Wednesday, June 28, 2006

War on drugs Jessica Peck Corry (via the Denver Post): "I hope my daughter will never smoke marijuana. Regardless of whether she does one day, I know one thing for sure: Keeping it illegal can only harm her future. "Since 1998, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has spent more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars on twin advertising campaigns seeking to discourage marijuana use. The first speaks to parents, calling them the "Anti-Drug." It fails before it begins. Good parents are going to talk to their children about drugs. All the feel-good ads in the world aren't going to get indifferent parents to engage in such an awkward but essential dialogue. "The second campaign fails as well. In these, youthful but sophisticated graphics tell kids not to use marijuana. If there is one sure way to get adolescents to smoke pot, tell them that the government and their parents don't want them to. In fact, a recently published national study indicates that after viewing commercials for this campaign, young people were more likely to exhibit positive responses about the drug. "Politicians whisper quietly behind closed doors about the insanity of the drug war. Neither party, however, has had the courage to take a stand against prohibition publicly. Just imagine if the $2 billion invested in these ads - or the billions more spent prosecuting peaceful marijuana users every year - had been diverted instead into tuition grants for needy students or back to taxpaying parents who could directly invest in college funds." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:59:44 AM

English immersion? Denver Post: "A proposal to immerse students who don't speak English into intense English-instruction classes for a year before they return to mainstream classrooms is not educationally sound and could be harmful to students, educators and critics say. 'This (proposed state constitutional) amendment is one-size-fits-all, regardless,' said Sheila Shannon, a professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado. At issue is the 'Education of English Learners' ballot initiative proposed by a Weld County-based committee, English for Colorado. It calls for placing kids learning English into language classes for a year, without lessons in math, science, social studies or other topics. After that year, the student would return to mainstream classrooms, said Weld County Commissioner William Jerke, who is leading the initiative effort. Parents of students 10 or older can request a waiver." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:31:29 AM

State legislature special session Governor Owens will call a special session to resurrect the Defend Colorado Now initiative for the fall ballot, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Gov. Bill Owens said Tuesday night that he would call a special legislative session in the next 10 days after backers and opponents of a ballot measure to limit services to illegal immigrants reached a compromise that could tamp down contentious election-year debate on the issue. He made the announcement several hours after Defend Colorado Now and Keep Colorado Safe - groups led by former Gov. Dick Lamm and former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, respectively - issued a joint news release Tuesday afternoon saying they had made peace on the issue. The groups said they had agreed to seek new laws cracking down on illegal immigrants rather than a constitutional amendment... "The compromise, modeled after a Georgia law, blends aspects of the proposed constitutional amendment that was wiped off the November ballot earlier this month by the Colorado Supreme Court and a Democratic- backed proposal to get tougher on employers who don't verify the legal status of their workers. Their proposal would list the state services that would be denied illegal immigrants. It would also require employers to verify workers' legal status.... "The governor, who has authority to dictate the terms of the special session, is expected to detail his plans this afternoon. 'House Republicans want the citizens to have this debate, and we want to have a vote,' said May, adding that he is drafting a proposal that could be put on the ballot. Owens also said Tuesday that he supports giving the people a chance to vote on the issue in November. With control of the governor's mansion and statehouse at stake in November, Republicans and Democrats have been jockeying for the political upper hand since the Supreme Court ruling... "On the downside for Republicans, hauling lawmakers back to the Capitol could touch off a nasty inquiry into how much money the Owens administration has allowed to be spent on illegal immigrants during the past seven years. At the same time, Democrats could use the session to drive a wedge between Republicans and key constituents in business - a wedge that could influence this fall's governor's race. On the downside for Democrats, a special session could allow Republicans to claim that they are driving the debate on an issue that has passionate followers seeking to limit state spending on illegal immigrants. Republicans hope a special session would expose Democrats as soft on the issue." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:23:21 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 7/1/06; 9:38:22 AM.