Si, se puede
As a native-born U.S. citizen and gay military veteran, I'm embarrassed by those who stand in support of Arizona's new immigration law, and disgusted by comments posted on on-line sources regarding the recent immigration march. The majority of these comments are vile, demeaning and factually ignorant, and nearly all directed toward people of Mexican ancestry. They insult our nation.
LGBT people should understand the anger, loathing and hatred directed toward the Latino and immigrant communities. We know that the majority can never alone be expected to safeguard the interests of marginalized, minority populations. And we certainly know that the police must never be empowered by the state to enforce unjust societal prohibitions against any targeted population that are enacted by the intolerant majority.
I doubt that most of those who oppose Mexican immigrants are aware of past U.S. government-sanctioned campaigns perpetrated against Mexican-appearing people—committed while Americans stood silently and watched: the Mexican Repatriation ( 1929 ) ; Operation Wetback ( 1954 ) ; and the denial of withheld payroll from Mexican workers. How many of our students are taught about the Emancipation and Mercurio deportation ships in school? How many understand that Mexican-born U.S. citizens were rounded up and shipped off to a foreign land without due process?
Do the immigrant haters understand the huge domestic economic engine that immigrants fuel? Do they know that immigrants bring a superior work ethic and deep commitment to family values with them; and that immigrant communities have, by far, lower crime rates than other U.S. communities? How many know that the U.S. Defense Department has cited Hispanic immigrants as a key national-security factor in maintaining our strategic posture? How do we pay homage to Hispanic immigrants, gay and straight alike, who died while in military service to our nation?
A dearth of responsible leaders in Washington today permit these rogue anti-immigrant vigilantes to run amok. Re-instituting a Bracero-type immigrant labor program might help, as well as a rapid implementation of a Ronald Reagan-type pathway to citizenship ( 1986 ) for those non-criminal, undocumented immigrants already here. When pragmatic, progressive voices remain silent, the void will be filled by those espousing reactionary authoritarian views. Inaction isn't an option.
I'll cast my lot with the Mexican-immigrant community over these spiteful haters any day and value the richness that immigrants bring to the fabric of our nation. Si, se puede!
Bob Zuley
Chicago
A taxing situation
Dear Editor,
Increasing our tobacco tax will bring in much-needed revenue while providing vital public health benefits. With our state in dire financial straits, now is the time.
Each year, smoking kills more than 16,500 Illinoisans. Yet 20 percent of our population smokes, and kids are still picking up this dangerous habit. Almost 9 percent of Illinois middle school children smoke.
According to the U.S. surgeon general, the single most effective measure to prevent kids from starting to smoke is to significantly increase the cost of a pack of cigarettes. Higher costs also compel current smokers to quit, particularly in a recession.
Smoking is a leading risk factor for heart disease, and the American Heart Association urges the Illinois General Assembly to increase the state's cigarette tax by a dollar per pack as part of a responsible budget.
This action will save more than 50,000 Illinois residents from premature smoking-related death and ultimately reduce our state's health care costs. Tobacco-related illnesses drain $4 billion annually from our state's economy.
Other states have seen the wisdom behind higher tobacco taxes, particularly in these troubled times. In fact, more than 30 states tax cigarettes at a higher rate than Illinois.
Bottom line, the tobacco tax is the best, most politically palatable revenue option available to policymakers at this time. It generates cash now, saves healthcare costs down the road, and—most importantly—it saves lives.
Kate Clements Cohorst
American Heart Association
