Support Obama's Immigration Initiative

Obama issued an Executive Order on November 20^th this year hoping to move towards fixing the broken immigration system we have within this country. The order insists on helping illegal immigrants that have been living in the country illegally. There has been talk about retaliation from the Republican-dominated senate in an attempt to halt the Presidents efforts. They’ve taken to referring to the President as an Emperor and claim that his actions are unlawful and unconstitutional.

Now, I do understand that legislation should be required to commit the country to such a policy, but rather that the sheer opposition that has been found in some more radical members of the GOP, House Speaker Boehner, for example, they should take a step back and attempt to work together and form a compromise. I fear that the Republican majority may seek to completely dismantle Obama’s efforts, which arguably, could result in more controlled immigration. It has been roughly estimated that there are around 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Obama wants to move focus to national security and public safety rather than focusing resources on deporting citizens who abide by the law. Citizens who pass background checks, pay taxes, have been living in the country more than five years, and have children who are United States citizens would be allowed to stay. The majority of voters support Obama’s initiative and even some Republicans are not in abhorrent opposition of it.

Being a Hispanic-American who grew up about 10 miles from the border to Mexico, I may be somewhat biased. The illegal immigrants I’ve known are amongst the hardest working people I've ever met, and they, for the most part, work to give their children and families a better life. They love this country and what it stands for, possibly more so than some native born Americans. I just urge our government to support Obama in trying to give them a better chance.

Peer Blog Critique: "Gas under 3$ Nationwide"

          Maybe I just don’t watch the news enough, but I had no idea that the average gasoline price for the nation hadn't been below $3.00 per gallon in four years. What struck me about this article is that I had noticed a similar feeling of astonishment in my recent trips to the pump, which is awesome. The explanation of why the gas prices had risen and fallen is great and easy to understand for someone who is not very well read up on the subject. The only part of the article that I questioned, for lack of a better word, was that the reduced price of gasoline would save the average person only $50 per year. When I thought about my personal usage I thought it would amount to more than that, but in the future, a cited source would quickly clear up the air. All in all it’s a good commentary, and I’m happy to hear that prices are only going to continue dropping in the coming year!