http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/
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WILL RESENTMENT OF SPANISH SPEAKERS, LIKE IN ARIZONA, LEAD TO THE ATTEMPTED EXCLUSION OF LOCAL CANDIDATES HERE?
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<i>(Ed.'s note: The ongoing controversy of a candidate for city commission being kept off the ballot in an Arizona town because of her lack of proficiency of English has reverberated locally with the blogosphere and Facebook complaints about candidates with Spanish accents such as Cameron County Justice of the Peace 2-2 candidate Yolanda Begum. The editorial below makes clear that the election of public officials should be left up to the voters in their respective jurisdictions.)</i><br /><br />From: <b>Los Angeles Times </b><br />It began as a local story. <br />Citing a state law requiring public officials to know English, a judge in Arizona ruled that city council candidate Alejandrina Cabrera should be barred from seeking public office because of her limited English skills. But the controversy over Cabrera's eligibility has reverberated nationally, stoking the debate over whether Spanish-speaking immigrants â€" and Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens such as Cabrera â€" are too slow to assimilate.<br />That question is entwined with an issue that has surfaced in the Republican presidential campaign: whether English should be declared the official language of the United States.This week the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a ruling that Cabrera couldn't appear on the ballot in the March 13 election in the city of San Luis, a community near the Mexican border in which most residents speak only Spanish.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiTwAGupUxeeCVLtu0ZMLJbujfvOYyu98SF_zjpsLL42ozYiFwTzjycL_Jv8b8DpBn4cjL90tzUvFM1Jw1nRmKWa2pdV4xpL-x4reHsid9xhyphenhyphenjUVaKDULBAuV90SLt0HJTGXBTGluakI/s1600/english.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiTwAGupUxeeCVLtu0ZMLJbujfvOYyu98SF_zjpsLL42ozYiFwTzjycL_Jv8b8DpBn4cjL90tzUvFM1Jw1nRmKWa2pdV4xpL-x4reHsid9xhyphenhyphenjUVaKDULBAuV90SLt0HJTGXBTGluakI/s400/english.gif" width="400" /></a>The original decision cited tests administered by an Australian sociolinguistics expert and Cabrera's inability to respond to questions posed to her in English at a hearing. Cabrera concedes that she needs to improve her English, but believes her skills are adequate for her to take part in council business. Certainly her problems with English are not an impediment to communicating with potential constituents.<br />But could she participate fully in council meetings â€" or should that body employ translators to help her bridge the language gap?<br /><i>The court made the wrong decision, in our view. Cabrera's fitness for office should be judged by the voters; they must choose who they want to represent them, and there should be as few limitations on that choice as possible. As for the language in which the meetings are conducted, it should be English, although that doesn't mean no member of the council or constituents can ever break into Spanish, or that it would be wrong to provide translators.</i><br />Under the federal Voting Rights Act, ballots are printed in a variety of languages to accommodate voters with poor English skills. In Los Angeles County, election materials are provided not just in Spanish but also in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi, Khmer and Thai.<br />The Cabrera controversy, of course, is not just about Cabrera.<br />It touches on larger issues, such as the continuing debate between those who support bilingual education and those who argue that the best way to help students master English is to enroll them in English immersion classes. Part of that debate is over whether immigrants, and particularly Spanish-speaking immigrants, are isolating themselves and harming their own economic prospects by not learning English.<br /> Is the United States in danger of replicating the experience of linguistically divided countries such as Belgium and Canada?<br />That's the view of many conservatives. In 2004, the late political scientist Samuel Huntington created a sensation with an article arguing that "the single most immediate and most serious challenge to America's traditional identity comes from the immense and continuing immigration from Latin America, especially from Mexico." Huntington worried that Americans were acquiescing "to their eventual transformation into two peoples with two cultures (Anglo and Hispanic) and two languages (English and Spanish)."<br /> That same argument resonated, in cruder terms, in the political arena. Tom Tancredo, a Republican candidate for president in 2008, garnered applause by complaining about having to "press 1 for English." The current crop of Republican presidential candidates all would establish English as the official national language (though Ron Paul would leave it to states whether to print ballots in multiple languages).<br />Such arguments go back at least to Benjamin Franklin, who wrote about the "swarthy" Germans who settled in his state: "Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion."<br />Nativists have continued to warn of the dangers of bilingualism in the United States.<br />To the extent that such fears are now being voiced about Latinos, they are unjustified.<br />A 2007 study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that while only 23 percent of Latino immigrants report being able to speak English very well, the figure rises to 88 percent for their U.S.-born adult children and 94 percent for later generations.<br />There is no reason to believe that communities such as San Luis are impervious to that trend.<br />Whether or not Congress designates it as the United States' "official" language, English is and will remain the national language. And Spanish-speaking Americans, like those who came to this country speaking other languages, have a huge incentive to learn it.<br />But transition takes time, and meanwhile there will be complications and conundrums like the case of Alejandrina Cabrera.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-4249000965598894396?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/will-resentment-about-spanish-accents.html
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BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM STARTED IN BROWNSVILLE, EMULATED ELSEWHERE
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<i>(A local blogger is at it again posting a picture of Catalina Presas-Garcia as if a diabolical plot to take over the world is being hatched from Dallas Texas with Carlos Quintanilla, President of the community grassroots group Accion America that continues to be a strong a very important advocate for children in Texas. In the article below, Quintanilla responds.)</i><br /><div><br /></div><div>By <b>Carlos Quintanilla</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLsXZ3VnvOKo_HuUrlGUc4QYGmtJh9GpZ7qY9HpauW5J-KC3n4VpAyRQ7zkvEGbKe6cG8CFiytqVrLs02zIE9B8B3if155tloKIBaWf3LluH9RXQNLBwxnUD1gtco1jRocUf-yyyhpwk/s1600/presas-garcia+quintanilla.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLsXZ3VnvOKo_HuUrlGUc4QYGmtJh9GpZ7qY9HpauW5J-KC3n4VpAyRQ7zkvEGbKe6cG8CFiytqVrLs02zIE9B8B3if155tloKIBaWf3LluH9RXQNLBwxnUD1gtco1jRocUf-yyyhpwk/s320/presas-garcia+quintanilla.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Accion America</i><br /><br />In the picture there is Dora Rivas who is the pioneer in promoting Breakfast in the Classroom, a program she started here in Brownsville from a simple idea after a local high school principal raised a concern that many of his students were not being fed. </div><div>She then created the program by using everything and anything she could get to feed children. The manner in which food was distributed back then when she was head of food services is very different from what it is today.</div><div>From Brownsville she took the idea to Dallas and throughout the United States and it has become a very important learning tool for children. </div><div>If a child eats breakfast, a nutritional breakfast that they enjoy, the difference in educational achievment is well documented. Children learn more, their attention span is much stronger, and tardiness is reduced significantly because children encourage their parents to hurry up "we want to get to school to get our breakfast".</div><div>I am proof positive because my children say the same thing and most parents who do have children will agree that having Breakfast in the Classroom is a blessing for our children. What is wrong with that?</div><div>You also have Gary Davis the founder of Got Breakfast Foundation that has contributed millions of dollars to feed hungry children throughout the United States and many of those children are Hispanic.<br />Finally, yes that is Caty Presas smiling after having addressed over 55 principals throughout the City of Dallas to encourage them about joining the Breakfast in The Classroom Campaign. Dallas has increased its program from its intitial phase of 7 to now over 58 and the goal is to have all schools involved in the program.<br />Caty Presas was also invited as a special guest of Dr. Dana Bedden at the Singley Academy Achievement Awards. This school is considered to be a national success story that is taking Hispanic children and teaching them skills from culinary arts to architecture and engineering. To to say the least it, was an impressive presentation and a great contact to make.<br />Caty Presas was promoting Brownsville in a very positive way, boasting about its schools, speaking with pride about it's children, talking about great ideas that the board is undertaking and wanting to do.<br />What is wrong with that? What is so diabolical about wanting to make life better for children, by actions and proofs positives?<br />You may say what you want about Carlos Quintanilla. I welcome other Board Members, City Council Members, Bobby Cervantes, Brownsvile Cheezmeh and others to come visit Dallas and see what Accion America is doing, talk to those who are affected by what we do, those that we challenge to correct the problems that exist, and you will hear a very different picture than what a local disgruntled bloggers will post.<br />We invite people to visit our website to learn about the many issues that affect our community, our motto is <i>"Nosotros no hablamos, Nosotros actuamos"</i><br />We thank you Caty Presas for your willingness to help promote a very important project and that is to feed our Children nutrional food and to encouarge alls schools, every principals, each teacher and all parents to join the effort. </div><div>As we speak today Michelle Obama is doing the very same thing that Cata Presas did in that picture, she is promoting healthy eating and Breakfast in the Classroom in Dallas Texas. We hope to do the same thing is Brownsville and will be planning a rally soon to promote healthy eating and Breakfast in the Classroom in the Valley. It is about children and we are doing and not just talking.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-5320484201096991845?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/breakfast-in-classroom-program-started.html
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BOY SCOUTS HELP CITY BALANCE BUDGET: MORE SUBSTITUTIONS PLANNED
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By <b>Juan Montoya</b><br />In a stunning development that came about after this year's Boy Scouts 60th annual takeover of the position of elected city officials, city administration is considering a proposal to not only replace the mayor and the city commissioners with well-meaning teens, but also entire departments.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgqJ_4z1Xrpy3RsXN4trXl6I8QCJUgN00RulkdHcvoi7ptxAMHBd1Bd_5rXA1e70SE_kge1Mowwhc2dxmupOcSWsz1jQkVeAIvzYk7wbKMDNYS5WbslEPEzTYuJ1BL2bykGh64dF5Xs4/s1600/scout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgqJ_4z1Xrpy3RsXN4trXl6I8QCJUgN00RulkdHcvoi7ptxAMHBd1Bd_5rXA1e70SE_kge1Mowwhc2dxmupOcSWsz1jQkVeAIvzYk7wbKMDNYS5WbslEPEzTYuJ1BL2bykGh64dF5Xs4/s320/scout.jpg" width="239" /></a>"If you consider that during the Boy Scout takeover we didn't incur any debt, didn't raise taxes, issue certificates of obligation, approved any ordinances outlawing plastic shopping bags or cigarette butts, or proscribe the consumption of saturated fat, there's merit to the idea," said a proponent. "We could have saved millions in debt if the Scouts had been sitting in the commissioners' seats during the budget preparation."<br />As an illustration of the merit of the proposal, they said, was that while every Scout assigned a commissioner's seat was busy going about the political machinations endemic to city hall politics, the Scout playing the role of mayor â€" like our own virtual mayor â€" Tony Martinez â€" was missing in action.<br />"That's what I mean," gloated one of the proponents of the replacements. "With the Scouts replacing the city manager, the city attorney and his staff, every department head, administrative assistant, and redundant position in the city, we could even make money. Think about it. No one would sue us, and we wouldn't sue anyone. There go the excessive legal costs, the frivolous lawsuits, the martini lunches. We'll be in the black in no time."<br />Proponent are yet unsure whether the current city commission will prove sympathetic to the proposal that might well do away with their plans of mischief. And they are unsure whether city attorney Mark Sossi will, well, sue someone to protect his domain.<br />"Look," said the planner. "Chaos didn't ensue without the city commission. What makes you think it will with the replacement of the administration. There were no fires to put out, no massive traffic jams, no mobs in the streets. In fact, no one except maybe Tad Hasse noticed the difference because it was his Scouts participating. It's a winner, I tell you."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-8579111969022217704?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/boy-scouts-help-city-balance-budget.html
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