My daughter is doing a project.... she is asking adults the following questions:

1. What rights do you have as a US citizen?

2. What responsibilties do you have as a US citizen?

3. In what ways do you contribute to your community?

I thought they were very interesting and thought provoking. I'd love to hear everyone's answers.

Holly

PS-- Some of the people she has asked these questions to have confused the word "rights" and "wants". It's very telling.

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Forgiveness is love in its most noble form. -Anonymous

Rights -Freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition, the right to trial, the right to vote, the right to bear arms, right not to house soldiers.

Responsibilities-obeying the law, going to school, respecting the rights of others, and getting involved.

Whew - well, off the top of my head, I'll attempt an answer at what my rights are, but I'm sure I'll turn out to be one of the people who is confusing their 'rights' with their 'wants'

I think my rights are to vote, and to collect Social Security someday (however much $$ that may turn out to be...)

I think my responsibilities are to vote and to pay taxes and to abide by state and federal laws.

AM I RIGHT????? AT ALL??????

What I do to contribute to my communitiy:
-volunteer at my church as a CCD teacher and as a musician
-volunteer in my children's schools
-participate in various clothing drives, canned good collections, fundraisers for my town/community

They are good questions! Thanks for throwing them out there.

I'll ditto this and add:

rights - the right to privacy, the right (if accused) to a speedy and public trial by a jury of my peers

Responsibilities - pay taxes

What I do to contribute to my communitiy:
I volunteer at my children's school
I volunteer with an organization to help mothers who want to breastfeed their babies
I'm a Minister
I put on an annual Community Festival to promote religious rights and understanding

to the poster who listed collecting Social Security as a right, this is not a right - Social Security and Medicare are entitlement programs that most of us will get to pay into all our lives but from which many of us will receive little or no benefit.

Legal residents can collect a lot of benefits, so I'd leave those out. Anyone tried in the US is also entitled to a jury, as far as I know -- but you have to be a citizen to get jury duty! Anyone living in the US has to follow its laws. Voting is a right, not a responsibility. You don't have to do it, though you really should.

Actually, I cheated. I teach US history to fifth grade. I copied right out of my book. I cover this material at the beginning of the year but the students understand it more at the end of the years when we do the Constitution. Look at the Bill of Rights for the basics. I personally think that voting is also a responsibility but it is given to us as a right.