Closer to reality now: Obama action today enacts much of the DREAM Act
While Congress failed to enact the DREAM Act, much of the bill's goals were realized today with the new immigration policy approved by the President. (AP Photo)
Someone mentioned the improved civility on the blog, in part because I am moderating and banning now with greater alacrity, and, in part, because we haven’t had many hot button issues that bring out the worst in posters.
Well, here comes one.
The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.
The policy change, announced Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military.
Here is one of the first reactions out of the gate from an education organization on the President’s action:
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten:
“All children deserve access to a quality public education and a fair shot at realizing their dreams. President Obama has given hope to young people who have demonstrated good citizenship by pursuing college or protecting our nation. The nearly 1 million youths affected by this decision have done everything our society has asked them to do. They have worked hard, studied hard, and are pursuing college educations. These young immigrants are our students, and they deserve a chance to become productive members of our society without living with constant fear and uncertainty.
“It is certainly appropriate that the president’s action comes on the 30th anniversary of the historic Plyler v. Doe decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was against the law to deny children access to public education, regardless of their citizenship or that of their parents. Now more than ever, Congress needs to pass the DREAM Act and give hardworking students a path toward legal permanent status and, eventually, citizenship. Maintaining barriers to their success does nothing to benefit our economy, our national security or our collective well-being.”
And from the Georgia House Democrats:
“The United States is a nation of immigrants, and the youngest members of our society deserve understanding and compassion. These are young people educated in our schools or serving in our military,” said House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. “Deporting hardworking, responsible and law-abiding young people is unjust; and I am pleased to see that the Obama administration has eased deportation rules that benefit no one.”
“Creating a path to citizenship for undocumented students should be priority of this nation, and this is a critical first step,” said Rep. Pedro Marin. “This new policy will affect as many as 800,00 immigrants who have lived the past years in fear of deportation. I cheer President Obama for his decision to halt deportations of young undocumented immigrants.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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130 comments Add your comment
bootney farnsworth
June 15th, 2012
5:26 pm
@ catlady
it was me using my phone. big thumbs and little buttons
Solutions
June 15th, 2012
5:27 pm
Long time educator – I am pretty sure the wwii era Germans did not base any of their policies on IQ, given the obvious low IQ levels of their leaders. The use of Ethnic differences in IQ is used as a proof that at least part of IQ is genetic. There are real and repeatable differences in measured IQ base on Ethnic origin. But remember, we are talking about statistical distributions that can say nothing about the individual. All the ethnic distributions overlap, so an individual may have a very high IQ but come from an ethnic group that has a relatively low average IQ. All IQ tests are now “normalized” such that 100 is the average score, with half the population above 100 and half below, and the standard deviation is 15 IQ points. A person with a 130 IQ is two standard deviations to the right of the mean, and is one of only two people out of 100 to have a score of at least 130. A person with an IQ of 145 is three SD’s to the right of the mean, and is the only person out of 1,000 expected to score that high. Four SD’s is very rare. There is also a slight gender difference, as the highest measured IQ’s have all been male, but perhaps that will change are more women are measured.
bootney farnsworth
June 15th, 2012
5:33 pm
leaving aside Obama (again) acted well outside of his legal authority …..
it’s actually a very simple thing. they’re not supposed to be here the way they got here.
that Central American can’t get its crap together is not our issue, and and a luxury we
just can’t afford.
every other nation on earth, Mexico included, has immigration and visitation rules to follow.
we’re broke. we can’t take in the worlds strays and offer things our own citizens don’t get.
bootney farnsworth
June 15th, 2012
5:41 pm
not exactly sure why so many have deviated into this stupid race/IQ sideshow. besides having no place here, it has squat to do with the issue at hand
Bernie
June 15th, 2012
5:51 pm
Lee, this student was not pressured by any group or individual to return this scholarship. I applaud the generosity of this student and his Father for voluntarily making these funds for another minority student who was very much in need of financial assistance to continue their education. This is far more generous displayed your hateful and vile statements here. Again, another example of Good overcoming the evil of Satan!
I will pray for you that you find a way in your heart to rid your mind and your soul of so much EVIL……
Solutions
June 15th, 2012
5:56 pm
bootney farnsworth – Because IQ matters bootney. I we are going allow 800,000 new citizens, I would suggest we select them from China, Japan, or Korea and not from Mexico or points south. Why some of them are even here in this country right now, finishing up degrees in engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other “hard” sciences. When their degree’s are finished, we send them home, but we could also just offer them the 800,000 slots our current (hopefully for only another six months) President just so casually gave away.
Maureen Downey
June 15th, 2012
5:57 pm
@Lee, There are plenty of scholarships that “discriminate” on all sorts of criteria.
There are many scholarships based on country of origin; you must be of Italian or Polish descent. There is an award that goes only to tall students. There are awards that only go to kids of certain states. There are scholarships that only go to descendents of certain families. A nudist group used to give $1,000 to a student willing to live in a nudist colony.
Maureen
Lee
June 15th, 2012
6:02 pm
@Maureen, so you see nothing wrong with this? Figures….
Aquagirl
June 15th, 2012
6:03 pm
that Central American(sic) can’t get its crap together is not our issue
Oh yeah, it’s not like we’ve messed up their governments or economies or anything.
Seth
June 15th, 2012
6:14 pm
For those of you commending Harvard for granting a scholorship to the illegal alien from Gwinnett, I suggest you try to fraudulently try to attend class there and see what happens.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/12/24/prison-for-delaware-man-who-faked-his-way-into-harvard/
Typical bleeding heart liberal hypocracy. Apparently it’s ok for Harvard to control who they allow in, but the not the States or the Federal Governement. Please, give me a break. The parents of these children broke the law. The fact that the kids did not have a say is absolutely irrelevant. Should we turn a blind eye on other crimes simply because the criminal has children? The parents irresponsible action is the cause of the trouble, not our immigration laws.
The solution is simple. No documentation, no job, no public education, no public benefits. If charities and other organizations want to support these law breakers, go right ahead. But not with my taxes.
majii
June 15th, 2012
6:15 pm
Those who are saying the president acted outside of his legal authority seem to have little/ no understanding of Article II of the Constitution which allows an American president to use executive orders to do certain things. Those who are calling the executive order amnesty don’t seem to understand that the term amnesty refers to “a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.” These undocumented kids have committed no crimes against our government. It is the parents who broke the law, so the term amnesty does not apply in this instance. Also, to those who are opposed to this executive order, I hope you’re aware that President Reagan granted amnesty to undocumented immigrants in the 1980s, and the nation wasn’t destroyed because of it, that President Bush tried to reform our immigration system in 2007, but members of his own party prevented him from doing so, that the latest Pew Research shows that U.S. immigration from Mexico at the present time is nearly zero, and that the Obama Administration has deported more undocumented immigrants that any U.S. president.
Link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amnesty
Link: http://startingpoint.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/24/pew-study-shows-mexican-immigration-to-u-s-
near-zero-sen-huchinson-says-economy-is-a-factor/
Link: http://www.texastribune.org/immigration-in-texas/immigration/ice-removes-record-number-immigrants-fy-2011/
Maureen Downey
June 15th, 2012
6:17 pm
@Lee, Actually, I would think you would be in favor of such freedoms. If Italian-Americans want to give their money to kids whose families came from Italy, isn’t that up to them? If a millionaire wants to only help kids from her hometown in Idaho pay for college, why can’t she?
Maureen
Bernie
June 15th, 2012
6:27 pm
Lee, You have so much to learn about the world around you, There is no War of Races in America, no matter how much you may think there is or desire for it to be.
We all desire and want the same thing as you, A good Job, A nice home , safe community, loving and happy family, good education for our children. if we all put our efforts toward that goal, you will find you would be a far happier person and see all of the good and blessings round you. However you continue along the path of your remarks here, you will find your self in bad health and a very sad and lonely person that no one surely wants to be around. Thank-you Maureen for trying to shed some light on the darkness of this Man’s mind.
RCB
June 15th, 2012
6:36 pm
@Bernie– are you a preacher?
James
June 15th, 2012
6:40 pm
Environment and Effort, people, not IQ: http://www.psmag.com/culture-society/asian-american-parenting-and-academic-success-26053/
“Such veneration of diligence helps account for the widespread Asian belief that when striving for academic success, effort counts more than innate ability.
American students of most ethnicities, other researchers have found, tend to believe the reverse, often arguing that gifted people are so smart they don’t have to work as hard as others do. Americans also often think that we’re born smart or not — with a fixed intelligence — while Asians more often believe that studying makes a person smarter. As one high-achieving Chinese-American student told Li, “Everybody in my family, all my aunts and uncles and cousins, they’re all like, ‘If you try harder, you’d be like a really smart person.’”
Li showed that even preschoolers value effort and ability differently according to their culture when she asked 95 white Americans and 93 mainland Chinese 4- to 6-year-olds to finish a story about a bird learning how to catch fish. The white children tended to mention the bird’s ability and strategies (“She needs to know how to catch fish first,” said one.)
The Chinese children, on the other hand, commented more on the bird’s diligence, persistence and concentration. “Little Bear can never catch fish if she stays with three hearts and two minds,” said one. “He fell, but he is not afraid, and starts all over again until the end,” said another.”
Bernie
June 15th, 2012
6:43 pm
To all of the readers here that think this was bad decision by the President. I encourage to try a find a way in your heart and mind to look at this from his perspective as President of this great nation and for what it stands for. Many times
Unfortunately, we often give lip service to what a great and God fearing and loving nation and people we are. Today! is one those days we all should be proud of the president and his actions. We all should be proud as people, to be part of a nation that despite all of our problems, we are able to still welcome the most innocent of our citizens to be a part of this great patchwork of people that this world has never seen before. Today! is a great demonstration that this unique experiment of Governance is still alive and doing very well.
Bernie
June 15th, 2012
6:49 pm
RCB @ 6:36 pm – NO I am not, I am just like you..an American, trying to live in a very confused and dangerous world. Wanting to do my part and contribute to making this country, this state, this city, my community, a better place for all of us. If we all would just try to love one another more and quiet the darkness of our souls and emotions we all would find, we can truly make America the great nation we all claim and hope that it is.
Jordan Kohanim
June 15th, 2012
6:56 pm
To quote William Casey: “I support the securing our borders. However, granting a path to citizenship to young people who have “done the right things” while here seems the only practical course of action.”
Indeed! There are so many who are given the “right” of education that they do little to earn it. The majority of the students that I taught who could not qualify for college due to their citizenship status worked 10x harder because they knew the true value of it!
TimeOut
June 15th, 2012
7:08 pm
I don’t know the results of any IQ projects in which the researchers controlled for race. Perhaps there is a statistical difference in how different races perform. IQ is not a stable measure throughout one’s lifetime. It’s but one element of importance in determining one’s academic and socioeconomic potential. So, Solutions, I just don’t give it that much weight in determining whether someone is a ‘gift’ to society or not. We have evil genius in this country as well as corrupt individuals below the poverty line. I just don’t view IQ as a deciding factor in someone’s ‘worthiness’ to become an American citizen. I would like for the President to work through established legislative means for obtaining changes in policy, procedure, or law. I would like for our legislature to do something besides shamelessly work for their own separate and joint self-interests. Individual citizenship rights should be limited to that individual and should provide no legal status of any kind to others connected to this individual. I’d also love to see real border control, immediate expulsion of any alien, legal or otherwise, who commits any felony, and stricter controls over a shrinking entitlement system. I don’t want America to become the welfare state that some other countries have become. We need education for all, but when one refuses it or abuses it, one should lose it. Sure, the prettier woman often gets the first position as receptionist, but a highly qualified woman will find an opportunity even when overlooked because she’s not the best-looking. Luck is a part of the equation. But, luck coupled with hard work, integrity, a sense of commitment to self, community, etc. trumps just sheer luck almost every time. In short, I’d rather see the legislature make this decision. I’d rather see our laws enforced. I’d rather we face the truth about our weaknesses and shortcomings and stop trying to blame it on this segment or that segment of society. We’re in this together. We’ll have to make it work, together.
texasgirl
June 15th, 2012
7:32 pm
@ Entitlement Society. The population growth of the U.S. and of the whole world is a global issue little to do with immigration. I am sure that when your great great grandparents came to this country in the hope of a better life they prayed day and night so that their kids would be able to have a better future then they did as i know for a fact you want for your kids too.
Equal opportunity for everyone who has the potential to become someone is critical for our country’s economic growth. It is not fair that we r keeping kids who have work 5 times as hard to graduate high school and be able to go to a good college out of our universities but letting kids that go to here to waste time and money. Race and legal status should not have to be an issue when it comes down to REAL students who take their future seriously and want to succeed in life.
texasgirl
June 15th, 2012
7:45 pm
@seth. For your information my parents had been paying taxes long before they became citizens and so do many hard working immigrants who only want a better life. Such a small percentage of our tax money goes to education that even saying that those last statements is ridiculous.We were all immigrants at one point lets not forget that people! The reason you can be a part of this great country is because at some point your ancestors where going through what those people are through right now.
texasgirl
June 15th, 2012
7:50 pm
@solutions. I am insulted that you would infer that “Asians” in general have more value academically than any ( although you were very specifically saying Latinos) other students.
Have a heart
June 15th, 2012
8:12 pm
@ Bernie …
Try to put aside the demons within you preventing sympathy for the estimated 15-25 million unemployed and underemployed Americans and legal immigrants. Including roughly half of all recent college graduates.
These are fellow human beings who, through no fault of their own, will now see any chance for a job—in industries including construction, transportation and travel accommodation—further jeopardized by a cynical, election year act.
By a increasingly unpopular president nervously eyeing November.
Whatever smug self-satisfaction you derive turning your eyes from the suffering and shattered dreams of those around you, to take up what might seem a trendy cause—pause a moment to reflect on the tears you leave in your cruel wake.
Solutions
June 15th, 2012
8:13 pm
texassgirl: El Presidenta has made the defacto statement that Mexicans and others from points south have more value than East Asians, East European Jews, and frankly everyone else in the world, as he allocated all 800,000 slots to these illegals. I would rather have 10,000 PhD’s in Engineering granted citizenship than a pack of Mexicans who aspire to be immigration lawyers! Remember, the educated and the elite in Latin countries have to live in gated and guarded communities for a reason!
Solutions
June 15th, 2012
8:16 pm
TimeOut – You clearly do not read much technical literature about IQ testing, almost every statement you made is absolutely false.
mgdawg
June 15th, 2012
8:43 pm
While I feel for the illegal immigrant child who was brought here by their parents, we seem to be forgetting that they are illegal. They have zero rights in this country, they are breaking the law being in this country. Most illegal immigrants have illegal immigrant parents that pay no taxes. So schools are forced to accept these kids, while their budgets get cut causing a decrease in the number of teachers and furlough days which are hurting the legal children.
Having said that, if this is going through then there should be some conditions in my opinion. First, the kid and their parents should be in the progress of becoming legal, and should have to have proof of this. They shouldn’t be planning on staying illegal their whole life, they should atleast be in the process of making themselves legal. Second, the parents and kids that are working according to this, should have to prove that they are paying taxes.
bu2
June 15th, 2012
8:49 pm
@maji
You don’t seem to grasp the concept that Reagan passed his amnesty through Congress.
And it was a mistake. We haven’t had such a flood of illegal immigrants since WWI as what we had after the 86 amnesty.
Maybe if you have a comprehensive policy that deals with enforcement it could have worked. Instead we ignored enforcement (like Obama is doing) and granted amnesty.
bu2
June 15th, 2012
8:51 pm
@Bernie
President Bush tried to pass immigration reform. It failed in Congress. President Obama tried to pass his dream act. It failed in Congress.
I have mixed feelings about his dream act and think it is ridiculous to believe we could just throw 12 million people out of the country. But I don’t like Presidents neglecting their duties and acting like dictators.
Have a heart
June 15th, 2012
9:25 pm
@ Bernie –
Try to put aside the demons within you preventing sympathy for the estimated 15-25 million unemployed and underemployed Americans and legal immigrants. Including roughly half of all recent college graduates.
These are fellow human beings who, through no fault of their own, will now see any chance for a job—in industries including construction, transportation and travel accommodation—further jeopardized by a cynical, election year act.
By a increasingly unpopular president nervously eyeing November.
Whatever smug self-satisfaction you derive turning your eyes from the suffering and shattered dreams of those around you, to take up what might seem a trendy cause—pause a moment to reflect on the tears you leave in your cruel wake.
Mr_B
June 15th, 2012
9:42 pm
Deportation is not free: it costs tax dollars to deport someone. Tax dollars are in limited supply right now.
You have a choice: deport a high school kid who isn’t in trouble with the law other than her immigration status: OR
Deport an adult who came here to commit actual crimes against persons or property.
Obama made the right choice.
dbow
June 15th, 2012
9:55 pm
@ Maureen: @Lee, There are plenty of scholarships that “discriminate” on all sorts of criteria.
There are many scholarships based on country of origin; you must be of Italian or Polish descent. There is an award that goes only to tall students. There are awards that only go to kids of certain states. There are scholarships that only go to descendents of certain families. A nudist group used to give $1,000 to a student willing to live in a nudist colony.
This is hypocrisy at it’s best. Basing a scholarship(or any reward) on a predetermined set of characteristics like ancestry is by definition discriminatory. The grant giver may have the right to do it, but that doesn’t make it right. Case in point: the recent news article about the grant for blacks going to a white kid. A grant for blacks?! The outrage would have been deafening if the roles had been reversed.
Solutions
June 15th, 2012
10:05 pm
This could easily back fire on the Democrats, if we add 1 million people to the unemployment rolls between now and November.
3schoolkids
June 15th, 2012
10:11 pm
While I don’t believe any child should be punished for the illegal actions of their parents, once they turn 18 they are legally adults. If they are driving, living, working or attending school on false or no documents then they are breaking the law. I also don’t believe anyone should be rejoicing just yet. The President has offered not both hands but one, the ability to apply for a work visa, not automatic citizenship. How many will not risk the disruption of their current livelihood for a maybe? I would predict that this looks lucrative to the younger immigrants (under 21) looking to go to college and be able to work legally in a few years. I would also predict that the older immigrants (21-30) here working illegally to support families will not risk being denied a work visa, especially those working on falsified documents.
LHE
June 15th, 2012
10:20 pm
I am a high school teacher who has had the privilege of teaching a wide variety of wonderful students who would benefit from the Dream Act. These children have worked hard and only want to better themselves. The idea of keeping a bright young person from earning a college education because of their parents is insane. Please if you agree, speak up and call your congressmen.
About time
June 15th, 2012
11:06 pm
I can’t believe readers actually find Obama’s Executive Order offensive for bypassing a Congress whose sole objective is to block any and all of Obama’s initiatives in order to remove him from office.
Lee
June 16th, 2012
12:19 am
@Maureen, re “@Lee, Actually, I would think you would be in favor of such freedoms. If Italian-Americans want to give their money to kids whose families came from Italy, isn’t that up to them? If a millionaire wants to only help kids from her hometown in Idaho pay for college, why can’t she? Maureen”
It does my heart good to see Maureen has found her long repressed Libertarian side. She’s right. As a landlord, I should be able to advertise for “Whites Only” tenants. As a restaurant owner, I should be able to deny service to blacks, or at least make them use the back door and sit in the kitchen. As a business owner, I should be able to hire only whites.
But wait. I can do none of those things and Maureen and her politically correct minions in the media have long advocated for just the opposite of the above freedoms.
In the case of the scholarship that I linked, the original criteria did not specify “blacks only”. But when a white boy won it, they then got their panties in a wad. How dare a white boy win a MLK scholarship.
Like I said, reverse the races and see what would have happened.
Ron F.
June 16th, 2012
12:21 am
I agree with Jordan. My ELL kids work far, far harder to learn. Give me a kid who wants to learn and my job is too easy. How sad that this group has become the new group of choice to blame for everything. And I thought we, as a country, had gotten past that.
Another Math Teacher
June 16th, 2012
3:26 am
Maureen Downey: “If Italian-Americans want to give their money to kids whose families came from Italy, isn’t that up to them?”
Being from Italy does not mean a person is a certain colour. How would you react if they said white people from Italy?
“If a millionaire wants to only help kids from her hometown in Idaho pay for college, why can’t she?”
Kids from her hometown does not mean a certain colour. How about white kids from her hometown? What then?
They can do these things, they are private citizens. How would a large portion of the population react if instead of a scholarship for an African-American (with the true intent being dark skin – non-white,) a scholarship for a Euro-American were offered (with the true intent being light skin?)
Either way they are distasteful at the least. Might as well send in a picture of yourself next to a paper bag to see if you qualify.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2012
8:08 am
@ About Time I can’t believe readers actually find Obama’s Executive Order offensive for bypassing a Congress whose sole objective is to block any and all of Obama’s initiatives in order to remove him from office.
_______________________________________________________
The trouble with this point of view is that the current Congress, whether you like them or not, was ligitimately elected in a democratic process under a Constitution that states Congress makes the laws and the Executive branch carries them out. Someone referenced a video on youtube where Obama himself makes this very argument. You are arguing for a benevolent dictator which I guess you feel is justified as long as the benevolent dictator is someone with whom you agree. Would you want a Republican to bypass the Congress in the same way? This is not the way controversial issues should be decided; we are a nation of laws under a Constitution.
Nice
June 16th, 2012
8:43 am
It’s the right thing to do and long overtime. We need to get over this mind set that helping others who may be struggling and challenged takes away from the rest. The Dream Act will help all citizens.
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
10:01 am
bu2 et. al. — I agree that granting amnesty to 800,000 by executive order smacks of a “dictator” move and not a “presidential” move as contemplated by our Republic and Constitution. The times this has been done in the past appear to have been done with the approval of Congress — our Constitution was deliberately designed to balance powers between branches of government. Our current president does too much that he believes (whether you or I agree with him or not) is right without the approval of Congress — this is unilateral and not what is meant by “balance” of powers and “checks and balances” — it is dangerous for our future. It doesn’t matter that perhaps there is merit in allowing the children who really know no other home to have a “path to citizenship” or that there really is no legitimate way to deport a million people — the appropriate method is true debate and compromise within Congress not fiat by Presidential Order. That’s not what our country is about. It’s dangerous and sets really bad precedence when the “order” that is “entered” is one that you don’t necessarily agree with and goes against you…..
crankee-yankee
June 16th, 2012
10:02 am
Entitlement Society
June 15th, 2012
2:40 pm
What about one of the underlying principles we have based our society on… that the child in not responsible for the debts of the parents? Is it too far a stretch to see the parallel here? These kids did not make the decision to enter the country illegally. There needs to be a way for them to become full citizens without having to jump through the current set of hoops. If that is what the President’s plan will allow, I do not see a problem though I am sure sure many will see one solely because it has been proposed by him.
Congress needs a swift kick in the a$$ to do what we have elected them to do, which is to compromise on initiatives in order to get things done. Not point fingers at and lay blame on the other party. If this gets them to start doing their jobs, it is a good thing. Both parties are culpable, someone needs to man up and get things going.
The masked bigotry underlying many of the posts here is truly appalling.
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
10:06 am
There’s a really famous quote from a pastor from WWII (Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. — just bringing home just how bad setting bad precedents and ignoring this balance of powers can be — you can be “okay” with certain executive orders because it grants relief you favor: on student loans or mortgage interest rates or amnesty to children but where does it ultimately end– where’s the “check and balance” and how is our Republic upheld?:
First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
10:07 am
Folks — the Dream Act may be the exact right solution but NOT THROUGH EXECUTIVE ORDER but through CONGRESS!!! and By Law.
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
10:41 am
crankee yankee — elect new people to congress — it is not appropriate to act through executive order. Our system is too precious to mess with in dictator fashion.. we use elections.
William Casey
June 16th, 2012
10:53 am
@Anonmom et al: I hardly think that the President’s action yesterday ranks with Hitler’s Enabling Act (1933) or the Nuremberg Laws (1935) which the pastor was referencing. There are several checks and balances available. Congress can pass a law overiding the executive order. An individual can bring a lawsuit and bring the issue. IMHO, the President is simply expressing the will of many Americans that there be an end to simple obstructionism for political purposes. If President Obama discovered a cure for cancer, the Republicans would find a “Constitutional” reason to prevent its implementation.
William Casey
June 16th, 2012
10:55 am
“bring the issue to the Federal Courts.”
crankee-yankee
June 16th, 2012
10:55 am
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
10:41 am
I keep trying but I am. apparently, in the minority. No incumbent is getting my vote this year. Perhaps more people will think the same this November. One can only hope.
Soccermom
June 16th, 2012
11:03 am
@Crankee Yankee, (who said) “What about one of the underlying principles we have based our society on… that the child in not responsible for the debts of the parents? Is it too far a stretch to see the parallel here? These kids did not make the decision to enter the country illegally.”
So, a child who is born into an organized crime family and who chooses to continue participating in the illegal ventures of that family after turning 18 should not be considered a criminal?
Anonmom
June 16th, 2012
11:05 am
fyi –HiItler started small and led up to the Nuremburg laws… Just saying.