New Immigration Law in Arizona

Recently, the governor of Arizona signed a bill into law that is suppose to cut down on illegal immigration, and punish those who are in America illegally. Many fear that the bill has gone too far by making it legal for police officers to racially profile, while others say that the bill is long overdue. The law will allow police to detain anyone that they suspect is an illegal alien, arrest and/or fine someone who is not able to show US identification, and arrest any legal citizens who hire or transport workers who are undocumented. According to Governor Brewer of Arizona, the federal government has failed in coming up with a solution to the immigration problem. The law has come under fire from President Obama, former governor Jeb Bush, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and many other politicians, organizations, and citizens, republican and democrat alike. There has even been talk of an Arizona boycott. The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, said that the government of Mexico "will use everything in its power to defend the rights of Mexicans who are affected by this legislation."
In my opinion, this law goes too far. It is no secret that police forces across America are accused of racially profiling. Claims of being racially profiled are not hard to find on the news, or in conversations with minorities. I myself have heard several upsetting stories of being profiled based on race from my friends and other people that I have met. I am not saying that all police officers, or all police forces use racial profiling, but I think there are many that do use it. By having a law that seems to encourage racial profiling, I don't see how arresting someone, pulling someone over, or harassment, upon the basis of race can be avoided. I wonder how this law will affect Hispanics who are here legally, and even those who were born in the United States. I think that the impacts of this law will be interesting and upsetting to see in the future. I hope that other states don't follow Arizona's example. Maybe we need to remember that besides American Indians, we were all originally illegal aliens too.

Community Leaders

Despite the fact that that most of my friends live in other cities, and that I go to church in Big Lake, go to school in Coon Rapids, and played soccer for Monticello, I have always been a part of the Elk River Community, where I have lived all my life. Just recently I became connected to the people of Elk River through my job, where I work with citizens of Elk River and their children on a regular basis. However, I have always considered Elk River as one of my primary communities. I was never too interested in politics and stuff like that going on in Elk River, but I have learned who some of the leaders of Elk River are. Stephanie Klinzing is the mayor, while Nick Zerwas, Jerry Gumphry, Matt Westhaard, and Paul Motin are the city council members. I was able to reach city council member, Jerry Gumphrey, who said that a few of the main things that they (the mayor and city council) are focusing on right now is the expansion of the landfill in Elk River, budget cuts to the city, and a construction project in downtown Elk River and along Highway 10. According to Gumphrey, the budget cuts are due to the recent economic crisis facing Minnesota and the rest of the country. Those cuts will impact services like fixing roads, snow plowing during the winter, and programs and parks used for recreation. He mentioned that this could lead to a rise in taxes in the Elk River area, which is a concern to many. Not only is the city having to make cuts, but the school district is as well.

Food Revolution!

A week ago today, the show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, kicked off on ABC. Jamie Oliver is a chef from Britain known for his cook books, and a few tv shows about getting British schools back to eating healthy. He is particularily good at making great tasteing recipes that are simple enough for the average person to make successfully, and at using simple ingredient that everyone will have in their kitchen. His new show seeks to reintroduce healthy, wholesome foods into home, work, and school kitchens. He started his journey in Huntington, West Virginia, which has been recently labeled the unhealthiest city in America. He began by cooking in a local school, and trying to convince the school's administration to letting him cook meals with wholesome foods rather than a bunch of processed ingredients. Previously, the school had been serving pizza, chicken nuggets, processed potatoes, and other junk foods. When Oliver took over, he gave the kids veggies, rice, and chicken, for one meal anyway. While watching, I was so surprised at the negative response that many of the other cooks gave him, and even the lady in charge of the meals in the school district. They were really down on the fact that the meals were a little more tedious to prep and that the kids were at first skeptical. It surprises me that people would value time and their kids tastebuds more than their childrens health. I understand that many families feel that they don't have the time or the income to provide their kids with good meals that they will actually eat, but Oliver is proving that you don't need a lot of fancy foods or money to make healthy, tasty meals. America has become one of the most unhealthy nation in the world, not because of a lack of good food, but rather because of an excess of bad food, and a lie that eating healthy is just way too hard. The generation growing up now is the first generation in American history who have a shorter life expectancy than their parents did. I really hate reality TV, it is never close to reality. But Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is very real and the implication for eating healthier could be real for millions of Americans. Something definitely needs to change so that America can go back to the basics of food and just live healthier lives

Obama's Drilling Plan

This past Wednesday President Obama discussed his plans for off shore drilling, stirring up both conservatives and liberals. Many liberals are upset with the plan because drilling could potentially harm the environment and marine life. They argue that off shore drilling will not solve the problem of America's dependence on foreign oil, but instead will supply a short term fix. Many conservatives on the other hand say that the President's plan will not go far enough in securing a break away from foreign oil. Some even question if the plan will be followed through by Obama. The plan would seek to make parts of the South Atlantic coastline, Gulf of Mexico, and Northern Alaskan Chukchi Sea available for drilling. Part of this plan was taken from the Bush administration, but Bristol Bay in Alaska, which was part of Bush's original plan, would not be opened with Obama's plan. An estimated 3 years supply of oil and natural gas could be gained by this plan. Many critics are saying that the tiny amount of oil is not worth the long term environmental consequences.

I am not really sure what to think of this plan. Considering the fact that America only has 2 percent of the worlds supply of oil, but uses 20 percent of that supply, something needs to be done if we are going to wean ourselves off of foreign oil. I am not sure if drilling is the answer, since we could not sustain ourselves anyway for very long, but I do realize that drilling is an answer. It will take more than this one plan though, which I know Obama realizes. Since America has so little a supply of oil, if we want to be independent when it comes to that, we also need to look into other forms of energy. I hope that if nothing else, this plan will open up dialogue in Washington among both liberals and conservatives, perhaps becoming a catalyst for other plans to be debated about and considered. Or maybe I am just being way too naive....

Blog #4

Last April, after working for 20 years for the same company, my dad was laid off. I had not really begun to understand what the economic down turn would mean for Americans, let alone myself, until my dad was laid off. What hit my family the hardest I think was the fact that it was so unexpected. Even though my dad had heard rumors at his company, Wagner Spraytech, that there would be lay offs, we never imagined that he would be one of them, especially since he had been with the company for so long, and had always been well liked. Part of the reason why his company had to lay off some of their employees was because they have strong ties to the housing industry. Wagner builds spray guns and some other household stuff for painting, so as not as many houses were selling or being built, Wagner had to down size. It took my dad about 7 months to get back to work, after submitting applications to probably 75 different companies, almost all replying that they just weren't hiring. I think one of the major things we had to deal with, besides financial stresses, was just being discouraged. After applying to so many places, and being "overqualified" for the jobs that were open, my dad was considering switching careers. My dad now is in a job that is extremely different than the one he left. For one, the work he is doing is not as difficult as the work he was doing at Wagner. He has 30 years of experience and is working in a job that only requires about 5. He has taken a huge cut in pay, and for a while my family was thinking about selling our house. I can definitely identify with those who struggle financially, and especially with those who have lost their jobs and simply can't find one. I just hope that we will pull out of this recession soon, before too many more people become "overqualified" for their jobs.

Blog #3 In the Community

The city of Elk River is a pretty large community when it comes to finding a place where losts of people go. The local Dunn Brothers is pretty popular though, especially amoung highshcool kids after school. Walking into the coffee shop, an area with a few computers is to the left, while the main sitting area with tables and comfy chairs is to the right and straight ahead. There is a mural on the wall behind the counter, of what must be people picking or carrying coffee beans. The atmosphere is very laid back, I'd say the type of space is incidental. Mostly the people who come in to Dunn Bros. randomly come in at certain times. Of course there are the regulars though.

A few people were discussing politics, specificlly the economy and the national debt. They also talked about the health care situation and what should be done. When asked what their concerns were politically, they mentioned that they didn't want their kids to pay in the future for what is going on now. Two other younger people, Alyse and Emily, were talking about college. They talked about what they were looking forward to in the coming year after highschool, and how they were paying for college. Mostly, a gathering place like Dunn Bros. is very relaxed. A few older women were there, just catching up on old times. Whether these people were pessimistic or optimistic, it really depends on the person. The people discussing politics tended to be more pessimistc. They didn't really feel that things are going well, and didn't really think they would look better for a while. The highschool students were both, optimistic about their exciting first year of college, and pessimistic that they would have such a tough time paying for college. The women who met each other only talked about their past and their families, for the most part they seemed pretty optimistic. There are various ways people feel about the community right now, they all have different opinions based on their situations.

Blog 2

After observing my work community and searching for answers, I learned a lot about the place I work at and the people I work with. I work at a gym in the child care facility about 15 to 20 hours a week. I work with about 20 people who have very different circumstances, despite their similar demographics. One of the main concerns of the people I work with is also a very obvious one. Many of them are either parents with young kids, or students about to attend college, so their concerns are normally with how much they are getting paid and how it is stretching for their families and futures. Recently we had to cope with budget cuts, which translated into raises being put on hold. This was especially upsetting for those who were employees for a long time, and were due for a raise. At first we were told that the raises might be coming in the summer, but now we know that that won't be happening This frustrates many people in the community that I work in. The people that work at the child care do a really good job, and rarely get complaints. They work hard to make sure all the kids are safe and happy, and engage the children at the same time in activities. Many of the employees feel bitter toward the company for not getting their raises, but they don’t let it affect their work. Many of my fellow employees have taken on second jobs to make up the difference. Many of them still worry that the job at the gym will not be enough. Despite these concerns, employees remain optimistic and friendly with members and their kids. I don’t think that the people I work with have very much respect or loyalty to our place of work, but they are very loyal to the members who bring in their kids every week.