Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 The governor just passed another law on Tuesday banning "ethnic studies" classes in public schools. <a href="http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-in-public-schools/19474292?icid=main" target="_blank">http://www.aolnews.com/nation/...cid=main</a>|main|dl1|link5|<a href="http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-in-public-schools/19474292" target="_blank">http://www.aolnews.com/nation/...19474292</a> On top of the immigration law, they're really sending a clear message, aren't they? Does the governor not want to get re-elected or something? I hope the Latino voters come out in droves for any elections...
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 The governor just passed another law on Tuesday banning "ethnic studies" classes in public schools. <a href="http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-in-public-schools/19474292?icid=main" target="_blank">http://www.aolnews.com/nation/...cid=main</a>|main|dl1|link5|<a href="http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-in-public-schools/19474292" target="_blank">http://www.aolnews.com/nation/...19474292</a> On top of the immigration law, they're really sending a clear message, aren't they? Does the governor not want to get re-elected or something? I hope the Latino voters come out in droves for any elections...
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>On top of the immigration law, they're really sending a clear message, aren't they?<< Yes they are. This doesn't seem to be new, either. Remember that they were dragged kicking and screaming into MLK, Jr. day. It's rather ugly to watch.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Overshadowed in all this: >>State Pushes School Districts to Reassign Instructors With Heavy Accents or Other Shortcomings in Their English<< <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575213883276427528.html" target="_blank">http://online.wsj.com/article/...528.html</a>
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan ^ ^ ^ The concept of what constitutes an unacceptable accent for an English teacher would make an interesting discussion in an ethnic studies class. Whoops, they're banned.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan What is hilarious/tragic about that decision is that most Americans speak with a heavy accent compared to the King's English. I'd say, according to this, English classes can only be taught by people who sound like Julie Andrews or Hugh Grant.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 LOL, yeah, I've heard some "English" spoken by "real Americans" that is near unintelligible. Who would determine which instructors aren't able to properly speak the language. I do think I would like to have a class taught by somebody who sounded like either Julie Andrews or Hugh Grant though! The thing that gets me about all this legislation is that this is Arizona...there is a very large Latino population...that isn't illegal immigrants. It's like they are just passed over without even thinking that they might be able to vote...
Originally Posted By hopemax > It's like they are just passed over without even thinking that they might be able to vote... < And according to population estimates, Arizona will become a minority-majority state in 2015, which isn't that far away.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Who would determine which instructors aren't able to properly speak the language. << Arnold Schwartzenegger.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 "Arnold Schwartzenegger." LOL! That would be about as ironic as Orly Taitz asking for Obama's birth certificate!
Originally Posted By DAR Granted I'm the last guy to think government intervention in a situation is a good idea. But you would what's going on in Arizona the federal government would step in and come up with a workable solution for protecting our border. A problem that has been grossly overlooked by both Republican and Democrat administrations these past 20 years. No we'd rather focus on things like making sure you don't bring 3 ounces of mouthwash on a plane or we're getting too much salt in our diets.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Some Democrats and Republicans were working on immigration reform. But anything short of rounding people up on busses and driving them to mexico is seen as being too soft. And that's the wing of the GOP making the most noise right now, so any workable solution is off the table.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt What was the major cause of Bush's immigration reform bill being defeated in the Senate? From what I remember there wasn't much support among Republican Party members for the bill.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <And according to population estimates, Arizona will become a minority-majority state in 2015, which isn't that far away.> According to several political experts I've heard lately, this stance on immigration will probably benefit Republicans in the short term (i.e. this year), but may cost them the lion's share of the Latino vote for a generation, which will become an increasingly big problem for them. Bush actually got something like 40% of the Latino vote in 2004, but the GOP percentage has been dropping like a stone ever since, and this AZ thing will only accelerate that. It will be strongly identified with them (rightly so, since it was passed by a GOP legislature, signed by a GOP governor, and all the loud voices in favor of it are Republican, AFAIK), which is going to be big trouble for them down the line.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox If these GOP blowhards like John "danged fence" McCain were actually serious about immigration reform, they'd take the billions it will cost to built a fence along the border and put it into policing employers and slapping heavy fines on them for hiring undocumented workers. First offense: $50,000 fine for every undocumented worker hired Second offense: $100,000 fine for every undocumented worker hired PLUS one-year suspension of business license and/or three months jail time Businesses would be too afraid to hire anyone who couldn't provide their "papers" with punishments such as these. And without enough employers willing to hire undocumented workers, immigrants simply won't show up. They're not coming here to commit crimes or receive handouts, as the wingnuts keep ranting. They're coming here to WORK. But the Republicans and Blue Dog Dems are pro-business and aren't about to tackle this problem where it truly needs to be addressed. Businesses desperately want undocumented workers to hire as slave labor to abuse, because these workers don't have any legal channels for retribution as citizens do. They all LOVE undocumented workers and really don't want to see the steady supply stream stopped. Businesses only care about their bottom line and don't give a crap about the middle class, unemployment, sagging economy, the deficit... none of it. They only want to keep making bigger and bigger profits, year in and year out, and will do it any way they can. And this includes hiring illegal labor to exploit on the cheap. The politicians who benefit the most from campaign contributions from business will still drag their feet on real immigration reform at the source of hiring. They don't want to p*ss off all those donors who keep them in office.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 The above is right on the money. I've been saying forever that meaningful and reliable penalties for employERs who hire illegal immigrants is the single most effective thing they could do to curb illegal immigration... but for the reasons skinnerbox gave, is the single least likely thing to happen.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>The politicians who benefit the most from campaign contributions from business will still drag their feet on real immigration reform at the source of hiring. They don't want to p*ss off all those donors who keep them in office.<< So true, the Chamber of Commerce LOVES illegals.
