Tag Archives: president obama

The Myth That Is a Kinder, Gentler Rick Perry

Posted on July 6, 2015 | Comments Off on The Myth That Is a Kinder, Gentler Rick Perry

ef6ca-shrp2Much is being made by the media  about Rick Perry’s supposed move to be the kinder, gentler Republican in the race for the GOP  nomination for President. Perry’s announcement that he was “offended” by Donald Trump’s anti-Mexican remarks need to be met with a certain reality:  Perry’s policies prove he is worse than Trump. Perry’s record speaks for itself:

  • The DPS Border Surge in response to children escaping violence and poverty from Central America. (Failures all around)
  • Cutting $4 billion from K-12 and $1 billion from higher education.
  • Anti-Woman policies to close women’s health facilities.
  • Attempts to keep Texans uninsured–would not support Medicaid expansion.
  • And a whole lot more. We know what Rick Perry is all about–destroying Texas.

That’s the problem with the whole Donald Trump BS that has overtaken political news. While Trump will open his big mouth, there are candidates for the GOP nomination with a right-wing record who will now try to play nice offering worthless platitudes. What’s next? Public eating of Mexican food?

Anyway, at this point, it would seem that Rick Perry has as much of a chance for the nomination as Donald Trump (despite Trump’s rise in the polls). What we are seeing because of Trump are the true colors of some in the GOP, and the lengths to which some will go to gain political points; even by attempting to play nice despite the policies they promote. Ultimately, it’s policies that matter and we need to pay attention to the policies (and pronouncements) of every candidate.

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Posted in Elections, U.S. Capitol

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President Obama Proposes Free Community College

Posted on January 8, 2015 | Comments Off on President Obama Proposes Free Community College

The key phrase here is, “…for those who work for it.” And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Today, the President unveiled a new proposal: Make two years of community college free for responsible students across America.

In our growing global economy, Americans need to have more knowledge and more skills to compete — by 2020, an estimated 35 percent of job openings will require at least a bachelor’s degree, and 30 percent will require some college or an associate’s degree. Students should be able to get the knowledge and the skills they need without taking on decades’ worth of student debt.

Currently, in Texas, 1/3 of university students and 1/2 of community college students are deemed unprepared for college once they graduate from high school. If community college students work hard, earn a 2.5 GPA, attend at least half-time, students could save a whole bunch, while preparing themselves for university-level courses.

Is there a catch? According to the White House:

The requirements:

  • What students have to do: Students must attend community college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program.
  • What community colleges have to do: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that are either 1) academic programs that fully transfer credits to local public four-year colleges and universities, or 2) occupational training programs with high graduation rates and lead to in-demand degrees and certificates. Community colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes.
  • What the federal government has to do: Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. Participating states will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate the tuition for eligible students.

So, there are a couple of catches. The first one is that the participating colleges need to adopt institutional reforms to improve student outcomes. That said, and in a state like Texas, the colleges would need to put in some effort to help prepare students before they get into their transferable courses–tutoring programs, convenient course time availability for working students, proactive academic advising, etc. At least, that’s my thinking. It seems politicians of either party are so far off the mark when putting the onus on colleges to get students college-ready, and do little to fund K-12, which is where these students should be getting college-ready. There are some screwed-up priorities when it comes to education in Texas.

The second catch is that the Feds pay for 3/4 and the states pay the remaining funds to eliminate tuition. How that works in Texas, whose community colleges are locally controlled by elected boards, is still to be seen. Perhaps it’s through state financial aid. Still, states much choose to participate and with Texas ever-slipping backwards, and as some of my college professor friends have said, “I won’t hold my breath.”

Tech and Workforce Programs

Obviously, a good chunk of this would go to folks wanting to earn career certificates in tech and workforce programs. Many of these programs exist according to community needs, so, there will be a substantial benefit and return on the investment if students immediately fill jobs and become contributing members of the economy. Still, the state must choose to participate.

Something to consider is that many of these programs are too small–not enough seats and plenty of competition to enter the programs. Here in Texas, there is a huge nursing shortage. Back in 2005, my friend and former Express-News columnist Carlos Guerra wrote about the nursing shortage.

“Texas needs 34,000 more registered nurses to catch up to the national average…”

And that was in 2005. Some progress has been made, but if there is lack of support to grow these programs, by 2020 the shortage could number 70,000.

Obviously, there is much to think about. Certainly demand for all kinds of programs would increase with this kind of opportunity, but without available seats and investment from community college districts and other state funding beyond the tuition break, meeting employment needs would continue to be a challenge.

All of this said, anything that gives the next generation a break from tuition costs and student loans would be welcome.

 

 

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Posted in 2015, Education - K12, Higher Education

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Is This The Week for Executive Action?

Posted on November 17, 2014 | Comments Off on Is This The Week for Executive Action?

The “will he or won’t he” question is yet to be officially answered, although, there is movement toward President Obama signing executive action to provide deportation relief. Even his Homeland Security guy, Jeh Johnson, is telling us as much, and, as always, “by the end of the year.”

A major hurdle to making any executive action work is in the discussion and getting hotter. Much like Republicans have tried to de-fund Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Republicans are threatening to do the same to anything the President signs through a budget tactic.

What might be held hostage is a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond the upcoming December 11 deadline.

Conservative members in both chambers want to pass a continuing resolution to fund the whole government with language that expressly prohibits using federal funds to enable any executive action on immigration policy, blocking funding, for instance, of work-authorization documents for illegal immigrants.

Even our own Senate minority leader Harry Reid has encouraged the President to not sign anything until Congress passes the “CR.” Of course, there will also be some Senate Democrats who went down in flames in 2014 even after the President delayed signing executive action for them who will likely side with the Republicans because they have this illusion that they will make a comeback in the future. Also, Claire McCaskill is sounding like her usual anti-immigrant self, although she did vote for the DREAM Act in 2010 after much arm-twisting and narrowing of the proposal.

One scenario mentioned in the National Review article cited above is if the President decides to wait until after the December 11 deadline to sign executive action, the Republicans will pass a short-term CR before the December 11 deadline to keep the government funded  until the new Congress comes in, then, the new Congress can put in the anti-immigrant language into a longer-term CR that de-funds Obama’s action. Whether the President would sign such a CR and, along with the anti-immigration Republicans, shut down the government is the bigger question.

Either way, Republican pettiness will seem obvious, as the President has the legal standing to sign whatever he wants. That the Republicans would hold the American government hostage says a lot more about their feelings toward immigrants, the vast majority being Latino.

With the understanding of the politics behind the continuing resolution, do we want the President to wait until after December 11? Or do we want the fight to begin later this week?

 

 

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Posted in Sensible Immigration Reform

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Fox News Announces Executive Order?

Posted on November 12, 2014 | Comments Off on Fox News Announces Executive Order?

president_signingEarlier in the day, I started seeing some chisme going around that an announcement by the Obama Administration was forthcoming about an expansive executive order on immigration and deportation. By the time I got home, I found out that it was being announced by Fox News.

a source close to the White House told Fox News

and

The president’s plans were contained in a draft proposal from a U.S. government agency.

Well, that’s like hearing reasons why a campaign may have lost in 2014 based on information from fired consultants.

As reported by Fox, it’s pretty much what activists have been requesting from the President:  Deferred deportation, expanding what is known as DACA to parents and family members. It also includes reforming Secure Communities so that it does what it is supposed to do–arrest and deport dangerous criminals; far from what it is doing now. The awkward one was raises for ICE officers for morale purposes.

I can’t say I’m holding my breath, given the source. Whomever leaked it, while the President isn’t even in the country, is showing some lax discipline, but being that it was given to Fox News, perhaps that person wants to kill it. Or worse, rile up the right-wing and then propose a lesser executive order.

Who knows? Too many people are thinking, now. Some are overexcited. I’m taking a wait and see approach.

Given that President Obama is still the truth-teller of the week when he told Face The Nation that “we’re deporting people who shouldn’t be deported,” I’ll wait for it to come from his lips with all the pomp and circumstance it deserves.

Update:  The mainstream news channels are reporting that a “senior White House” person is denying the accuracy of the Fox news item.

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Posted in Sensible Immigration Reform

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Cities Thumb Nose at SCOMM; ICE Review Almost Done

Posted on April 24, 2014 | 2 comments

If you haven’t seen the news lately, well, it looks like state and local law enforcement agencies are telling President Obama and ICE that they will no longer be a part of his premier deportation program, Secure Communities. Over the President’s tenure, around 2,000,000 people have been deported–the vast majority because of low-grade crimes or no crime at all.

Today, the city of Philadelphia announced they were out. Maryland Gov. (and some say 2016 hopeful) Martin O’Malley announced the same earlier this week. Some counties in Oregon, too. All of this while the Obama Administration has announced it is considering changes to its deportation policies; ground activists demand deportation reform; and warehoused humans are on hunger strikes because of how private prisons treat them.

Secure Communities and other programs like 287(g) were developed for the purpose of capturing and deporting major criminals. A demand for increases in deportations from Republicans and President Obama’s flawed thinking that increasing deportations and human warehousing in private prisons would earn him Republican support for comprehensive immigration reform has made a deeply flawed program even worse. People with usually undeportable crimes or no crime record at all have fallen into the deportation net, families have been separated, tax dollars have been wasted on human warehousing, and for the President, his promise to pass “CIR” in Term 1, Year 1 (and now Term 2 Year 5) has been a complete failure.

All of this said, Reuters reported that President Obama is just about set to announce the results of a review of ICE’s deportation policies.

In the coming weeks, an Obama-ordered review of deportation enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security is expected to conclude that certain steps should be taken to ensure that some immigrants who have not committed serious crimes should be allowed to remain in the United States, according to several sources familiar with the review.

Those steps could include shortening the time period an immigrant is considered “new” and therefore under increased scrutiny for deportation, deeper background checks of detainees in considering whether they should be deported, and protecting immigrants serving in the U.S. military from deportation.

That would fall short of demands from immigration advocates who have asked Obama, among other things, to expand his deferred action program that currently protects children brought to the country by their undocumented parents.

Whatever President Obama announces will certainly be attacked by Republicans, so, why not go further than this? Of course, this is just what is heard from insiders. I guess we should wait for the actual announcement. For now, I’m glad local law enforcement agencies are ridding themselves of the burden and flaws offered by Secure Communities.

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Posted in Sensible Immigration Reform

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Bill to Slash Early Voting Meets Opposition

Posted on April 9, 2013 | Comments Off on Bill to Slash Early Voting Meets Opposition

Local Republican legislator had her bill  to slash the length of early voting considered only to be met with heavy opposition. It looks like she will pull the bill.

House Bill 2093, by state Rep. Patricia Harless, R-Spring, would limit the early-voting period in Texas to seven days before general and primary elections. Current law mandates 12 days.

Harless initially said the measure was necessary to help elections administrators hire workers and volunteers, saying that a 12-day early-voting period as a possible deterrent.

But after testimony at Monday’s House Elections Committee hearing, where critics slammed its intent as little more than an effort to make casting a ballot harder for everyone, Harless said she would not ask the committee for a vote.

A recent study done by a scholar at MIT found that minorities were already waiting the longest in lines to vote. Obviously, we have much more to worry about than county elections folks complaining about not being able to work the 12-day early vote session. And the study gives some suggestions:

1. The number of in-person voters is reduced, through absentee voting. (As a corollary, Election Day lines should be reduced as early voting options are expanded.)
2. The number of poll books and the utilization are of electronic poll books are increased.
3. The number of voters per polling place is decreased.
4. The number of physical polling sites is increased.
5. The number of poll workers is increased.
6. The number of voting machines is increased.
7. The length of ballots is decreased.
8. The amount of information provided to voters ahead of the election is increased (so as to reduce the amount of time spent reading the ballot in the voting booth).

Obviously, early voting plays an important role in this, considering that it is fast becoming the way for most people to vote. So, what gives with Harless’ bill?

Most of these suggestions take money, but I would think that the government’s most important task is to ensure that our democracy works–and that means ensuring the people’s ability to choose their representatives. Too lofty a notion? Or do elected officials really want to stop people from voting?

That said, the President’s bipartisan commission will hopefully come up with some solutions; however, and I repeat, it all takes money. Instead of tax giveaways to the wealthy, those in power need to start investing in a whole bunch of things, and protecting the franchise is one of them.

Kuff has more.

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Posted in 2013 Categories, Elections, Texas Lege, U.S. Capitol

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