• Migration is Beautiful

    "Meet powerhouse artist/activist Favianna Rodriguez — a leading voice in the movement of artists raising awareness about U.S. immigration issues."

    - I am OTHER

  • Harvest of Empire

    The Untold Story of Latinos in America “We are all Americans of the New World, and our most dangerous enemies are not each other, but the great wall of ignorance between us.”

    Juan González, Harvest of Empire

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Migration is Beautiful | Favianna Rodriguez | I am OTHER

"Meet powerhouse artist/activist Favianna Rodriguez — a leading voice in the movement of artists raising awareness about U.S. ...

Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Saturday, November 3, 2012

President Bill Clinton on Romney's Jeep Ad: "Biggest Load of Bull in the World"


President Bill Clinton on Romney's Jeep Ad: "Biggest Load of Bull in the World"

Jeffrey Toobin, Political Analyst | Smiley & West

Photo Courtesy of PRI

Jeffrey Toobin, CNN legal analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker, goes inside the Supreme Court, as laid out in his new text, The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court. 

Plus, Smiley and West reflect on the final weekend of the presidential campaign before Tuesday's election.

Listen on PRI
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Julian Castro, at the 2012 Democratic National Convention


San Antonio Mayor, Julian Castro, at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in North Carolina giving keynote speech on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.

DNC: Julian Castro - It Starts With Education

Smiley & West features Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and National Lawyers Guild Director Heidi Boghosian

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), National Lawyers Guild executive director Heidi Boghosian, and guitarist Ry Cooder join Smiley and West for their un-Convention-al coverage of the RNC and DNC. Plus, West previews the upcoming Blow the Whistle on Stop-and-Frisk action on September 13th. - Listen -

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Four Fears Blocking U.S. Immigration Reform

by Glenn Robinson
AP Photo/Nati Harnik



The U.S. has always been reluctant about immigrants and immigration policy which continues to delay immigration policy reform.

Here is the current situation:

  1. Businesses want a larger pool of workers to choose from.
  2. Businesses want more consumers to buy their products.
  3. The stock market wants endless growth.

The reluctance now imposes a certain dilemma.

How can there be an endless supply of growth without an endless supply of people?

As the U.S. population grows, the agricultural industry consequently needs to grow to meet the demand to supply food for the nation or the food can be imported (pushing more jobs outside the U.S.) After U.S. slavery was abolished, many agricultural jobs became available when African Americans moved north for manufacturing jobs. New immigrants have filled the positions open in the agricultural industry, but the disrespect to the labor force has never ended.

U.S. immigration policy favors the educated, but we also need labor.

The U.S. fears immigrants, but are the fears rational?

The U.S. Public's Fears
  1. Losing jobs to new immigrants.  
  2. Nation turning brown.
  3. Different cultures.
  4. English disappearing.
Versus

Demands of U.S. Businesses and Consumers

      Businesses' desire for highly skilled workers and low cost labor; along with consumers desire for technological advancement in all industries, consumer's desire for low cost products and low cost services

    Below is a video (jump to 2:30) where our media is trying to make sense of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down 3 of Arizona's SB 1070 anti-immigrant laws and upholding one. Jeff Toobin says he spent the day trying to figure out the difference between the laws that were struck down versus the one that was approved and that it's very hard to tell.

    Keeping this constant grey area in the laws allows business to obtain their discounted labor and the rest of our citizens to continue to scapegoat immigrants as law breakers and as a problem.  

     

    Wednesday, June 13, 2012

    'Selling' Immigration Reform


    I had thought the best way to 'sell' open immigration was to tug at your heart strings, however Mr. Aldrete explains the benefits of immigration via our pocket books. He has the most effective description to 'sell' progressive immigration reform that I have ever heard. -Glenn Robinson

     

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    Glenn is a Eurasian of European heritage married to a Mestiza of Mesoamerican and European heritage . They have two children (made in California.) Glenn is interested in progressive immigration reform, and desegregation. He is a life long learner with interests in sociology, anthropology, psychology, history and politics. Connect to Glenn at CommunityVillage.us

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