Illegal Immigration: A Nationwide Problem

While I was reading the most recent blog posts of my classmates, I came across an entry entitled, “Oh Arizona…,” located on Kelsey Scott’s Government Blog. My classmate is very passionate about the Immigration law put into place recently in Arizona. She believes that it was a necessary law and that despite the Federal government’s view, it does not discriminate against the Hispanic population. She acknowledges the fact that some law enforcement agents will take advantage of the new law, but she believes that most will actually try to enforce it as neutrally as possible. She draws most of her attention to the drug cartels in Arizona and the increasing crime rate that supposedly comes with those operations. She is 100% in support of the immigration law.

While I do agree that something needs to be done with the growing immigration population in the United States, I feel that the law that Arizona put in place may have been a little too strong. Regardless of how you small of an issue you deem discrimination as, it is a protected right in our constitution. You cannot discriminate anybody based on race. One part of the law states that, “After any lawful stop, police can "determine the immigration status" of those they suspect of being in the country illegally. Unfortunately discrimination is going to play a factor in who cops deem worthy of being a suspect, especially those of the Hispanic ethnicity. The author of the blog even acknowledged at one point that some law enforcement agents will take advantage of the law. This is a problem. The reason that the Federal government sued Arizona actually had more to do with the fact that they believe the Arizona law infringes on the Federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law.

Illegal Immigration is not just a problem seen in Arizona. Immigration is a nationwide problem. Crime rates are not just increasing in Arizona. In fact, the preliminary statistics released by the FBI show that crime rates in certain categories have decreased as much as 10%.With that being said, I feel that you really cannot use the crime rate as a reason for deporting immigrants. The main reason we need to deport immigrants is the fact that our unemployment rate is hovering around 10%, and we give up over 8 million jobs to illegal immigrants who will work for significantly lower pay. Immigration should not be left up to the states to create and enforce laws. Our Federal government needs to issue nationwide law, a law that will not violate specific rights which are protected in our Constitution, like the amendment protecting citizens from discrimination. The wording of the Arizona law was too strict and it allows for too many protests from certain ethnic groups. Plus it could also potentially lead to a huge burden on legal resident aliens, who will fear walking the streets because they could potentially be arrested. Immigration is a problem but so is discrimination. Arizona law allows for too much discrimination, and our Federal government needs to yield this opportunity to stop the states from imposing their own immigration laws by creating a law that will protect every state from illegal immigrants.

To Act or Not to Act: Our Government as a Sitting Duck

In 2008, the voters of California spoke. They effectively passed Proposition 8. Proposition 8 is a ballot measure which changed the state constitution in order to prohibit gay marriage. This led to not only a statewide controversy amongst gay rights advocates, but also a nationwide controversy. On August 4, 2010, San-Francisco based U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Prop 8. Walker repeatedly argued that banning same-sex marriage amounted to sex discrimination because some individuals are denied the right to marry others based solely on their gender. Of course, supporters of Prop 8 are going to appeal the decision and it will more than likely end up going to the Supreme Court.

The fact that this is taking place as we are gearing up for mid-term elections in November puts the government and Obama in a tight spot. The ruling by Walker and the possibility of a ruling in the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays could even help push the issue of same-sex marriage to the forefront of the national agenda. Our government needs to react. Obama has been famous for pushing divisive social issues to the back burner. On top of that, he has, from the beginning, been sitting on the fence when it comes to gay rights. He essentially is trying to please both sides just enough so that they will not try and push the same-sex marriage issue any further right now. He came outright and said that he did not support Proposition 8 because it is discriminatory. He is against amending the U.S. and any state constitution, especially, when it will result in adverse treatment by singling out one specific group. However, Obama has also publicly declared that he is against same-sex marriage. His unwillingness to whole-heartedly support either side of the same-sex marriage issue has left many puzzled. Most journalists believe that he is not gaining anything in his quest for equality for all when he refuses to accept equality for all in marriage.

Just like the issue with immigration and Arizona’s attempt to enforce their own regulation laws, Obama and the national government need to realize that they cannot push these social issues aside anymore. The government has done a good job for years avoiding controversial issues but now the time has come to take a step forward. The citizens of the United States are already beginning to get fed up with the indecisiveness of our national government and they are going to begin to revolt. The government is going to have to take a stand in social issues that will only serve to benefit the equality of people for all. What is the harm in allowing gay couples to celebrate their union in marriage? While people may not find it morally right, it does not physically affect or pose a danger to any one person. If you do not support gay marriage, then don’t marry somebody of the same sex, it’s that simple. We have reached a point in society today that forces us all to re-evaluate our stances on certain issues. The government needs to realize that they need to show all their cards and pick the side that will finally result in equality for all. You cannot keep straddling the fence President Obama, not if you want to have a chance at re-election!

Electoral College For The Win!

I recently read one of my classmate’s bogs entitled “When Will Our Opinion Really Be Worth Something?” This editorial really intrigued me. My fellow classmate believes that the Electoral College System, currently employed by our Nation as a means of choosing our President, is unfair and biased. The current Electoral College System allows our nation to casts their votes for president in what is deemed by us as, “the popular vote.” This vote is then used to help ‘”instruct” the 538 total electors chosen from each state, who ultimately will cast their votes to choose our President. Whichever candidate receives 270 Electoral College votes, wins the election.

The most common complaint by those individuals, including my classmate, who abhor the Electoral College, is that there is a chance the peoples’ voices will not be heard. A candidate can lose the popular vote and still win the overall election by winning the votes of the electors. This seems to be the only flaw most critics of the Electoral College can find with the current system. My classmate uses the example of the 2000 Presidential election to prove his point. In 2000, George W. Bush won the Presidency despite that fact that fellow candidate Al Gore won the popular vote. My classmate believes that this is reason enough to abolish the Electoral College. We as the “governed” have a voice in our country, and we have a right to say how it should be run. The fact that Bush won in 2000 means that our voices are not taken seriously enough.

I disagree! The Electoral College does allow every citizen in the U.S. the opportunity to express their wants and desires for our nation every single time they vote in a presidential election. We still have a voice. On top of that, it is a proven fact that since its establishment in Article II Section I of the Constitution, The Electoral College has only failed 3 times to elect a president that was not otherwise chosen by the people in the popular vote. It is put in place as a compromise between the larger states and the smaller states, as well as a good defense against a nation who is way uninvolved and unknowledgeable about our government today. It was stated in the opening paragraph of my classmate’s blog that they do not feel very knowledgeable about government. I myself do not feel very knowledgeable about our government. That is why I feel that the Electoral College works. It allows every person who so chooses to stand up and voice their opinion, while also allowing those more knowledgeable than us an opportunity to select a candidate who will meet the most needs for our nation. Small states get to stand up and voice their opinions as well. Without the Electoral College small states’ voices about government would never really be heard because the populations in larger states, like California, Texas, and New York will always win out. While I will agree that the Electoral College is not bulletproof and maybe concessions should be made, we cannot deny the fact that it is probably the most sound and successful tool our government employs today.