Guest Editorial:
By Ana C. Perez

As a Latina, I am fed up with President Obama’s lack of leadership on immigration reform.

Not addressing immigration head-on contributes to the invisibility of immigrants and fuels an atmosphere of discrimination and hatred against Latinos. This ultimately leads to an increase in hate crimes.

To be fair, Congress is not doing much on this issue, either.

Instead, the deep partisan divide is paralyzing our government and limiting Obama’s ability to lead.

<p><strong>New America Media</strong></p>
<p>Given the jockeying that goes on to get mentioned in a State of the Union speech, it is not surprising that insiders pushing the immigration reform agenda celebrated success. Their issue made it into the speech, reaffirming that the president’s commitment remains alive and well.</p>

<p><strong>78th District</strong></p>
<p>To anyone living in California it should come as no surprise that now, perhaps more than ever, we are faced with immense challenges to our higher education infrastructure. As a lifelong educator I know this isn’t simple rhetoric but a candid assessment of a daunting future that lies ahead not only for our state’s education system, but for California’s economic future.</p>

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<p>To add insult to injury to working America, in came the earnings reports from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. At these mega banks, balance sheets are healthy, profits are up and bonuses for top executives are bigger than ever. JPMorgan Chase just reported $11.7 billion in profits and $26.9 billion in compensation and bonuses. Goldman Sachs made a record-high profit of $13.4 billion in 2009 and is slated to hand out $16.2 billion in compensation and bonuses.</p>

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<p>Hablar de objeción de conciencia en un mundo como el de hoy altamente violento y armamentista parece algo absurdo o fuera de lugar, sin embargo, es sumamente importante recordar lo valioso y amplio que es nuestro derecho a la libertad de conciencia.</p>

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<p>El señor Israel Ortega, vocero del “think tank” neoconservador Heritage Foundation, deplora el estado de la educación en Estados Unidos en su columna del 22 de enero. Su alarma tiene especial resonancia en California, un estado que, a pesar de su relativo poderío económico, compite con los otros estados de la unión por los puestos en los rankings educativos. Pero las supuestas soluciones que aporta son vagas, confusas y claramente erróneas.</p>