I'm sick and tired of hearing that the federal government grants rights to citizens.

According to the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men 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 Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." According to that document, governments are necessary to ensure that citizens retain rights given to them by God.

Take a look at the Bill of Rights. The first amendment says that people have freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and to petition government. It boldly states that congress shall make no law to take away those rights. In other words, the rights existed before the Bill of Rights was written.

Similarly, the second amendment forbids infringement of the inherent right to keep and bear arms. Amendment four says that the government shall not violate the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects.

The ninth and tenth amendments specifically say that individuals and states retain all rights not specifically delegated to the federal government.

I said all that to bring the readers mindset into the recognition that the federal government does not grant rights. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service developed a series of flashcards to be studied by applicants for citizenship. The sad thing is that some of the answers on the flash cards are incorrect.

Question 93 asks, "What is the most important right granted to United States citizens?" The answer provided by USCIS is, "The right to vote." As recently as 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that American citizens do not have a right to vote in federal elections. Some people would argue that amendments 15, 19, 24, and 26 provide for a right to vote. In truth, those amendments refer to states where state citizens have a constitutional right to vote. The Tennessee constitution, Article I, Section 5 declares the right of Tennessee citizens to vote except as declared by law. The U.S. amendments listed above require that the state of Tennessee extend suffrage regardless of race, gender, payment of poll tax, or anyone age 18 or older. Not all states guarantee the right to vote.

Another disturbing flashcard question says, "Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States." Among the acceptable answers is, "To obtain federal government jobs." It just ain't right that potential citizens are being taught that working for the government should be their goal. What about free enterprise and private capitalism as worthy goals? Government should not be the answer to every question. If government is the answer, then in all likelihood it was a stupid question to begin with.

We all need to be knowledgeable about what the law actually says and how the government is supposed to work. We can't depend on agencies such as the USCIS or high-horsepower politicians to provide accurate information.

Ed Baldwin is a staff writer for the Claiborne Progress. He can be reached via e-mail at ebaldwin@claiborneprogress.net