DREAM Act

Republican “Blackmailing” Of Congressional Agenda: Hostage To Tax Cuts For The Wealthy! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

Immediately after the White House conference this week of Democratic and Republican leaders to promote cooperation over the next two years with a split Congress, Republican leaders made clear that they would NOT cooperate during the Lame Duck session on ANYTHING, unless the Democrats and President Obama agreed to extend the so called Bush tax cuts to all taxpayers, rather than the Democratic plan to only give tax cuts to all but the top two percent of taxpayers!

So the GOP is holding “hostage” the following: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military; the START Treaty; the DREAM Act for undocumented children of illegal immigrants; unemployment compensation extension for those who have run out of benefits completely; and even a child nutrition bill for the poor and needy school children! 🙁

The Republican leadership in the Senate has no limits to its arrogance and willingness to hold up action until they get what they want! Barack Obama apologizes to them, and they respond by making his life a total nightmare! 🙁

It is one thing to be the “loyal opposition”! It is another thing to promote a total blockade, a total refusal to cooperate on the emergency conditions that exist in this country, and only be concerned that super wealthy people continue to gain a greater concentration of wealth unseen in the entire history of this nation! 🙁

Is this a country for only the top two percent, the millionaires and the billionaires, or is this a government “of, by and for the people”, including the middle class and the poor, the sick, the elderly, the young, the disabled, what was called in the past the “common man” during the time of Andrew Jackson, and the “forgotten man” during the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt?

This is a bad omen for the 112th Congress, when it now looks more likely than ever that NOTHING will be accomplished, and the nation will suffer for it as the bad economic conditions continue to plague the future of America! 🙁

A Tragic Betrayal By The Republican Party On Crucial Issues In Lameduck Session! :(

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The nation is seeing how hard hearted, lacking in compassion, mean spirited, and narrow minded that the Republican Party of 2010 really is on so many issues in the lame duck session of Congress! 🙁

It seems unlikely that there will be an extension of unemployment compensation to desperate people who have no source of income, in a time of the worst economic conditions since the 1930s! But meanwhile, the GOP is standing firm to continue tax cuts to the wealthy, adding to the national debt over the next ten years! 🙁

The possibility of giving children of illegal immigrants an opportunity to have a decent future in America and move toward citizenship via the DREAM Act proposal sadly seems to be failing also to gain adequate GOP support! 🙁

The movement toward the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military also seems about to fail, despite Pentagon backing! Sadly, Senator John McCain is leading the fight against change, although in the past, he was supportive of the possibility of ending discrimination against gays in the military! 🙁

And despite the appeal of Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana that his party back the START Treaty with the Russian government, as a way to promote the cutting back of nuclear stockpiles and make a safer world, it also seems unlikely to gain enough Republican votes to make it through the Senate by the two thirds majority needed for a treaty! 🙁

The Republican Party of 2010 seems ready, now with a majority in the House of Representatives next year, to continue the total obstructionism that marked their performance in 2009-2010! 🙁

This is a gloomy foreboding of the next two years–that nothing will be accomplished, with the only question being who will be blamed in 2012 for this sad state of affairs–the GOP, the Democrats, or Barack Obama!

The Lame Duck Session Of Congress: Crucial Issues That Need To Be Addressed!

Ronald 1 Comment

The lame duck session of Congress began yesterday, with the Democrats having their last opportunity to control both houses of Congress and get something done, before the Republicans take over the House of Representatives in January!

There is much that needs to be addressed, including:

1. The question of the Bush tax cuts, which if extended to the top two percent of the country, will put America in the hole for $700 billion over the next ten years, worsening the national debt tremendously!
2. Funding of the national government for the present budget year which began in October.
3. Restoration of Medicare payments to doctors at a rate that will keep them willing to accept Medicare patients.
4. Dealing with the issue of unemployment compensation extension to long term unemployed people who will have no income if it is not extended.
5. Passage of the DREAM Act, which would allow children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in this country to have the possibility of attending college or entering the military and avoid deportation to countries they have no memory of, since they left those nations when infants.
6. Abolition of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, an issue which has been dragged around for two years now, but must be repealed by Congress if discrimination is to end for gays.

The problem is that much of this agenda is unlikely to pass other than the first two items, as the GOP has the ability to stall and filibuster everything else, a very frustrating potential scenario! 🙁

Hopefully, there will be progress on the last four topics, but with a turnover to the GOP in the House in January, it is clear that if these issues listed above are not resolved now, they may never be in the next two years! 🙁

The Need For A New “Emancipation Proclamation” For Gay Americans And Undocumented Immigrant Children!

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On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, despite opposition within his cabinet, and then issued the final official document on New Year’s Day, 1863! This was one of the greatest moments in American history, promoting the human rights of African Americans!

Here we are, 148 years later, and we need the “emancipation” of two groups, both denied their human rights, because of opposition with the party of Lincoln, a reality that the 16th President would be embarrassed by! He would be angry with those who refuse to carry on the open minded, reform beliefs of the original Republican party! 🙁

Those groups are gay Americans in the military, and the children of undocumented immigrants who came to this country, remember nowhere else, and now are denied the same opportunities for a future as young adults that others are given! 🙁

The adoption of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, and the passage of the DREAM Act, giving young immigrants children the chance for citizenship if they have stayed out of trouble, graduated high school, gone to college, and in some cases, served in the military, should not be challenged!

Why should those who are willing to serve their country in the military be treated as second class citizens, regarding their sexuality? Why should these immigrant children be treated so shabbily when they had no control over being brought by their parents to America, and now in many cases, face deportation to a country they have no memory of or connection to? 🙁

Why is that the GOP has no compassion for the violation of human rights of these two groups? Why is it that they have no conscience as they ignore the traditions represented by Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, plus the many moderate Republicans in Congress over the 156 year history of the Republican party? 🙁

Disgraceful Refusal of US Senate To End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” And Approve DREAM Act! :(

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The US Senate had the opportunity today to do what was right: finally pass the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in the military, which the top military leaders support; and approve the DREAM Act, giving children of illegal immigrants who have become adults, to move toward citizenship by finishing high school and either going to college for two years or joining the military! The purpose is to give these young people the opportunity to serve their country, and be treated as equals, since the fact that their parents may be illegal should not be used to discriminate against them and their future!

But the motion failed 56-43, with not one single Republican–not Olympia Snowe nor Susan Collins of Maine, George Voinovich of Ohio, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. or any others who are not totally right wing extremists–including John McCain of Arizona–willing to be fair and reasoned on these issues, but instead playing politics and continuing the total refusal of Republicans to do what is right! 🙁

There is now the possibility that neither of these significant reforms will make it through Congress this year, although they might at the “lame duck” session after the midterm elections in November!

But assuming major GOP gains, it might NOT happen, and might have a gloomy future on both counts in the next Congress!

What a sad day this is for America–further evidence of no sense of righteousness and fair justice! 🙁

Using The Power Of The Majority: Finally, The Democrats Are Taking Action On Important Legislation!

Ronald 1 Comment

With less than seven weeks to the midterm elections, the Obama Administration is coming out swinging, ready to assert the power of the majority, something the Republicans know how to do when they are the majority!

With the threat that the Republicans might regain the majority, the Democrats are finally moving to take action that may not succeed, but will at least show their intentions!

A small business bill has made it through the Senate, with the help of two “Georges” who are not seeking reelection, and have broken with the Republican filibuster. Senator George Voinovich of Ohio and Senator George LeMieux of Florida broke the filibuster on the legislation, making it a 61-38 vote to pass the bill.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon appropriations bill next week will be the moment where the Democrats in the Senate try to push through the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, and also push through the DREAM Act, which would allow children of illegal immigrants who are in the US through no action of their own, but arrived before age 16, have lived here for at least five years, have graduated high school, and have been in college for two years or served two years in the military, to become American citizens!

It is possible that the GOP will block passasge, but if so, it can be used as a campaign issue against them! It is long overdue for the Democrats to play hardball, and not worry about bipartisanship and cooperation since the Republican Party clearly declared war on the Obama Administration on Day One!

It is time for action on gay rights and immigration, and even though the Democrats have a low rating on their Congressional performance in Gallup polls, the GOP has an even lower score, so let them continue to bottleneck and blockade, and they will, hopefully, suffer at the polls on November 2!

The Righteousness Of The Passage Of The DREAM Act!

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A major problem area on the subject of “illegal immigration” are the children of “illegal” immigrants who are brought to this country, grow up in this country, and wish to receive a college education and begin a career in this country, but are dogged by their “illegal” status through no fault of their own!

A present case on this involves Eric Balderas, a Harvard student, with plans to become a cancer researcher, who was detained at the San Antonio airport this week, and given a date for a hearing at which he is faced with immediate deportation to Mexico, a country he has never lived in, and where he knows no one!

The proposed DREAM Act is cosponsored by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, who sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in April, calling for a moratorium on deportation of young people who could be saved from such action once this legislation were to pass. The DREAM Act would allow a path to citizenship for undocumented young people who serve in the military or attend college.

The DREAM Act is the acronym for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.

The fact is that young Balderas was brought into the United States at the age of 4 to escape a domestic violence situation in Mexico, and this is the problem with the hardline “illegal immigration” crowd that just calls for the deportation of millions of undocumented people , most of whom have never committed a crime, have been law abiding citizens since they entered illegally, and are now living in fear and trepidation as to what their futures might be!

So it is good time to grant Balderas a waiver and to pass, as soon as possible, the humane DREAM Act, and have the President sign it in a public ceremony!