Politics and the debate over immigration
It is no surprise that the House has decided to drag its feet on immigration reform. The House is scheduled to be in session for just 97 days this year, making it the do-nothingest Congress in decades. To negotiate with the Senate on immigration would require work – something the House is unwilling to do.
I would not suggest that the House’s unwillingness to reform the immigration system is due solely to laziness. Clearly the House is also pandering to restrictionist voters in anticipation of the November elections. The House passed an immigration bill in December, but now has decided that it needs to hold months of hearings on immigration. Dennis Hastert says the hearings are necessary because “we need this thing done right.” Apparently the bill passed in December wasn’t “done right.”
Perhaps it would have made more sense for the House to hold hearings before it passed its deeply flawed immigration bill. But if sensible immigration reform was passed, there would be no wedge issue for the November elections.
Paul Buono, Denver
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It seems there has been a lot of hand-wringing and controversy over the Mexicans crossing the border. I have an idea that perhaps Tom Tancredo can embellish.
My plan may not be original, but I have never heard or read anything like it. Build a prison camp near the border. First-time offenders can be kept in the camp for a period of time; my suggestion is for 30 days. Second-time offenders get 60 days, and then longer sentences for repeat offenders. The able-bodied men can be put to work building the fence barrier that has been started. They can be paid a small fee such as the prisoners in our state prisons are paid.
It seems to me that with the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who are crossing the border, the fence could be built in a short time. These are people performing an illegal act, and they should be given a soft but constructive type of punishment, one that should satisfy leaders from both sides of the border.
Gene Price, Aurora
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Re: “Officials ducking immigration issue,” June 16 business news story.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s non-stance on illegal immigraton is where the rubber hits the road for citizens and legal resident aliens. The chamber’s mission is to “help create jobs and economic prosperity.” “For whom?” I ask. The chamber seems to prefer a low-wage, no-determination-of-status business agenda that hurts our legal citizens and resident aliens and the businesses that obey the laws of the land.
Lewis Elliott, Thornton
Washington foster parents’ plan to unionize
Re: “Foster parents nurture union idea,” June 22 news story.
After almost 20 years as a foster parent, I know this plan is not about money. Information from Washington state foster parents, as well as Washington state news articles, say money is not the main issue. Years of other foster parent surveys show that most foster parents leave because of their helplessness to ensure positive outcomes for their loved foster children.
Colorado foster parents attempted to correct this inequity through legislation in the late-1980s that allowed foster parents to intervene in court cases as full parties, with or without attorneys. However, an early-1990s court ruling, upheld by the Court of Appeals, again limited foster families’ ability to advocate successfully.
The bottom line is that the best foster parents do this work for altruistic reasons, and most of us subsidize the state financially out of our own pockets. But the best of us often leave in droves because we are not treated as partners or allowed an effective voice to ensure good outcomes for the children we love. This is tough, grueling, painful work. Yet, the easiest way to retain the best of us – rights of advocacy, which cost nothing but sharing power – is not offered. Often, the children lose.
Adoree Blair, Littleton
What if churches performed gay marriages?
Re: “Colo. Episcopalians clearing path toward unity of gays,” June 12 news story.
Your recent articles on the Episcopalian convention raise this question: How would our government respond if the Episcopalians, Unitarians or some other mainstream religious group decided to perform gay-marriage ceremonies?
If we had a constitutional provision prohibiting such marriages, the state would be in the awkward position of taking legal action against a church for performing a sacrament.
Do supporters of Colorado’s proposed amendment really want the state to get into the business of regulating church ceremonies? Our nation’s Founding Fathers wrote the establishment clause to keep government’s hands off people’s religious practices.
Marriage should be a religious sacrament, and each church should decide who is eligible. Each state should have separate civil unions for any committed couple who decides they want the rights and responsibilities that we now grant to heterosexual couples.
Churches should fight to retain their right to decide whose unions are holy. Don’t let today’s religious right impose their beliefs on all churches.
Paul Ziemer, Parker
Spirit of Rockies, Helton
Re: “A wish becomes a big hit; Rockies star Helton helps Wyoming youngster enjoy special day,” June 21 sports story.
The selflessness displayed by Todd Helton and the Rockies is heart-warming and restores faith in a part of the game least publicized. While the team could have trotted out any one of a number of players to make Andrew Pointer’s wish come true, they used the biggest star they had in Helton. Further, Helton, by giving Andrew a necklace matching his own good luck charm, went far beyond the call of duty.
Thanks to the Rockies, and especially Helton, for renewing faith in the spirit of America’s greatest game. Together, they’ve exemplified that it’s not always about the money, wins and losses, and that dreams can come true. Thanks to The Denver Post for sharing this wonderful story.
Shaun Dail, Aurora
Choices in radio
Re: “Sirius vs. XM,” June 20 Play story.
In his closing paragraphs, Michael Booth states that the drive-time commercial cram on broadcast radio makes satellite radio sound better all the time. To be sure, but let me suggest another alternative to commercial radio: public radio. In Denver, we have news format KCFR at 1340 AM and classical music format KVOD at 90.1 FM, as well as KCFC at 1490 AM in Boulder. Instead of the hyper, confrontational diatribes that pass for talk radio on commercial radio, KCFR offers shows with an interview/discussion format that allows for an actual conveyance of information. There are those inevitable fund drives, but tuned-out radio listeners might want to consider this option instead.
Lorraine Gallick, Centennial
State graduation rate
Re: “Analysis says state grad rate was lower,” June 22 news brief.
The 2002-03 graduation rate in Colorado, as calculated by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, was 11.1 percentage points lower than what the state had reported for that year. The discrepancy was probably due to the use of different formulas by the research center and the state to calculate the graduation rates. Hmm. This may be a stupid question, but whatever happened to counting?
Tony and Eleisa Trampler, Denver
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