Hope for the Holidays

For many, hope is the word this holiday.

On the topic of immigration reform, the New York Times chimes in:

It's way too early to tell whether the United States under President-elect Barack Obama will restore realism, sanity and lawfulness to its immigration system. But it's never too early to hope, and the stars seem to be lining up, at least among his cabinet nominees.

The Center for Community Change has a new video out, asking what communities are hoping for in the new year. Much of the hope hinges on a call for real immigration reform, not raids:

The San Diego Press (La Prensa San Diego) is running an opinion piece entitled, "A New Era of Hope for Comprehensive Immigration Reform," by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. The piece details the many costly failures of Bush-era immigration policy:

Three years ago at this time of year, the Republican-controlled House had just passed H.R. 4437, a bill that would have amounted to the most restrictive immigration legislation in generations and which sparked huge demonstrations nationwide. Two years ago, the first in the new era of workplace raids unfolded at jobsites just in time for the holiday season. This year has seen more raids, more separation of families, continued bureaucratic processing delays, and a legal immigration system unresponsive to the reality facing families, employers, and individuals.

But it, too, strikes a chord of aggressive hope at the end:

President-elect Obama's cabinet nominations reflect a desire to make significant progress on immigration reform. Nominating people like [...] Gov. Janet Napolitano (Secretary of Homeland Security), Gov. Bill Richardson (Secretary of Commerce), [...] Rep. Hilda Solis (Secretary of Labor), indicates he and his Administration are serious about working with Congress to deliver comprehensive immigration reform for the American people.

...2008 also saw an election where immigrant and Latino voters turned out to vote for change in record numbers. The tired politics of immigrant bashing once again failed to deliver for firebrand politicians.

...Now it is up to people of conscience to hold our elected representatives accountable and demand immigration reform that benefits the American people, America's economic and homeland security, and moves us towards a new era of recognizing that immigration is not a source of weakness for America, it is a sign of our strength.

On that note, happy and hopeful holidays to all!

Comments

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12-31-08 By Dustin Y(California,USA)

Some people need payday loans the most during the holiday season. There’s been a lot of complaining that the holidays are getting way too commercialized, in that the sole focus has to do with buying stuff for people. Some say that shopping is the only thing that the holidays are all about, and a lot of people have been airing those grievances for a long time. Since necessity is the mother of invention, a while ago there was a new holiday that got an auspicious debut on TV, in an episode of the legendary sitcom Seinfeld. The father of one of the show’s characters, in an act of protesting the normal holidays, created a new one � Festivus, a Festivus for the rest of us. In lieu of a tree, you put up an aluminum pole. After the Festivus dinner, you air your grievances, by telling your family all the ways they’ve let you down over the past year, and then Festivus ends with the Feats of Strength, which can be anything from a hula hoop or thumb wrestling tournament, to a full out all family brawl. For more about The Festivus for the Rest of Us, check out this article on the <a >payday loan</a> blog. And maybe you should calendar it for next year.