6 The Transcript
January 23, 2014
opinions / yours and ours
Time for major immigration reform Colorado is home to roughly half a million immigrants, about a third of whom are undocumented, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies. More than 11 million undocumented immigrants are estimated to be in the United States. In Colorado and across the nation, industries like farming and construction rely on the labor provided by workers who are not in the country legally. To that end, the way of life enjoyed by so many Americans is dependent upon them. The system, however, under which these immigrants work, live and learn is broken. Few would argue against that point. But what’s to be done? Spearheaded by a bipartisan “Gang of Eight” — which included Sen. Michael Bennet, of Colorado — a comprehensive immigration-reform measure passed, with support from a number of Republicans, through the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate last June. The bill, S. 744, went nowhere in the House, though. Early signs are that the Republicancontrolled House has no plans to take up a single comprehensive bill this year either, but will instead address immigration in a
our view piecemeal fashion of multiple measures. It is encouraging that the House plans to address this critical issue, and in fact, there are reports that Speaker John Boehner aims to unveil the principles of the plan before the end of the month. But as they forge ahead with a plan of their own, we urge House leaders to embrace the primary tenets of the Senate-passed measure. For one thing, S. 744 is good for business. A letter sent to the Senate last June in support of the bill was signed by myriad business organizations, including the Denver Metro, South Metro Denver and U.S. chambers of commerce. In part, the letter said: “America’s current immigration system is broken and does not meet the needs of our citizens or businesses. Improvements to our nation’s immigration policies are long overdue and are essential to con-
tinued economic growth. We especially applaud the efforts of the bipartisan `Gang of 8’ for their leadership on this issue and commend the entire Senate for your hard work on this difficult and controversial issue.” The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a stronghold of liberal ideals, is one of the most outspoken proponents of comprehensive immigration reform in general and S. 744 in particular, touting a study that says the nation’s economy would stand to grow by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. S. 744 — also known as the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act — takes a truly broad-based approach to reform. Among other things, the bill calls for: • More than $40 billion of initial funding to shore up border security. • Mandatory use by employers of an electronic employment verification system known as E-Verify. • Creation of a Registered Provisional Immigrant program that includes background checks and mandates the payment of application fees. RPI status may be renewed after six years and immigrants can
pursue lawful permanent residence after 10 years, if they remain employed, pay taxes, pass background checks and meet English proficiency requirements. • A faster track to lawful permanent residence for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children and for agricultural workers. • A path to citizenship, for those who fulfill the RPI requirements, which would take 13 years or more. That last point, the path to citizenship, has been one of the more controversial aspects of the bill and was met with large resistance by House Republicans last year. We’re not sold on the necessity of it being part of an immigration overhaul, but we understand and appreciate the importance it plays for both lawmakers behind the bill and for immigrants whose dream includes citizenship. With worker shortages looming and wasteful spending rampant on a current system that isn’t getting the job done, S. 744 is, on the whole, a beacon of hope. Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives would do well to follow the light — and act now.
question of the week
See the big game in person? The Denver Broncos are going to the Super Bowl! But would you ever consider physically going to the Super Bowl yourself considering travel, price of tickets, hotel, parking, $10 beers, etc., etc.? Or is the stay at your home/man cave experience in front your own big screen TV equal to or even better than freezing your butt off at the stadium? We asked several of our readers these tough questions and got these responses:
“The last game day experience I had was a bad one for numerous reasons. I definitely won’t be spending my money for a regular season game again. But I would consider a big game like the AFC Championship or Super Bowl.” Will Petersen, Littleton
“I think staying at home and watching the game is very underrated. It’s warm, TVs are so good today and you don’t have to worry about all the things that go along with going to the game.” Michael Joycox, Broomfield
“I would definitely want to go see my team in a Super Bowl, I hope every true fan of their team would. I don’t care what the price or what I have to do to get a ticket. I am going!” Christopher Dolge, Arvada
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Too good to be true? By the time you read this, we’ll know whether the Denver Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl … and whether you purchased counterfeit tickets for the showdown. The chances of both happening are pretty high. The Broncos will likely put the Patriots away. And, as of this writing, single tickets to the AFC Championship game in Denver are going for as much as $500 to $1,200 each on Craigslist. When they went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday after the Broncos’ victory over the Chargers, game tickets were snatched up in fewer than 15 minutes, and people got a “sold out” message online as early as 10:01 a.m. Many people have had to turn to resell tickets, where prices can be 400 percent over face value. None of this, actually, is bad. Fans who believe (in the Broncos or, less reasonably, in the Patriots) are quite willing to pay big bucks for the big game and this secondary market is the only way to get there. The problem is that many of these the tickets are fake. The Broncos, the NFL, and Denver police are warning fans about counterfeit tickets, especially those with prices that seem to good to be true. These fake tickets look like the real thing—but they don’t behave that way. The solution, we’re told, is to purchase game tickets only through Ticketmaster and NFL Ticket Exchange. Of course, however, many tickets resold by individuals are legit. But it’s difficult to tell the difference. NFL tickets aren’t the only counterfeit offerings out there. For example, the FTC recently took action against four weightloss companies. It’s no secret that weight loss is an American obsession — maybe as big as scoring tickets to championship games — especially now when we are setting goals for the New Year such as eating healthy and getting more exercise. But most of us do feel that we could use some help, and weight-loss products are
big business. The problem is that many of their claims are fake. According to the FTC, one of the biggest offenders is the company that manufactures and markets Sensa as a powder users sprinkle on their food to spur weight loss — a pitch that seems too good to be true. Personally, I don’t particularly subscribe to the theory that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is … lots of just such good things have come my way through the years. But I’ve also fallen prey to offers that weren’t what they said they were. Usually this was because I wanted to believe … wanted to believe that the hotel I booked online really was on the beach. That the discounted sunglasses with the popular logo were genuine. That if I sent a complete proposal outlining my strategy for someone else’s business problem, I would get the job. (I don’t do that anymore.) So, the lesson I’m taking away from this news of deceptive advertising, unscrupulous scalpers, and ticket counterfeiters is caveat emptor—let the buyer beware. But I still do want to believe. And if I’ve learned anything else from this too-goodto-be-true football season, it’s that if we believe, good things can and do happen. Andrea Doray is a writer who’s always believed in the Broncos because they are the real deal. Contact her at a.doray@andreadoray.com