Geraldine Ferraro’s Passing
Geraldine, or Gerry, Ferraro passed away on Sunday. Although this woman was a member of the democratic party she made a very large impact for women in politics. She was the first female vice president candidate in out nation.
Her story is nothing short or inspiring. A classic rags to riches story in the American society. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants and her dad passed away when she was only 8 yeas old.
Despite hardships and trials she worked her way through law school and eventually became a congresswoman. She worked hard through her life to advocate social justice.
“Geraldine Anne Ferraro Zaccaro was widely known as a leader, a fighter for justice and a tireless advocate for those without a voice. To us, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, a woman devoted to and deeply loved by her family,” her family’s statement said. “Her courage and generosity of spirit throughout her life waging battles big and small, public and personal, will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed.”
Blazing the trail for women, Gerry will be sorely missed in the political scenes and many of the personal lives of people all of the world.
Utah Immigration Bill
In the last few years Immigration has come up in the political discussion in both, presidential and congressional campaigns. To some this may represent an outdated and even annoying topic, however, the sad reality is that this discussion involves twelve million people that remain in the shadows hoping for a solution.
Several states have been persuaded by the anti-immigrant opinion leading them to take action against undocumented immigrants on their own. Arizona stands out as the state that took the initiative with SB1070. This law empowers police officers to check the legal status of anyone breaking the law if he/she considers necessary. After much criticism, tension arose between the state and the federal government. Regardless of the outcome and the federal courts decision, Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer is pushing to have the law approved in its totality while receiving mixed reviews nationwide.
Last Friday Utah Immigration Bill 427 was approved in the midst of intense protests from groups that both, advocate a comprehensive immigration bill and their counterparts.
With this new Law police officers are permitted to ask for an ID if they suspect a person is here illegally. If the person fails to present the required document, the officer may contact the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This leads to several disadvantageous assumptions which the police officers would have to make:
Racial Profiling: This is the biggest concern in the Hispanic community because they feel this type of action would corner them even more based on their appearance. They already fear to go to public places and, in many cases because of it, many of them live very simple lives that involve going to work and coming home to rest. The only time they decide to go out is whenever they need groceries and whenever they can attend church services on Sundays.
Effect in the economy: A great majority if not all of them work long hours during the day which helps them to provide for their families. A great portion of their saving is sent to relatives outside the U.S. 
simply because they have no incentive to invest it in long term assets, such as a house or education. The economy gets a big hit by these phenomenon because these resources are not generating more wealth and therefore, jobs in our economy.
Danger in the roads increase: After approving Utah Immigration Bill the number of drivers that operate a vehicle without a driver’s license will increase dramatically. We all know the important role that transportation plays on our daily life. Undocumented immigrants are no different, they make use of a vehicle for their day to day activities and they won’t stop to work if they are not given the proper license. This in turn will create greater risk for other drivers because these undocumented immigrants will be forced to operate a vehicle without passing the examinations that everyone else is required to pass.
The conservative party has been arguing that this type of Law is desperately needed in our state given the number of immigrants that have come to Utah in the past few years. With tougher immigration laws, they argue, we will be able to control the crime and felonies that some of this individuals might commit. They claim that the creation and reinforcement of these laws will send a strong message to undocumented immigrants in Utah that if they break the law, they will be persecuted and punished.
With Utah immigration Bill the question remains unanswered, on whether or not it will deliver the desired results in the long term. Will it create more jobs?
Will it decrease the crime rate? Pro-immigrant activists warn that our economy will suffer because the valuable labor this people provide will not meet the demand. Crime is unlikely to decrease since the many of the immigrant population belong to the workforce and positively contribute to the growth of our local and nationwide economy.
Efforts should be focused in alleviating the problem and not attacking the most vulnerable group of the population. Undocumented immigrants have contributed positively to the growth of our economy and lawmakers should consider giving them a chance to live the American dream.
A Lesson From a Young Man
Wesley Cornwell, a 19-year-old University of Las Vegas student, has decided to run for County Commission in Las Vegas. Mr. Cornwell is going to be the youngest man to ever run for this seat. He is running as a Republican in District D.
“We need to restore accountability,” he says. “It’s one of the biggest things our county and government is lacking. We also need more integrity and respect. Without those, the government can’t run.”
Mr. Cornwell has been interested in politics since high school and loves studying law. His passion for the law and for government are refreshing. He says that he will be at every meeting he can be at and will even go door to door while he is running. The public, he believes, will support him even though he is young.
We need more people like Mr. Cornwell to show this much passion about our government. We can all learn from this young man. Instead of sitting at home and complaining we can learn to be more active and involve ourselves in our local government.
Find something to be passionate about, pursue it and work hard for that passion.
Egyptian Inspiration
As the revolution is in full swing in Egypt it is awe inspiring to look back on the events that occurred in Tahir square. The courage and the stamina that the protesters exemplified over that 23 day period is incredible. As we watch the idea catch on and spread across many Muslim countries we must support these men and women fighting for democracies.
There are many people in the United States that are disgustingly disinterested in the world’s affairs. These events can possibly change the course of the world. Taking the time to read about what is going on and figure out how you can support these men and women is crucial. Not only are there many people that are disinterested but there are also people that are dismal about the events.
There is no room for negativity about fighting for a democracy. Many people are cynical about what the democracy will bring for the people of Egypt and would wish them better luck with their democracy than we have had with ours. This negative attitude towards our government is helping no one. If you are not actively attempting to make a difference in our government, do not complain. Educate yourself be the instigator of change. Maybe some day those that sit on their couch and complain will amount to have half of the character and courage that those protesters in Egypt have displayed.
Obamacare Being Taken Down
A Florida federal judge ruled the health care reform to be unconstitutional today. Florida is one of twenty five different states that have filed a lawsuit concerning this health care reform.
Obviously, there are many problems with this reform if Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming have all filed lawsuits concerning the matter.
There have already been some federal judges that have ruled the reform unconstitutional while some federal judges have ruled it to be constitutional.
With this many people up in arms about the reform we may be able to take down this reform that tramples on our constitutional rights. If your state is not one of the states that has filed a lawsuit find out what you can do to get the ball rolling!
Talk is Cheap
We all knew that the President was a great public speaker. Sure enough, when he got up to give his State of the Union address he had no problem delivering an eloquent and shiny speech to the citizens.
He talked about an array of subjects but never took a real stand on any issue. His speech was full of statements that he knew liberals and conservatives alike would be able to relate to and agree with.
Re-election seems to be the number one priority for the President now. Not wanting to ruffle any ones feathers, the president gave a speech that would appease the masses.
Right now our country does not need a pep-talk. We need someone that is action oriented to start implementing changes rather than just talking about them. We all know that our education system is failing many children, we all know that our troops need to come home, we all know that the deficit needs to be taken care of. We all know what the problems are and we need to hear about solutions.
We need a President that is not afraid to take a stand. A president that is not afraid to take some action.
