty neighborhoods, housing Olin, Winchester, New Haven Clock, Yale University Medical, the Gilbert, Hulls beer, the first hamburger, the best pizza, a deep harbor, and so much more in the style of many communities of our great nation until 1990. New Britain manufactured hardware & Stanley tools , Waterbury was the brass city, Meridian the silver city, Groton the home of whaling and nautical commerce. The list of proud history and strong communities goes on, in every state in the nation, as we have seen industry evolve, and more recently migrate.

Solutions need to be crafted by and for Authentic Citizens of the United States that will ensure foundations of domestic tranquility, religious freedom, safety and happiness will support the greatest good for all citizens in the daily living of our interconnected natural lives. A constitutional commitment to deliver a secure quality of life as we prosper on the wings of technology and globalization must be maintained. We must prevent inequality of opportunity distribution and debt servitude to those trapped by predatory economics as we are the United, not divided States of America. It’s worthwhile to consider health maintenance and protections from financial exploitation as ingredients of safety, happiness, justice and domestic security.

The majority of Americans that can be defined as “general” are households who fall in the 20th to 80th percentile of a Bell Curve, or the Middle Class (defined as households earning around $17,000 -$75,000/year). This group has the most leverage (based on their numbers) in a representative democracy when they accept the responsibility of participation. Pathways to citizenship must be maintained in a world that sees the torch of liberty as the hope for the future in a world often devoid of national security, critical infrastructure, basic health needs, and basic human rights. The 90th percentile starts about$105,000, the 95th around$148,000, the 98th about$210,000, the 99th, (one percent) has about 1,650,000 people earning over $288,000 per year and the 0.1% has about 165,000 people with a base income more than $1,100,000 a year (1). Depending on which source you check the numbers may be a bit different, but not significant.

Let us now consider how Authentic Citizens of the United States understand the organizing documents of the United States, and how we are thus defined by our membership in our great participatory democracy. The Constitution is a “living document” because the founding fathers intended it be adapted by future generations as the country matured. This consideration is based on originalism, which requires understanding how the words were written, the intent of their meaning , and the spirit of the language in 1787–88.

Since we read these words 230 years later, we must ask ourselves if our founding fathers imagined the world we live in? And are the issues of today addressed in our organizational documents really any different? Authentic 21st century Citizens of the United States face the same challenges our ancestors did, eased with the luxury of advanced technology and medical knowledge, yet challenged with unimaginable environmental degradation.

We the People, are citizens of this participatory democracy and trustees of the national talents. We are people with a burning desire for the opportunity to earn an honest, industrious living, security in which to live our lives, places of worship, and strong communities to raise our children. We are people born and naturalized in the United States of America who possess a deep respect for freedom of expression.

Of the United States of America — We are unique because we do not call Canada, Mexico or South America home, so we now identify ourselves as Citizens of the United States instead of Americans, sharing a common heritage as children of immigrants in the homelands of our Native American Brothers and Sisters.

In Order to form a more perfect Union — Authentic Citizens of the United States recognize the unlimited potential and depth of problems in our country, and commit ourselves to making the future better. We commit ourselves to forging a sustainable path to the future of and for our grandchildren. We recognize the intentionality of government, and the failures of individuals to consistently, efficiently address the needs of the general population.

To Establish Justice Authentic Citizens of the United States demand neighborly, fair and impartial treatment of all law abiding citizens, and due process for criminals. Environmental Justice demands preservation of clean air, land and water. Authentic Citizens of the United States recognize lack of opportunity as an injustice imposed upon individuals who seek to better themselves through industry.

To Insure Domestic Tranquility — Authentic Citizens of the United States want a sustainable future built upon respect, opportunity, acceptance, stability, order and independence of all citizens, Domestic tranquility means a happy home, a safe, clean neighborhood and good schools for our posterity. Domestic tranquility is maintained by adherence to common law, rights of peaceful assembly, active religious communities and expectation of due process. Domestic tranquility is maintained by peacefully adhering to police direction, presumption of innocence, Miranda Rights, presumption of innocence, a trial by a jury of peers, and sentencing that fits the crime.

To Provide for the common defence authentic citizens of the United States respect the members of the law enforcement, military community, and the values law upholds Citizen participation in commissions and other forums of discussion with the law enforcement professionals creates shared understanding of community problems and solutions. Authentic citizens of the United States may choose to serve in our national defense or homeland security, actively working with these organizations to resolve threats to our sovereign nation by forces that seek to harm our citizens and undermine our national quality of life.

To Promote the General Welfare authentic citizens of the United States work to assure availability of healthy food, secure shelter, community security, healthy well being, accessibility, inclusion, educational opportunity, pathways to affluence, venues for artistic expression, forums for political participation, sanctuary for religious communities, free marketplaces for businesses, trade partnerships, and other means that contribute to greater happiness and safety of our posterity, with reasonable protection from social, political and economic exploitation.

To secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity authentic citizens of the United States promise to keep freedom secure for future generations, protecting our Constitutional rights from all forces, foreign or domestic, that would threaten our grandchildren’s way of life by actively participating in city, state and national election processes. Authentic Citizens of the United States defend the honor of public office, the accountability of public service, and support the peaceful transition of power as directed by voters in a participatory democracy.

Authentic Citizens of the United States accept responsibility for protecting and maintaining the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and additional amendments made over the course of our national history for ourselves and our posterity. The Bill of Rights of United States Citizenship includes, but is not limited to:

1. Freedom of religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.
2. The right of gun ownership to for purposes that include self-defense.
3. Protection from forced housing of military personnel in a citizen’s home.
4. The right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures,
5. The right to a trial by jury and to no be accused of the same crime twice in a lifetime.
6. The right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury.
7. Protection from excessive bail, fines, cruel and unusual punishment.
8. The right to meet and vote by ballot for elected officials.
9. Protection from slavery and involuntary servitude.
10. Protection from which law depriving any person of life, liberty, or property.
11. The right to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color, or previous servitude.
12. The right of citizens 18 years of age or older to vote.

The Bill of Rights, although not explicit in the original Declaration of Independence, are as vital as the twenty seven Injuries and Usurpations by Great Britain which were the subject the discontent that led to the separation of the United States. Other freedoms endorsed by United States law, but not all authentic citizens of the United States partially include:

1. Equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, national origin
2. Public schools to provide the foundation of successful futures and advanced study
3. Clean air and environmental protection from pollution
4. Public lands in trust for our posterity
5. Anti discriminatory fair housing protections
6. Workplace and public health standards of quality and practice
7. Monetary policy assuring global currency value and security
8. Interstate transportation and emergency preparedness infrastructure

The Declaration of Independence presumes Authentic Citizens of the United States declare and hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among citizens of this land, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed (2)

As an Authentic Citizen of the United States, husband and father, I am committed to the Safety and Happiness our great nation, and my city. Every citizen should have the opportunity to seek and find the dreams that have nurtured our fore mothers and fathers and inspired people to seek citizenship in the United States of America. I value the ability to attain and utilize continuing education, to travel freely exploring my homelands, to worship a higher power in a community of faith, to express my ideas without fear in a forum of shared learning, and to work in a vocation that provides value for my family and my community. These opportunities must exist for my posterity, and all my neighbors who live under spacious skies which look down upon purple mountain majesty, amber waves of grain and fruited plains. Assurance of my grandchildren’s posterity will be accomplished by everlasting vigilance, perseverance and resilience forming a more perfect Union by preserving justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defence, and promoting the general welfare to forever secure the blessings of liberty.. Copyright Jan.28, 2017 by David Carr. All Rights reserved

(1).https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/

(2)https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-declaration-of-independence/read-the-declaration/