Those that believe that delivering a critical margin of victory to Democrats in local, statewide, and national elections is enough for Latinos to gain respect from Democratic Party leadership should look to Colorado. Yesterday swing state Latinos received a slap in the face from the Colorado State Democratic Senate Assistant Majority Leader Lois Tochtrop along with Democratic Senators Morgan Carroll of Aurora, Jim Isgar of Hesperus, Moe Keller of Wheat Ridge, and Linda Newell of Littleton. Tochtrop and the other members of the "Dream Killer Five" joined with anti-immigrant Republicans and defeated a bill (that even Utah has approved) that would give in state tuition to anybody that attended at least three years of high school in Colorado regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
From time to time a mistake is made by those in power in either Party that so upsets a critical part of its base that the shot is heard around the world. This weak kneed vote by the Dream Killer Five is that time, is that mistake, and is that shot.
Evidence of the outrage and the potential long term damage that Colorado Democrats need to repair is the interview that I had with Democratic stalwart and former Colorado Democratic State Senator Polly Baca yesterday. Senator Baca showed distinct, raw, and articulate passion as she decried the wayward Dems who allied themselves with Tancredo-like Republicans to defeat a bill already enacted by ten surrounding states.
Note to all progressives and Democratic leadership: watch this one closely and take notes: Colorado Hispanics/Latinos are about to make progressive history ...again.
Click the play button below to listen to my interview with Polly Baca's and hear her call to action.
Mario Solis-Marich is a progressive radio talk show host that can be heard in Denver on AM 760 and on the web at www.GoToMario.com.
Since I have a birth certificate in the USA, I guess that would make me "Legal". I paid back my college loans with interest and I have paid taxes the last 36 years that are orders of magnitude more than the loans and grants.
The point here is that, as Latinos, we have had to fight discrimination for generations and in spite of that, we have made significant contributions to this country even if it's just paying taxes and being productive citizens. The issue of these students being children of undocumented workers is an excuse to discriminate against these latinos. Yes we need immigration reform, but we also need moral reform.
I salute you Mario for presenting all of the information including what the true costs are and what other states have done.
For your information, we Texans were initially fighting for the restoration of the Constitution of 1824. All the defenders of the Alamo died with that on their flag too. They did not know that independence had been declared. You should also know that there were seven other states in Mexico fighting the Santa Ana dictatorship. The Mexican government declared WAR on the USA which is why the war started. The US had simply tried to enforce the agreement Santa Ana signed as a condition of his release and which had been the de facto boder for years.
By the way, I consider ALL people who are citizens to be MY PEOPLE, not just white folks. You might try doing that too. I don't like racists be they white, black or brown.
The Marines will only take legal residents. If they took people who were not, his family could have stayed in Mexico. Or they could have done what many others do and get forged papers and SS numbers or fake birth certificates. It appears that they did NONE of those things.
Under current CO law, he most certainly WOULD be eligible for in state tuition. There is no problem with that.. It is the ILLEGALS who have NO such rights nor should they since they have NO right to be here. So I would think that the illegal children would be GRATEFUL for the free education that they got already. Instead, they complain that their law breaking parents have hurt them and WE should make it up to them. Sorry, Go back to the home country, and get their in country tuition.
to pay In-State Tuition?
The argument is RIDICULOUS!
They were not Born In These United States, Let alone, COLORADANS.
"Tancredo-like"?
Leave the straw-men out of this.
IN STATE TUITION WAS NEVER INTENDED FOR ALIENS, LEGAL OR NOT.
I stand corrected.
I don't know why I typed my post with LEGAL included.
If I could edit I would take out LEGAL.
Further Posts below show that I am in Favor of US Immigration Policy.
Enforcement would go a long way in solving the issue.
Ignorant? I like to think not.
Opinionated? Very much so.
Do it according to the Law, and there's no problem whatsoever.
Side-step the law, tough $hit.
(& I mean ALL of 'em!)
Before you go running off @ the keyboard.......
I'm 100% in Favor of the IMMIGRATION SYSTEM as it is now.
The U.S. allows in plenty of folks LEGALLY, Every Year.
Deportation OUT OF THE U.S., along with,
AN APPLICATION FOR CITIZENSHIP.
kkthnxbye
In 1996, Jesus Alberto Suarez del Solar was a 13-year-old boy, up from Tijuana on a family shopping trip, when he stopped at a Marine Corps recruiting table at an open-air mall in Chula Vista, Calif.
Jesus had been an easy mark for the recruiter-a boy who fantasized that by joining the powerful, heroic U.S. Marines, he could help his own country fight drug lords. He gave the recruiter his address and phone number in Mexico, and the recruiter called him twice a week for the next two years, until he had talked Jesus into convincing his parents to move to California. Fernando and Rose Suarez sold their home and their laundry business and immigrated with their children to Escondigo. He was 17 and a half when he graduated from that school, still too young to enlist on his own, so his father co-signed the enlistment form, as the military requires for underage recruits.
Three years later, at the age of 20, his body was torn apart in Iraq by an American-made fragmentation grenade during the first week of the invasion. In the Pentagon's official Iraq casualty database, his death is number 74.
Would you have given him tuition?
Public schools and universities are funded by state and federal tax dollars. Illegal immigrants are usually not paying either, are they? You only have to look at California to see what happens when you give benefits to far more people than you collect revenue from. This is not about racism, but about simple math.
Let me get this straight.......at the behest of a "recruiter", Hey-Zeus" was able to convince, Fernando & Rose to, not only sell their Home, but, the family business as well.
All based off of the Idea that he was going to come to the U.S., save "his own country"
and WTF are you even talking about?!!
Fernando & Rose were able to just Move right into the States like that?
Heck, if it's so easy, WHY DON'T THEY ALL DO IT?
So Fernando had to sign?
How'd that work? Is Fernando Legal?
I'm guessing not, otherwise, the example sucks even worse.
IF, emphasis on IF,
"Hey-Zeus" became a LEGAL CITIZEN,
HELL NO HE ISN'T ENTITLED TO IN-STATE TUITION.
HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY THINK HE IS?
CITIZENSHIP & The CHANCE to be Educated not enough?
Shame on you.
I hope New York follows suit.
have I Just fathered a Canuck?
Are you an American or a Mexican, cuz "latino" doesn't clarify.
As to your first comment, I'd rather have educated people than non-educated, regardless of status. That bill doesn't cost us Colorado taxpayers any money at all. Those kids were raised here, and if we can grant them the same pay-rates as other kids who reside here, to me, that's good. Those kids, once they graduate, I'd hope would become productive American citizens, paying taxes, buying goods and services that help keep us all employed. I wish we'd have some accelerated way to get those students to become official citizens as well.
Those kids aren't here by choice, and all they want to do is join the American dream, go to college, get a degree, get a good job or start a business, and somewhere between those personal milestones, become an official citizen.
I'll be the first Latino, Native Coloradan, Unaffiliated Voter, to say:
You're not Speaking for Me! nor My Family!
BRAVO to Colorado Lawmakers! From My whole Familia!!