Mission: Prepare Waukesha County citizens for civic engagement through education about how school boards and the three branches of government function at the city, county, and state levels. Government exists to protect our natural liberties as citizen virtue and vigilance are necessary to safeguard these liberties. 

Why CITIZEN INFORMATION FORUM? 

American citizens are the beneficiaries of our Founding Fathers’ sacrifices, fortunes, and honorable lives. Citizen Information Forum is an expression of gratitude and seeks to inspire Waukesha citizens with renewed appreciation for our unique American citizenship. 

What’s special about citizenship? 

Citizenship refers to legally belonging to a country and having all the rights and responsibilities that come with it. 

All ancient civilizations had laws about property rights that are fundamental to citizenship which also allows for a nation’s borders. Citizenship carries with it a military obligation to protect those borders, so there is an element of loyalty and community further safeguarding property. 

What’s unique about American citizenship? 

In America, anyone who officially takes the citizenship test and the oath of allegiance to the United States is a citizen. America is still based on ideas not ethnicity. These ideas are the pillars of Western Civilization: biblical truths, democracy and logical discourse, rule of law, human and property rights. American government exists to protect the natural, God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all citizens.  

Political rights are a distinct and separate issue that belong exclusively to citizens. 

What are the political rights of citizens? 

Citizenship affords people the proper authority with which they can vote, hold elected office, sit on a jury and decide another citizen’s or non-citizens’ fate. Citizens have both power and authority! 

How do we exercise this authority? 

Citizens must vote, be virtuous, and vigilant. Many Americans have unwittingly abdicated the practice of good citizenship. In a typical local spring election, only 20% of registered voters participate. These local elected officials are being determined by less than 20% of the voting-eligible citizens! Thomas Jefferson wrote, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience and virtue to remain silent.” 

A word about ‘global citizenship’. 

Being a ‘world citizen’ is no different than being a ‘world resident." It offers no rights and privileges, only responsibilities and the expectation of following the rules. Globalists are not accountable to world citizens and no structure exists for that accountability. Globalism reduces people to consumers and faceless members of a collective rather than active citizens of a community. 

ABOUT CITIZEN INFORMATION FORUM 

• Promote the importance of rights and responsibilities unique to citizens.
• Provide local civics education to high school/college students, young professionals and adults seeking to understand our government.
• Alert citizens about what the opponents of freedom are doing to undermine local autonomy. This includes the federalization of what should be local control based on the Constitution and the Principle of Subsidiarity.
• Encourage citizens to increase their civic engagement particularly voting in local elections.