Big Education: Weekend Read

Economic journalist Ed Rubenstein's latest hot-off-the-press monograph is titled, The Burden of Plyler v. Doe.

Overview: "Public education is the largest expense state and local governments incur on behalf of illegal aliens. It has been estimated that immigration will account for 96 percent of the increase in the school-age population in the United States over the next 50 years. Illegal aliens will account for as much as half of the increase.

In 1982, in the Plyler v. Doe decision, the United States Supreme Court struck down a Texas statute denying funding for education to children who were illegal immigrants. Most legal scholars see Pyler v. Doe as a naked usurpation of Congressional powers - an attempt to make up for the legislative branch's inability or unwillingness to deal with the illegal alien problem. It stands as a monument to judicial activism.

This article explores the tremendous fiscal cost associated with bilingual education and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs."

It's meaty and informative.

Update: Here's an op ed version of this piece, tying it to Arizona.

Alert: Puerto Rico Statehood Bill

From Phyllis Schlafly and Eagle Forum: House Votes TODAY: Time to add a 51st star? The House votes around 2:00 PM TODAY. Call your Representative NOW and tell him to vote NO on H.R. 2499!

A few hours remain for you to light up phones to stop the stealth Puerto Rican statehood bill! We alerted you at the beginning of the week that the House would vote on the Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) - a bill that rigs the referendum process to favor Puerto Rico being admitted as the 51st state - but, there is still time to get your phone calls into your representative's office!

This issue was put in the national spotlight yesterday, when national news radio and TV host Glenn Beck sounded the alarm on the stealth Puerto Rican statehood lobby and explained why this bill must be voted down and defeated today on the House floor:

LISTEN to Glenn Beck interview Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) on Puerto Rican statehood and the Fundamental Transformation of America. (See below.)

TAKE ACTION!

This an information-only alert, so we ask that you take a few moments today to pick up the phone and CALL your representative and tell him to VOTE NO on H.R. 2499 today! Just a few hundred calls into the key target offices will bring down this bill! This vote will be close, so it is critical that your elected officials hear from their constituents. Even though it may not seem so, phone calls and constituent input does matter, especially to this list of Republicans.

Please check this list of target Republican Members of Congress to see if your representative is listed. If so, call them!

In addition, the following Republicans also need grassroots pressure to vote NO:

Boustany (LA)
Brown-Waite (FL)
Castle (DE)
Dent (PA)
Diaz-Balart, Lincoln (FL)
Diaz-Balart, Mario (FL)
LaTourette (OH)
McCarthy (CA)
Mica (FL)
Miller (MI)
Nunes (CA)
Paul (TX)
Posey (FL)
Rogers (AL)
Ros-Lehtinen (FL)
Smith (NJ)
Terry (NE)
Walden (OR)
Young (AK)

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121



Update on the vote is here.

Maybe a Fedora is in Order

It's a high calling to needle lowlifes, no?

Translation: My latest contribution to Big Journalism where the editor dons a sporty fedora.

This radio jock did apologize but still ...

Warning: Skanky comment alert.

Puerto Rico: No Longer a Commonwealth?

Ann Shibler has done a very fine job explaining all the ramifications of the so-called Puerto Rico statehood bill which Congress will soon be taking a position on, and, which, of course benefits Democrats.

She writes: "The United States House of Representatives is set to vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, as early as this week. This bill would mandate a non-binding expression by the voters of Puerto Rico as to their wishes with regard to retaining their commonwealth status or becoming a state or becoming an independent nation, but in conjunction with other legislation already introduced inside Puerto Rico, the commonwealth status of the island could be eliminated as early as this year."

Ann also quotes Eddie Garcia of ProEnglish. Chévere.

Vieques Beach

Sweet Home Alabama: Drivers Licenses Tests in English

Candidate for Alabama governor, Tim James, has made an ad on behalf of the English language and public safety. Or, an ad against political correctness and for common sense, as he puts it:

Using Little Kids to Make Ugly Political Statements - Shameful!

Howie Does Immigration

Howie Carr, the Boston Herald's never-boring pundit, asks: "Since when has it been nativist and racist to be in favor of enforcing the laws on the books? You and I have to obey them, why aren’t they enforced for everyone? Here’s how it should work for foreigners."

Read the whole thing, and note his biting observation about Rancher Krentz's killer.

Update: This silly man, affiliated with The Progressive, is going to boycott the Arizona Diamondbacks, because he disapproves of the new law.

When Multiculturalists Don't Dig Diversity

Once upon a time it housed a chicken pot pie business ... then it became a small private school ... then it turned into a Japanese organic farm.

Now it's poised to become a ________, and the neighors are very upset.
Note: They didn't make a peep about the first three entities.

Meanwhile, the local newspaper is annoyed with the neighbors.

What do you think?




Update: Making progress with the neighborhood.

Border's Democratic Rep. Makes a Statement

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of AZ-8th congressional district:

" ... called for the (National) Guard’s deployment on March 30, three days after Rob Krentz was murdered on his Cochise County cattle ranch."

"On April 10, I attended the funeral service for Mr. Krentz. More than 1,200 people gathered to pay their respects and mourn with his family. Many who spoke remembered Mr. Krentz as a humanitarian and a neighbor who was always there to lend a hand. He was foremost a wonderful husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. We cannot let his murder pass without taking all necessary action to ensure that no more such deaths take place in this border community.”

Hello Janet Napolitano? Ya listening?

Gloria Estefan Raises Bucks for Democrats

My mamacita, who lives in Miami, has been telling me about my former high school classmate's decision to host a high-dollar fundraiser, at her Miami Beach mansion, for the Democratic National Committee. Special guest of honor: the President of the United States. South Florida's Cuban community - a largely Republican one - esta muy disgustado about today's event at Casa Estefan.

In the photo: The glamorous Mrs. Estefan and two of her (actually, our) former classmates at a reunion.

Update: Video of Glo's speech.

Rancher Krentz Fondly Remembered ...

Last Saturday a standing-room only memorial service was held for Robert Krentz in Douglas, Arizona.

But note the comment, in the article, by Bill Blake, a friend of the deceased, about "bulletproof vests." It's immoral that hard-working Americans have to live this way.

President Busybody Obama was so eager to get in the middle of that silly imbroglio between Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and the Cambridge, MA cops.

But he sure is conveniently invisible when an American gets murdered near the border - the border which he has the responsibility to secure.

In the photo: Rob Krentz

Update: Arizona Cattle Growers' Association comes up with a plan to "Restore Our Border."

Condolence cards or letters of support can be sent to:

Sue Krentz (Rob's wife)
P.O. Box 3592
Douglas, Arizona 85608

The Dept. of Homeland Security is offering a $25,000 reward for info. that leads to the arrest of the rancher's killer(s):

Tea Party Express in Petoskey/Northern MI

The Tea Party bus came to town, yesterday, and I (and 500 other folks) went to the fairgrounds to hear the speakers, and see the 3 beautiful coach buses that form the "express."


Nothing earthshattering to report except that I accidentally found myself standing next to Dan Benishek. He's a big, strong man (in the above photo with the red jacket), and now something of a local celebrity given all the national media attention he's been rating. We chatted for a couple of minutes. While he isn't a polished campaigner (dare I say he's even 'dull'), he did come across as down-to-earth, terse. (I'll take brief over blabbermouth any day.) Dr. Dan thinks the "border should be closed" (but didn't expound) and complained about illegals taking advantage of our generosity (e.g. overextending our public services). He's also very concerned about "jobs."

Will he be Bart Stupak's replacement? He smiled at that question.

The Tea Party Express didn't dawdle, as they were running behind schedule and had to go to where a crowd of 1,400 (and the sun) was waiting in Traverse City, home of Michael Moore. Yeah, that Michael Moore.

Michelle and Jim Bob plus 19

My piece about the Duggars is up at Big Journalism. Word of caution: The editor added a really salty quote from that unhinged critic of the family, Alan Bisbort of the Hartford Advocate. My apologies if you are offended (I am!) by the language, but it is what it is.

In the photo: My friends the Dortignacs (14 awesome children!*) with the Duggars. This photo was shot in southern California at Casa Dortignac while the gang was filming a segment for the Discovery Health Channel.




*plus two sons-in-law and one grandbaby

Update: The comments at Lucianne.com, about the Duggars, are worth a look. Boy (and girl), can this family start a conversation. I love it!

'Nother Update: I forgot to mention, in my piece, how 2 of the Duggar sons, who are volunteer firefighters, recently helped save a little girl's life. Go here.

Guess He Wasn't Such a Toughie, After All

Sometime ironfisted Congressman Bart Stupak is stepping down.

Casualty of abortion/health care reform/Teapartyitis. Although he's spinning it a little differently.

In any case, TCC wishes him a friendly "Hasta la vista, Bart."

C'mon Fox News! Now let's see you put candidate Linda Goldthorpe, not just Dr. Dan Benishek, on your network. She's got ganas, as Jaime Escalante would have said.

Third Time's the Charm?

Let's see ... Go Syracuse, Michigan State, Butler.

Tonight's championship game, against Duke (The Blue Devils performed brilliantly, as a team, on Saturday night against West Virginia.) could be very interesting. It's certainly college sports history in the making: "Butler, with an enrollment of 4,200, will be the smallest school in 40 years to play for the national title."



The Bulldogs' placid head coach, Brad Stevens (unlike this volcano), is all of 33 years old (and looks ten years younger). He's only been head coach since 2007. In 2000 he quit his job as a marketing associate at Eli Lilly and Company to be a volunteer assistant with the Butler hoops program and simultaneously accepted a job at Applebee's restaurant to make ends meet. But he ended up being offered the basketball operations director job due to an assistant coach getting unexpectedly canned, so he didn't have to hawk fajitas and ribs.

The risk taking certainly paid off for him and for Butler athletics.

File under: Is this a great country or what?

In the photo: Coach Stevens chats with one of Butler's former stars - the remarkable A. J. Graves.

Update: Now the governor weighs in on the Butler Way: "To me, the Butler team personifies the state of Indiana and Indiana basketball," Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said. "They have a lot of Hoosier kids, and they play like a team. No one hot-dogs it, and there's no real ego that you can find. And they're good students. You've got math majors and finance majors on that team, and to see them doing what they're doing -- I just think it's a message to every sports fan in America."

P.S. Didn't care a whit to the ending to an otherwise excellent game. Ditto for this awful rendition of "One Shining Moment." Missing Luther Vandross ...

Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday

For those who celebrate the holiday ... hope you have a blessed Easter (Matthew 28: 1-10). TCC will be back on Monday. The (hoops) Final Four is also this weekend. Woohoo. Let the narratives begin.

Fighting to Stop the Invasion

Invasion of Asian Carp, that is. And Great Lakes' politicos want Washington, D.C. to act NOW!

Because: "If these hyper-aggressive invasive species enter the Great Lakes, thousands of jobs, the lakes’ unique ecology and our way of life here in Michigan and other Great Lakes states will all be at risk." Hmm, that's the sort of language that ... immigration ... illegal ... border ... oh, never mind.

Not kidding about these giant fishies being "hyper-aggressive." Do watch the video. Yikes!