Perspectives
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Perspectives Editor: Storm Byrd • 520.621.7581 • letters@wildcat.arizona.edu
Immigrant initiative: Hiding may be finished Kristina Bui Daily Wildcat
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f a state initiative succeeds, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants living in California could work without the threat of deportation. On Friday, California Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, a Democrat from Sylmar, Calif., filed a proposal with the state attorney general’s office. The move marked the first step in an effort to gather 504,760 voter signatures — the number needed to qualify for a place on the ballot. Fuentes said his measure, called the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act, is a “moderate, common-sense approach” by the state to compensate for the federal government’s shortcomings, according to an article in the Sacramento Bee. The proposed act could create around $325 million in new tax dollars from undocumented workers, supporters say. John Cruz, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former appointments secretary, said longtime undocumented residents would be able to “fully con“Millions of tribute to society by families need becoming taxpayers as well” under the to be offered initiative. an alternaBut Tim Donnelly, tive to living a Republican from Twin Peaks, Calif., in hiding for countered that the decades.” measure wouldn’t have a “snowball’s chance in hell” with voters. Immigrants must follow a “proper process for coming to this country,” Donnelly added. Even with support by Californian voters, the Opportunity and Prosperity Act would rely on the federal government’s cooperation. Because federal law prohibits employers from hiring undocumented immigrants, the program would need the state to seek exceptions from the federal government to protect program participants and their employers. Donnelly said the proposal “essentially asks the federal government not to enforce the law,” and that it would be unlikely for a select group of undocumented immigrants to be made exceptions. The act, if it were to pass, would apply to illegal immigrants who can speak or are learning English, are not suspected terrorists and have no felony convictions. They would also have to pay a fee for the program and have lived in California for at least four years. According to a Pew Research Center study released the day before the proposal was filed, nearly two-thirds of the 10.2 million adult undocumented immigrants living in the United States have been here for at least 10 years. The estimates are based on data collected in 2010 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The analysis found 35 percent of adult illegal immigrants have lived in the United States for 15 or more years, more than double since 2000. Another 28 percent have been here for 10 to 14 years, and 22 percent for five to nine years. Similarly, the number of adult undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for less than five years fell from 32 percent to just 15 percent in 2010. The Pew study’s numbers suggest most of these immigrants came to the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, fewer and fewer immigrants have come, likely deterred by the tightening of border security and struggling economy. As is often the case when lawmakers pursue real immigration reform, and not just clamor for another wall on the border, antiimmigration paranoia heats up before it hears all the facts. Detractors like Donnelly argue the proposal circumvents federal law, is not what voters would want and will encourage more illegal immigrants to come. But they often fail to acknowledge the millions of undocumented immigrants who are already here. Fuentes’ initiative is a realistic approach; unless lawmakers can find an equally realistic way to round up the 10.2 million adults living in the United States illegally and stop more from coming, the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act is the best option on the table. The Pew numbers demonstrate that California is on the right track, and the country needs to follow suit. Millions of families need to be offered an alternative to living in hiding for decades. — Kristina Bui is the copy chief. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
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Cain’s candidacy stalled, but he’ll remain relevant the sword, you will die by the sword — or in Cain’s case, if you live by the media, you will die by them. Cain was able to get away with limited foreign policy knowledge and experience by marveling in public appearances. He simply Storm Byrd brought energy and tenacity that gave voters Daily Wildcat hope in a new breed of candidate. While Cain was a rallying uproar on television, nobody uch to the surprise of almost nobody, into a profitable phenomenon where he never remembered that he had no idea what he was actually runs for office, no one ever actually Herman Cain’s candidacy is at a doing. As he was answering every question votes for him, yet he reaps all the benefits, halt. It seems the “Cain Train” is with “9-9-9,” he was keeping all eyes on him. stalled for an unspecified period of time. Cain enabling him to accept donations, tour the But unfortunately for Cain, those eyes started country and drive up his asking price to speak searching for more. was certain to state that he was not going at events. away, and did not specifically say that he was Cain became so popular that his skeletons It’s difficult to decide whether to call Cain’s in the closet were able to break out, and since completely withdrawn from the presidential actions an ingenious business move or a candidacy. he was so easily recognized, they caught up to In preserving the possibility to return to the scummy political exploitation. Cain himself him fast. presidential race, Cain is still permitted to col- has admitted that he finds politics to be a dirty Cain very well may have turned his scanlect donations and use campaign funds in the game, but he seems to have mastered the rules dal-based campaign hiatus into a positive name of the campaign. His campaign finance and made them work for him. outcome, which as a politician is an essential He came up with a simple economic plan lawyers said this enables Cain to possibly fund trait. You have to be good at turning a loss that everyday Americans can remember and his “Plan B,” which includes a national tour into a gain. While his image and candidacy vaguely understand. He barked of missteps where he can travel from coast to coast touthave taken very hard hits, he’s still swingby Democrats, specifically President Barack ing his infamous 9-9-9 plan and talk about ing. Although his aspirations of becoming Obama, but also set himself aside from other foreign policy. Essentially the campaign is in president may very well never be realized, a holding pattern, but Cain can still go around Republicans by presenting himself as a down- Cain can still keep himself relevant and keep home, everyday, self-made American. He did the cash flow coming. Watch out Sarah Palin, making announcements, rallying supporters his song and dance for the camera and he put somebody else figured out your game to stay and gathering funds. More or less, very little on a show. Republicans were dazzled by the has changed. relevant in politics without even holding pubsmoke and mirrors, but reality finally caught Yes, it would seem that Cain’s candidacy is lic office. over, but a whole new tactic has emerged in its up to Cain. While Cain learned the tricks of the trade to place. Cain seems to have swiped a page from — Storm Byrd is the Perspectives editor. He politics, he forgot a simple rule. If you live by Sarah Palin’s book and turned his candidacy can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
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MAILBAG ASUA Senate let students down On Nov. 29, the ASUA Senate took an unfortunate 8-2 vote to approve the ASUA Elections Code drafted by Commissioner Mikindra Morin. Although several senators did make good, substantive changes to the code, we’re still left with something less then satisfactory. The senate settled for mediocre when they should have advocated for outstanding. Admittedly, we came off a crazy election year where no one could really straighten anything out, and it became obvious our elections code needed cleaning up. However, instead of what had been promised, the senate was given an elections code almost unedited, minus sweeping changes to the power of the commissioner. With the new conduct process in the 2012 code, the commissioner no longer has much discretionary power, and candidates have much more ability to violate the code without any substantive punishment. For many of the problems faced in the 2011 elections, the commissioner chose to not solve the problem, but rather go around it. Nothing was changed with the language of certain violations, nothing made more specific and no standard of evidence
imposed. Instead, the commissioner took power away from her position, and made it nearly impossible for candidates to get disqualified. That sure solves the problems of disqualification and messy ASUA Supreme Court cases. However, does it solve the problem of badly written violations? Does it keep candidates from violating the code? Does it adequately punish candidates who are found to have violated the code? Does it provide for free and fair elections? Does it give voters the confidence in their elections or their newly elected officials? The simple answer is no. The elections commissioner is supposed to have the power to disqualify candidates, and make them shake in their boots. I was not immune to the craziness of last year’s elections, nor was I separate from it — I still understand the need for an elections commissioner with power, for they are charged with protecting the electorate from run-away candidates. The commissioner acted appropriately last year when reigning in both presidential candidates with disqualification, and if circumstances were repeated I would support such efforts.
At this point in time, the elections code and elections commissioner are more important than the senate, the vice presidents and the president of ASUA. As a student government, we’re trying to re-establish confidence in our elections process and our right to serve. This code and its drafter do nothing to instill such confidence in the students of the University of Arizona. At this point in time, we should be committed to reforming our elections so that they work for everybody, not giving free passes to candidates. We should be putting in the hard work to make a good elections code, not just passing a weak compromise to avoid arguing it at the last senate meeting of the semester. This vote reflects a disregard for the constituents the senate was elected to represent and a major change in the layout of our next elections. I condemn this vote and the newly instated code as one of the two dissenting senators. We can do better, and we should do better. — ASUA Sen. Erik Lundstrom
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