Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2011)
September2i.20H______________ Minority & Small Business Week________________Pa& 11 Family Matters for Gov. Martinez Wrong-headed logic would take away her citizenship by L ee A. D aniels N ew M e x ic o ’s new R e p u b lic a n G o v e rn o r S u sa n a M a rtin ez has drawn significant national attention not only because she’s the first Latina to hold that high office in the U.S., but also because she’s pushed a hard-line against undocum ented im m igrants— most of whom, of course, are from Latin America. She has opposed passage o f the DREAM ACT, and has made repeal of a New Mexico law allowing undocu mented immigrants to get state drivers licenses (the law also requires that they register their cars and buy automobile insurance) a centerpiece of her political platform. Now, Martinez has drawn even more attention for another, family-related rea son: In the 1920s her paternal grandfa ther, and perhaps her paternal grand mother as well, crossed the Mexican border into the United States without the proper papers. In other words, at least one of them was an undocumented im migrant. The Governor tersely acknowl edged her complicated family heri tage last week after news reports of the possibility had been swirling for weeks, and local news organization’s check of the 1930 census did not find her grandfather’s name listed. ‘I know they arrived without docu ments, especially my father’s father,” the Governor said in an interview in Spanish with the Albuquerque affiliate ofUnivision. She later issued a statement that her paternal grandfather had abandoned her family when his father was a year old, and that she has never met him. “Frankly, I am an American citizen,” she later said to another television station ’ s reporters. “I have been elected governor and it is my job to do New Mexicans’ jobs ... to do what they’re asking me to do ... I’m fighting to repeal a law that makes people in our state unsafe ... that makes our countiy unsafe.” There is no question that Martinez, who was bom in El Paso, Texas, has lived her entire life in America; gradu ated from the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma law school; served three terms as a popular, elected though bom in the U.S., are, in their parlance, themselves “illegal” and not eligible for any of the benefits of Ameri can citizenship. Applying that wrong headed logic to the case of Susana Martinez would mean that she has never been an American citizen. But Susana Martinez has always been I ’m fighting to repeal a law that makes people in our state unsafe ... that makes our country unsafe. - New Mexico’s Governor Susana M artinez I prosecutor in her adopted state; won the an American citizen, and she has used popular vote for the G overnor’s office; her matriculation at two of the finest and has already been mentioned as a public universities in America to forge an rising Republican star. already estimable career in public service. And yet, according to the stance of the Isn’t it fortunate, for her and the citizens of conservative immigration hardliners who New Mexico, that in her case at least, opposed the DREAM Act and who want some of the immigration policies she advo to repeal the “birthright citizenship” pro cates are not the law of the land? vision of the Fourteenth Amendment to Lee A. Daniels is Director o f Com the Constitution, the children (and grand munications fo r the NAACP Legal De children) of undocumented immigrants, fense and Educational Fund. Economy Takes Its Toll: America gets poorer Poverty should be a priority for government by G reg M athis We don’t need a study or news report to tell us the economy has taken its toll on the average American. Indeed, many people need only to look at their dwindling bank ac counts to know that the country isn’t any better off financially than it was two years ago. News reports and studies do, how ever, help paint a broader picture so that we may all understand just how deep this recession goes. The most recent report on Americans and their income, released by the Census Bureau, reveals that the number of people in this country living in poverty has reached its highest level in 51 years. One in six Americans, over 14-per- cent o f the population, are currently liv ing below the federal poverty level. Ad ditionally, over 20-percent of the nation’s children live in poverty and, in what may be a surprise to many, much of that is being fueled by an increase in poverty among white Americans. These numbers tells us that pov erty can no longer be dismissed as an inner city or rural problem: it affects Americans in cities and suburbs, w hether they be black, white or Latino. Those who were, before the recession, struggling financially are no better off than they were before, and the middle class is sliding into poverty with them. The data stands in sharp contrast to a report that revealed 25 of the nation’s top com panies paid more to their chief executives than they did in federal taxes: Verizon paid its top dog Ivan Seidenberg $18.1 m illion and received a $705 m illion refund; eB ay’s CEO John Donahoe earned $12.4 million and the com pany banked a $131 m il lion tax refund. Multi-billion dollar corporations are using federal loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. To add insult to injury, the refunds they receive are rein vested back into their companies instead of being used to create jobs and shore up the economy. This isn’t the first time corporations have appeared to win out over average A m ericans: the federal governm ent Saving entire industries from financial bailed out the banking and auto indus ruin was a necessary step. That point tries, costing taxpayers several hundreds cannot be argued. But the federal gov of billions of dollars. ernment must also work to save families With so much money spent, it is not from financial ruin. unreasonable to expect these industries Pulling families out of poverty must be would have created more jobs or com a key priority of our government. munity initiatives. Instead, taxpayers stand Judge Mathis is a longtime advo to lose over $14 billion of the money cate fo r equal justice. His life story' of spent and, on a personal level, have very a street youth who rose from jail to little to show for it. judge has provided hope to millions. AFFO RDABLE FULL LOCKSMITH - SERVICE RE-KEY AND INSTALL LOCKS LOCKED OUT?-WE MAKE KEYS FROM SCRATCH HOUSE, OFFICE OR CAR Two Locations: Portland 503-284-9582 Oregon City 503-656-2116 Serving Portland/Metro area (N, NE, SE, SW & NW)
