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"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Ballot initiative on immigration for Virginia too?
Posted by:
Hugh
()
Date: April 30, 2010 08:34AM
Sheriff, lawmaker push for
immigration ballot issue
They plan to take matter directly to voters
By Lauren Pack, Josh Sweigart and Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writers
Updated 2:17 AM Friday, April 30, 2010
HAMILTON — In response to the Ohio governor’s vow to veto any Arizona-like immigration legislation, Butler County’s sheriff and a local lawmaker say they will take the issue directly to voters.
Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced Thursday, April 29, he will spearhead efforts to have a statewide “citizens initiative” placed on the ballot for Ohio immigration reform.
Fearing recent letters he sent jointly with state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, to Ohio leaders won’t be enough to get immigration reform on the “fast track” for Ohio, Jones said he wants the voters to decide the issue in November.
“Our federal government has let us down on immigration reform,” Jones said in a prepared statement. “I’m afraid our state legislature may not want to act on it either ... If the majority of voters in Ohio want it done, it’s probably going to have to be their initiative to be the driving force.”
“If the governor doesn’t want to stand up to illegal immigrants and the drug trafficking coming out of Mexico, then we’ll take it to the people,” Combs said.
Jones and Combs appeared Thursday on the Neil Cavuto show on Fox News to discuss their proposal.
The issue concerns many of Butler County’s estimated 363,184 Hispanics. That number is up 9.2 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Juan Martinez, 15, of Hamilton says some families here legally may return to Mexico out of fear of harassment if the bill passes.
“If they allow the new law, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Martinez, who has lived in Hamilton for three years.
And while Jones said pulling together an effort by November won’t be easy, state officials say it may be nearly impossible.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, there are two ways to enact citizen-driven legislation: an amendment to the state constitution and a citizens initiative.
A constitutional amendment would require 402,275 valid signatures from 44 counties by the end of June to get on this November’s ballot. A citizens initiative couldn’t go on the ballot until November 2011, because it must first go to the General Assembly next year, according to the state. If lawmakers didn’t act on it, it could then go on the ballot after more signatures were collected.
It would require 120,683 signatures from half of the state’s 88 counties by the end of the year to get that process started, according to the state.
Getting immigration reform on state ballot faces hurdles
While national attention was focused Thursday, April 29, on Butler County’s sheriff and a state lawmaker pledging to take an Arizona-like immigration law to voters via ballot initiative, it’s unclear exactly what their proposal would be.
And those details will be closely scrutinized by area Spanish-speaking residents who worry an immigration initiative will cause police to harass those who are here legally and illegally.
In a letter to the state earlier this week, Sheriff Richard K. Jones and state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, called for legislation that “mirrors” the controversial Arizona law that makes being in the country illegally a state violation. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said he would veto any such measure.
In drafting a petition to take directly to voters, Combs said he favors a law that allows local law enforcement to question people about their immigration status if they’re involved in some other criminal activity.
He’s not sure if he would prefer to make being in the country illegal a state violation as Arizona did or allow officers to take illegal immigrants into custody and hand them over to federal authorities.
As for the cost of the measure — local law enforcement agencies are strapped for cash with their current duties; Jones just announced 10 layoffs in his office this week — that also has to be worked out. But Combs believes any cost to police will be offset in other areas.
“I think you’d have to look at what are the your savings in health care, in school systems,” he said. “If they do it correctly, there could be financial savings to the local authorities.”
Plus, he said, the cost would diminish as illegal immigrants left the state for one with more lax laws, or went home.
Hispanic community has fears
Benito Berrios, 35, of Middletown, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said he’s concerned about the impact the bill would have on other Latinos in the community.
“Other Hispanics come here for a better life and a better education for their kids. But it seems like that’s closing and is not supported in a place that’s supposed to be the land of opportunity,” Berrios said.
Francisco Salas, 56, who has lived in Middletown for 3½ years, urged lawmakers to view Spanish-speaking residents and their families, including those here illegally, as they would others in the community.
“We should all have equal rights as human beings and not looked at separately. We should be looked at all the same and not differently,” said Salas, who is from Puerto Rico.
“I don’t think they have no feelings. How can you love your family when there are other families that you’re destroying,” Salas said.
Combs said concerns about a law leading to racial profiling doesn’t “hold water,” because racial profiling is against the law and he simply doesn’t believe that’s something police officers do.
Change won’t be easy
Jones said he acknowledges that to get any citizen initiative for immigration reform ready and placed on the ballot for November won’t be easy.
“There are lots of legal papers to file, thousands and thousands of signatures on petitions to collect, and you have to get the word out to everyone,” he said. “I also expect the effort will be highly contested by those who maybe just want to wait for the federal government to act. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
“There is no way I can personally do this,” Jones added. “But, I know there are firms out there who specialize in all aspects of these types of initiatives. They have all the resources available to accomplish this task. I have already made some preliminary contacts, and plan to do whatever I can to get this ball rolling.”
Strickland said on Wednesday, April 28, that he wouldn’t sign into law an immigration control measure like the one that just went into effect in Arizona.
Find this article at:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/sheriff-lawmaker-push-for-immigration-ballot-issue-678922.html
Print this page Close
They plan to take matter directly to voters
By Lauren Pack, Josh Sweigart and Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writers
Updated 2:17 AM Friday, April 30, 2010
HAMILTON — In response to the Ohio governor’s vow to veto any Arizona-like immigration legislation, Butler County’s sheriff and a local lawmaker say they will take the issue directly to voters.
Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced Thursday, April 29, he will spearhead efforts to have a statewide “citizens initiative” placed on the ballot for Ohio immigration reform.
Fearing recent letters he sent jointly with state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, to Ohio leaders won’t be enough to get immigration reform on the “fast track” for Ohio, Jones said he wants the voters to decide the issue in November.
“Our federal government has let us down on immigration reform,” Jones said in a prepared statement. “I’m afraid our state legislature may not want to act on it either ... If the majority of voters in Ohio want it done, it’s probably going to have to be their initiative to be the driving force.”
“If the governor doesn’t want to stand up to illegal immigrants and the drug trafficking coming out of Mexico, then we’ll take it to the people,” Combs said.
Jones and Combs appeared Thursday on the Neil Cavuto show on Fox News to discuss their proposal.
The issue concerns many of Butler County’s estimated 363,184 Hispanics. That number is up 9.2 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Juan Martinez, 15, of Hamilton says some families here legally may return to Mexico out of fear of harassment if the bill passes.
“If they allow the new law, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Martinez, who has lived in Hamilton for three years.
And while Jones said pulling together an effort by November won’t be easy, state officials say it may be nearly impossible.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, there are two ways to enact citizen-driven legislation: an amendment to the state constitution and a citizens initiative.
A constitutional amendment would require 402,275 valid signatures from 44 counties by the end of June to get on this November’s ballot. A citizens initiative couldn’t go on the ballot until November 2011, because it must first go to the General Assembly next year, according to the state. If lawmakers didn’t act on it, it could then go on the ballot after more signatures were collected.
It would require 120,683 signatures from half of the state’s 88 counties by the end of the year to get that process started, according to the state.
Getting immigration reform on state ballot faces hurdles
While national attention was focused Thursday, April 29, on Butler County’s sheriff and a state lawmaker pledging to take an Arizona-like immigration law to voters via ballot initiative, it’s unclear exactly what their proposal would be.
And those details will be closely scrutinized by area Spanish-speaking residents who worry an immigration initiative will cause police to harass those who are here legally and illegally.
In a letter to the state earlier this week, Sheriff Richard K. Jones and state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, called for legislation that “mirrors” the controversial Arizona law that makes being in the country illegally a state violation. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said he would veto any such measure.
In drafting a petition to take directly to voters, Combs said he favors a law that allows local law enforcement to question people about their immigration status if they’re involved in some other criminal activity.
He’s not sure if he would prefer to make being in the country illegal a state violation as Arizona did or allow officers to take illegal immigrants into custody and hand them over to federal authorities.
As for the cost of the measure — local law enforcement agencies are strapped for cash with their current duties; Jones just announced 10 layoffs in his office this week — that also has to be worked out. But Combs believes any cost to police will be offset in other areas.
“I think you’d have to look at what are the your savings in health care, in school systems,” he said. “If they do it correctly, there could be financial savings to the local authorities.”
Plus, he said, the cost would diminish as illegal immigrants left the state for one with more lax laws, or went home.
Hispanic community has fears
Benito Berrios, 35, of Middletown, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said he’s concerned about the impact the bill would have on other Latinos in the community.
“Other Hispanics come here for a better life and a better education for their kids. But it seems like that’s closing and is not supported in a place that’s supposed to be the land of opportunity,” Berrios said.
Francisco Salas, 56, who has lived in Middletown for 3½ years, urged lawmakers to view Spanish-speaking residents and their families, including those here illegally, as they would others in the community.
“We should all have equal rights as human beings and not looked at separately. We should be looked at all the same and not differently,” said Salas, who is from Puerto Rico.
“I don’t think they have no feelings. How can you love your family when there are other families that you’re destroying,” Salas said.
Combs said concerns about a law leading to racial profiling doesn’t “hold water,” because racial profiling is against the law and he simply doesn’t believe that’s something police officers do.
Change won’t be easy
Jones said he acknowledges that to get any citizen initiative for immigration reform ready and placed on the ballot for November won’t be easy.
“There are lots of legal papers to file, thousands and thousands of signatures on petitions to collect, and you have to get the word out to everyone,” he said. “I also expect the effort will be highly contested by those who maybe just want to wait for the federal government to act. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
“There is no way I can personally do this,” Jones added. “But, I know there are firms out there who specialize in all aspects of these types of initiatives. They have all the resources available to accomplish this task. I have already made some preliminary contacts, and plan to do whatever I can to get this ball rolling.”
Strickland said on Wednesday, April 28, that he wouldn’t sign into law an immigration control measure like the one that just went into effect in Arizona.
Find this article at:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/sheriff-lawmaker-push-for-immigration-ballot-issue-678922.html
Print this page Close
Re: Ballot initiative on immigration for Virginia too?
Posted by:
Gravis
()
Date: April 30, 2010 02:51PM
"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
Re: Ballot initiative on immigration for Virginia too?
Posted by:
MrMephisto
()
Date: April 30, 2010 02:53PM
Gravis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tl;dr
The gist of it is, Ohio doesn't want any Mexicans either.
--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.
-------------------------------------------------------
> tl;dr
The gist of it is, Ohio doesn't want any Mexicans either.
--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.