Originally Posted by
König
how would you propose for individuals to prove their citizenship status if their births were never recorded in any official registry?
Using feasible, reasonable means. This questionnaire does not fall into that category. It's like having to recite every license plate you and your family were ever issued in order to get a drivers license. Most people wouldn't know; I can't even recall the one I have now. That doesn't make me a suspicious applicant, it makes me normal.
Originally Posted by Konig
...the title should be changed because now it appears that this passport application is for every US citizen whereas in reality it is only for a few.
The problem is, a questionnaire like this is a potential weapon against anybody. There's no statutory limit on its use. If the government wanted to prevent most Americans traveling abroad it could broaden the use of this thing at will.
Americans who favor harsh treatment for people they see as special-category cases should think about how they'd like to be subject to the same stuff.