Gotta love a set of tats that includes Jesus, Mary, Betty Boop and Pepe LePew.Schools are done for the summer here in Arizona where temps are in the 90’s. This is the time of year when I’m reminded to be thankful God gave me sons.
The Suns lost the game but they should feel very good about coming from behind and losing by one bucket in the last second of the game in the Staples Center. C’mon back home, guys, and this will go to a game seven! (uhm, to be played in L.A.)
Arizona seems to have sparked a national debate with the passage of SB 1070, the tough new law on illegal immigration. And the President seems intent on fueling that fire.
Administration reps were here today from D.C., talking with AZ officials, including the Governor and the State Attorney General. According to news reports the feds made it clear that the federal govt. intends to sue AZ in federal court to stop implementation of the law. Our AG said he intends to defend the law vigorously despite the fact he personally opposes it. The Governor has started a fund to defend the law if/when it goes before the courts.
But wait! There’s more!
About two years ago AZ passed an employer sanctions law that punishes business that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. On the first offense they may have their business license suspended for up to ten days and be placed on probation for three years. If, during that three year period, they are found to have again knowingly employed an illegal immigrant they can have their business license permanently revoked.
The Obama administration today filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn that law, too. They say federal laws re. hiring illegal immigrants trump any and all state laws, so the AZ law must be struck down.
It will be interesting to see how the courts rule on these two cases, SB 1070 and the employer sanctions law. The nine Supremes may determine that in the delicate balance between state’s rights and federal authority the latter carries the day. But from a political standpoint, and given the current level of frustration over this issue in many states, especially those along our southern border, the President may win a battle and lose a war. Over 60% of Americans support AZ’s new law. Stiff penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants seems like a no-brainer. If the feds have laws for that they sure aren’t enforcing them, or AZ wouldn’t have seen the need for a state law to that effect.
But wait! There’s more!
Rand Paul, son of Senator and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, is running for the Senate in Kentucky. He said today that he thinks the 14th amendment to the Constitution needs to be revised. It states that a person born in the U.S. is automatically a U.S. citizen. As anyone who lives in a border state knows, many people cross the border illegally so their baby is born here in a U.S. hospital (at taxpayer’s expense) thus giving their child citizenship rights, including welfare, schooling, etc. That seems like gaming the system in a way the founding fathers never envisioned. Paul wants to modify the law so that only those born in the U.S. to parents here legally (whether citizens or on a valid visa) are granted citizenship.
S’pose the Obama administration will get behind that one?
But wait! There’s more!
An article in today’s paper says several local school districts are predicting a significant drop in enrollment for next fall, attributable to SB 1070. Households with one or more illegal immigrants are already leaving Arizona before the law goes into effect July 28, at which time they are at increased risk of arrest and deportation. One family interviewed by the paper with a father who’s illegal is headed for New Mexico where strict laws don’t exist.
The district superintendents interviewed complained about this developing situation because it’s separating friends, hurting the PTA’s and reducing the district’s income as per-student funding is adjusted downward.
All of these developments are just from today’s news.
Note: I value cultural diversity! Our kids went to public schools, including a grade school in CA where 70% of the students were Hispanic. We viewed that as a positive dimension of their educational experience. If SB 1070 results in racial profiling it should be either canned completely or thoroughly revised. Equality under the law without regard to race or ethnicity is both a strength of our country and a core Christian value. But the key is, “under the law.”
FWIW, I’m making a prediction. This issue is going to become a major factor in the next two election cycles. It’s complicated, because neither the Democrats or the Republicans want to alienate the rapidly growing Hispanic block. Supporting stiffer laws puts a candidate in a positive light for one portion of the electorate and in a very negative light for another. What’s a politician to do?
I don’t know, but this is going to get interesting!
The Suns lost the game but they should feel very good about coming from behind and losing by one bucket in the last second of the game in the Staples Center. C’mon back home, guys, and this will go to a game seven! (uhm, to be played in L.A.)
Arizona seems to have sparked a national debate with the passage of SB 1070, the tough new law on illegal immigration. And the President seems intent on fueling that fire.
Administration reps were here today from D.C., talking with AZ officials, including the Governor and the State Attorney General. According to news reports the feds made it clear that the federal govt. intends to sue AZ in federal court to stop implementation of the law. Our AG said he intends to defend the law vigorously despite the fact he personally opposes it. The Governor has started a fund to defend the law if/when it goes before the courts.
But wait! There’s more!
About two years ago AZ passed an employer sanctions law that punishes business that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. On the first offense they may have their business license suspended for up to ten days and be placed on probation for three years. If, during that three year period, they are found to have again knowingly employed an illegal immigrant they can have their business license permanently revoked.
The Obama administration today filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn that law, too. They say federal laws re. hiring illegal immigrants trump any and all state laws, so the AZ law must be struck down.
It will be interesting to see how the courts rule on these two cases, SB 1070 and the employer sanctions law. The nine Supremes may determine that in the delicate balance between state’s rights and federal authority the latter carries the day. But from a political standpoint, and given the current level of frustration over this issue in many states, especially those along our southern border, the President may win a battle and lose a war. Over 60% of Americans support AZ’s new law. Stiff penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants seems like a no-brainer. If the feds have laws for that they sure aren’t enforcing them, or AZ wouldn’t have seen the need for a state law to that effect.
But wait! There’s more!
Rand Paul, son of Senator and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul, is running for the Senate in Kentucky. He said today that he thinks the 14th amendment to the Constitution needs to be revised. It states that a person born in the U.S. is automatically a U.S. citizen. As anyone who lives in a border state knows, many people cross the border illegally so their baby is born here in a U.S. hospital (at taxpayer’s expense) thus giving their child citizenship rights, including welfare, schooling, etc. That seems like gaming the system in a way the founding fathers never envisioned. Paul wants to modify the law so that only those born in the U.S. to parents here legally (whether citizens or on a valid visa) are granted citizenship.
S’pose the Obama administration will get behind that one?
But wait! There’s more!
An article in today’s paper says several local school districts are predicting a significant drop in enrollment for next fall, attributable to SB 1070. Households with one or more illegal immigrants are already leaving Arizona before the law goes into effect July 28, at which time they are at increased risk of arrest and deportation. One family interviewed by the paper with a father who’s illegal is headed for New Mexico where strict laws don’t exist.
The district superintendents interviewed complained about this developing situation because it’s separating friends, hurting the PTA’s and reducing the district’s income as per-student funding is adjusted downward.
All of these developments are just from today’s news.
Note: I value cultural diversity! Our kids went to public schools, including a grade school in CA where 70% of the students were Hispanic. We viewed that as a positive dimension of their educational experience. If SB 1070 results in racial profiling it should be either canned completely or thoroughly revised. Equality under the law without regard to race or ethnicity is both a strength of our country and a core Christian value. But the key is, “under the law.”
FWIW, I’m making a prediction. This issue is going to become a major factor in the next two election cycles. It’s complicated, because neither the Democrats or the Republicans want to alienate the rapidly growing Hispanic block. Supporting stiffer laws puts a candidate in a positive light for one portion of the electorate and in a very negative light for another. What’s a politician to do?
I don’t know, but this is going to get interesting!
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