The Anti – Gay Games

With the Olympics only about three weeks away, there has been much discussion of Russia’s policy towards gay rights and the concern for gay athletes who will be participating in the games. Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, recently signed a law that banned gay propaganda and allows the government to fine people who speak to minors about homosexuality. Click here for the link to an article I found that discusses Russia’s new law, as well as what Putin had to say on the topic.

The author of the article writes that Putin insisted that hatred towards gays would not be tolerated at the Olympics. The law, which bans propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations and imposes fines on anyone who provides minors with information about the gay community, encourages the alienation of gays. By discouraging acceptance of alternative lifestyles, the law promotes a negative view of the same-sex relationships. Clearly, this is not a policy of tolerance.

In the article, the author said that the law was “passed with near unanimous support by Russian lawmakers.” It is striking to me how intolerant Russians with political power are towards gays, and I can only hope that the average Russian does not feel the same way about the issue (although I am afraid that the vast majority probably do). Here in the U.S., even with the right wing conservatives who are strongly against gay marriage, there is still a wide range of views among politicians, and most tend to be more accepting of alternative lifestyles.

By not allowing the discussion of varied sexual preferences, the law makes gays feel isolated and abnormal, especially the children who are innately oriented to an alternative lifestyle. Many of these kids, I’m sure, already feel alone. By not allowing them exposure to different ideas about sexual preferences, their emotional isolation is intensified.

There is, however, something positive that we can take away from this topic. The good news about this issue is that it shows how far America has come in accepting diversity. We used to be a society that viewed gays much like Russia does. For example, up until recently, it was unacceptable to marry another person of the same sex. Now, however, marriage (as well of life in general) is becoming increasingly less of a struggle for homosexuals. In the article, the author discusses the pressure that many American citizens are putting on sponsors of the Olympic games to speak out against the law. Even though citizens here are not really affected by a law in a country halfway across the world, it is great that they are willing to speak out about it.

The Right to Opportunity

Where I go to school (New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL), pretty much every student expects (and is expected) to go to college. After every weekend I have different friends come up to me and tell me about cool college visits they went on. But college is not always a reality for kids. For example, kids of undocumented workers often cannot afford college.

A couple of weeks ago, Gov. Chris Christie of Union City, NJ, signed a Dream Act Bill, providing students who are illegally living in the US with a temporary residency which will open up more educational opportunities for them and could eventually lead to the ability to become citizens. I read an article about the bill signing by Christie, which I encourage you all to read (the link to the article can be found here). For more information about the Dream Act, here is a link to the Wikipedia page about it (even though the link is from Wikipedia, it still provides a pretty good summary of what the Act entails).

The author of the article on the Christie signing, Jenna Portnoy, reported that the Governor claimed that even people who are “cold-hearted” about the matter of immigration must admit that there is an economic benefit in extending in-state tuition to students that the government already spends a lot on. This was a bit confusing to me at first, but basically Christie is arguing that because the state of NJ spends so much on each student for their grade school education, why not maximize the investment and let these students pay in–state tuition (which they would get to do once they become temporary American residents). This would allow many more students to go to college, which would in turn actually provide the colleges with more economic support.

More importantly, an educated workforce contributes much more to society. An uneducated workforce, on the other hand, is much more likely to be dependent upon society for support. The Dream Act will lead to a stronger American workforce to help build a better economy in the future.

            But even if there were no economic benefit, shouldn’t these students deserve the right to a good education, just like I do? The 14^th amendment says:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

            To me this passage means that a person raised in the US should have the privileges of an American citizen, and that the government doesn’t have the right to deny any of these inherent privileges. Not only is there an economic benefit to extending benefits to these children of undocumented immigrants, but it is also most consistent with historical moral American values.

These kids are in so many ways like me; they consider themselves Americans and culturally belong much more to our nation than that of their parents. It is a technicality that keeps them from enjoying the full benefits of enjoying American citizenship.

Dreams of Opportunity

Last weekend, the conversation of undocumented workers came up at my house during a dinner party. The discussion was lively, with many differing perspectives, so I decided to pursue the issue in more detail. I had really never formulated my own opinion on the matter, simply because I didn’t think I knew enough about the topic to do so. However, after researching and talking with a few people of various points of view, I know which side of the argument I am on – the undocumented workers’ side. Here are a few key points that I discovered when researching.

The argument against undocumented workers: According to an article I found on the website of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), defenders of undocumented workers falsely claim that foreign born workers only take jobs that U.S. workers don’t want. The Federation insists that immigrants are willing to work for lower wages than U.S. citizens because of their illegal status. The article includes that this “depress(es) wages and working conditions” for all workers, legal and illegal, in that line of work. This makes that field of work “less attractive” to citizens of the U.S. who usually aren’t willing to work for such low wages, giving the impression that the undocumented workers do jobs that citizens do not want to do.

The first thing I noticed when reading the FAIR article was that they continually call the workers “illegal immigrants” or “illegal aliens”. To me, this shows the bias that the Federation has towards workers, and that made me question their argument. Also, the FAIR article provided little data, aside from an estimated number of undocumented workers and where they resided, so I looked up some information on my own.

I found an article discussing Luis Alberto Urrea’s book The Devil’s Highway, the story of the Yuma 14. The Yuma 14 was a group of fourteen Mexican immigrants that died trying to cross the border. In the book, Urrea reveals a lot about the real situation with undocumented workers. The article about the book cites many very specific facts that provide perspective on the effect of foreign workers.  In 2002, for example, Mexican immigrants paid almost $600 million in federal taxes and sales taxes. Urrea also found that these immigrants used roughly $281 million in social services and uncompensated health care. This results in a net benefit to the US taxpayers of $319 million.

It seems irrational to claim that the undocumented workers are hurting America when they provide our nation with the net tax revenue benefit of 319 million dollars. If we do buy into FAIR’s argument that the hiring of illegals depresses wages, my question would be “why aren’t the employers at fault?” They are the ones to blame if that is really the case – its not like undocumented workers ask for lower wages.

What do you think?

Dennis Rodman’s New BFF

As a basketball fan, I was shocked as well as extremely confused (as I’m sure many of you were) when I heard that Dennis Rodman had become good friends with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. It seems absurd that an admired basketball superstar would form a relationship with a notoriously ruthless dictator. Here is an article from CNN.com that discusses the issue.

            In the article, the author explains that during the latest of the four trips that Rodman has taken to North Korea in the past year, the basketball star apparently sang “happy birthday” to Kim Jong Un. Rodman also convinced a few of his former NBA buddies to come along and join him in playing a basketball game in honor of Kim Jong Un’s birthday.

I don’t have a problem with Rodman making a fool of himself. What I DO have an issue with is the negative effect that Rodman’s visit has on a much bigger level, of international importance. Kim Jong Un is the leader of a totalitarian state that has a long history of human rights abuses. In addition to the suffering they cause their own people, the North Korean leadership claims to have missiles capable of hitting the United States.

            Rodman’s friendly attitude, describing Kim Jong Un as a “very good guy,” directly interferes with our government’s foreign policy that attempts to keep this rogue country in check.  According to Max Fisher of the Washington Post, the Rodman visit also provides free propaganda for Kim Jong Un, “unintentionally bestow[ing] legitimacy on the Kim regime which would portray [Rodman’s] trip as a public tribute.”

Below is a photo of Rodman bowing to the North Korean leader.  Because Rodman is an admired American sports star, his interactions with Kim Jong Un give the impression that the leader is a man to be respected and admired.  This endorsement by a famous American minimizes the perceived threat that Kim Jong Un poses to not only his own people, but to the rest of the world.

Kim Jong Un showed his ruthlessness recently when he had about 80 of his citizens murdered recently for having possession of the Bible or a television (here is an article about the issue). In addition, Kim Jong Un is currently holding an innocent American citizen, Kenneth Bae, prisoner and sentencing him to 15 years.

When asked about this sentence, Rodman actually defended the North Korean leader’s actions by implying that Bae was guilty of crimes against North Korea. Rather than attempting to help out his fellow American, Dennis decided to side with one of the world’s most dangerous and cruel men.