Commentary

The Criminalization of America

TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS

Sweetwater Union High School District supertinendent, Jesus Gandara finally got it right with his welcome back to school speech. Last year he spent thousands of dollars renting a big old church and over the top productions. This year he did a television broadcast into the schools.

Open Markets, Improve Economy

It’s no secret that our economy is hurting. Here in Washington, the response has been predictable: increase federal spending. Beginning last fall and continuing through the spring, Congress has been spending at a feverish pace, highlighted by two massively expensive “stimulus bills” with a combined price tag of almost $1 trillion.
Unfortunately, it’s not working.

Attacks on Sotomayor unwarranted

I’m baffled that some Republicans have viciously attacked Judge Sonia Sotomayor.
 Too often I’ve heard Republicans talk about the lack of the so-called Protestant work ethic in minority communities and how if only poor minorities worked harder, pursued higher education and stopped depending on government welfare programs, then they, too, could achieve the American Dream.

The Budget and California’s Future

With this year’s unprecedented drop in state revenues, policymakers were forced to confront the problem of preserving programs and services that the public values – like affordable higher education and state parks – using the extremely limited resources at our disposal.
 We recognize the need to reduce spending; however, we do not believe it is in the state’s best interests, either financially or morally, to eliminate entire programs.

Cultural Competency is Critical to Health Reform

Foreign travel can be quite frustrating if you don’t know the language. Ordering food can resemble a game of charades, replete with wild hand gestures and grunting noises. Simply getting directions from a local can become an exercise in futility.
 The frustration associated with an overseas trip is generally worth it, though.