Occupy Wall Street Movement Continues...

Over a month ago, Wall Street protestors have said "enough!" That message has resonated across the country and around the world. Occupy Wall Street continues to build, and a national movement of peaceful occupations and civic engagement has sprung up in every corner.

Public officials must listen to the grievances of this popular movement. It is absolutely unacceptable to attempt to dissuade civic engagement through the use of brutality, repression and retaliation against movement participants. This is America. All Americans have the freedom to peacefully protest our government. That right defines who we are as a country and a people, and when it is denied, all of America is the poorer for it.

Last week my team and I searched for students, staff and professors around campus. We had the pleasure of having Karen Vitale teach us important techniques. I certainly was happy to have her teach me and show me how I can be a journalist. I was inspired. I am inspired.

We had some successful interviews, it was a relief to see that there are people out there who act knew what was going on in terms of politics. We interviewed one student who expressed a lot of concern about what the violence that has been inflicted on protestors.

Hundreds packed the streets near Manhattan's Union Square on Wednesday in a march in support of veteran Scott Olsen. At least 10 people were arrested in clashes with officers according to reports by CNN.

The movement seems to be growing despite a recent crackdown in several cities. Authorities made a series of arrests at protests in Oakland and Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Should Americans Support Education for Immigrants

According to the Immigration Policy center, "Each year, approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school, many at the top of their classes, but cannot go to college, join the military, work, or otherwise pursue their dreams. They belong to the 1.5 generation—any (first generation) immigrants brought to the United States at a young age who were largely raised in this country and therefore share much in common with second-generation Americans. These students are culturally American, growing up here and often having little attachment to their country of birth. They tend to be bicultural and fluent in English. Many don’t even know that they are undocumented immigrants until they apply for a driver’s license or college, and then learn they lack Social Security numbers and other necessary legal documents".

Earlier this week undocumented immigrant students in California will be able to receive state-funded financial aid in 2013 to attend college, under a new law signed Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown said the law allows students with high grades who are on a path to citizenship to apply and receive the state aid.

About 2,500 students are projected to receive grants totaling $14.5 million, according to the California Department of Finance. That averages is about to $5,800 per student.

Currently, illegal immigrant students in California must pay resident tuition rates if they graduated from a state high school and are actively seeking to legalize their immigration status, officials said.

The other half of the California Dream Act was signed into law by Brown in July and allows undocumented immigrant students to receive privately funded scholarships administered at public universities and community colleges.

Will American be okay with supporting and providing financial aid to immigrants? Do they deserve an opportunity in the land of the free?

To be continued...

Dream Act and Immigration

President Obama has been in headlines more than ever these past few weeks. Various news outlets have reported that his ratings have gone up and down. The jobless rate is stable 9.1%, many Americans are restful but Obama encourages everyone that there is still hope.

According to CNN Money, "Employers added 103,000 jobs in the month, the Labor Department reported Friday. And July and August were both revised higher, showing an additional gain of 99,000 jobs over the summer". Aside from these headlines the focus of my blog is going to be about the children of America and President Obama's Dream Act.

It is arguable that the United States is revered by other countries as a place of opportunity but studies indicate that the education system will be to the detriment of students in low income neighborhoods and families. This may foreshadow a generation of young American children that may not stand a chance against more affluent children raised in different neighborhoods and families. School should be an institution to promote intellectual growth and socialization. It is arguable that school is a model of the adult world and if poor children do not have a fighting chance to obtain knowledge from school it may lead to failure in higher levels of education and the adult world.

Colleges and or employers look at mediocre grades should not be accepted into college or eligible for a job position. However, some of the most intelligent kids that have been successful figures in history today that have grown up poor are people such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Albert Einstien to more modern figures such as David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey.

These influences stood a chance in society and the young children in income neighbors will be subjected to judgement from peers, parents and other social groups that they will perform well or succeed but there are oppurtunites available such as grants and scholarships to receive a decent education but there are too few oppurtunities available to help the children.

I will be following efforts to make the Dream Act come true along with following reports on immigration.