Students who “struggle with test anxiety” given legislative pass

The flurry of high school graduation ceremonies gets underway beginning tomorrow, causing state lawmakers to rush legislation that would allow as many as 6,000 students who failed the AIMS test to graduate despite below par course work. Otherwise, the little darlings might have to deal with those nagging issues of what Oprah describes as “low self esteem.” Couldn’t have that.

So, those old softies in Arizona’s senate have given final approval to House Bill 2008, that would allow high-school seniors who have failed portions of the AIMS test to graduate with their classmates. There are all of those parties to attend, after all.

One 18-year-old Scottsdale student told the senators, “I’m not really good at math. I feel like I’m being penalized for something I’m not good at.” This young gal should at least get an A+ for novel concepts.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne, argued against the legislation, saying students who have struggled with AIMS would benefit from taking a remedial course and trying to pass the test again in June, the daily reports.

 ”I just think it’s a mistake,” Horne, a Republican, said of the bill. “The kids should have to pass an objective test.”

“A diploma should mean something,” said Sen. Ken Cheuvront, (D-Dist.15) who was among senators opposing the bill in a lopsided 22-5 vote. “At some point, we need to expect more from our students and schools.”

We can’t argue with that, Senator.

And who was the legislator concerned over “test anxiety?” Rep. David Schapira (D-Dist.17), who obviously never suffered a case of the pre-exam jitters, and wants to insure no one else endures such a debilitating experience, either.

McCain’s undeniable good fortune

Hillary Clinton’s stunning 40 percent margin of victory over Barack Obama yesterday, clearly delineates the issues. Ultimately, she might not get the nomination, but it appears the more voters are exposed to Obama’s views and associates, the less comfortable they are. Messages of “Hope” and “Change” make for good sound-bites, but then reality sets in.

Could John McCain have ever dreamed things could shape up to enable him to win the presidency on the shoulders of Democrats, rather than the Republican base–many of whom are not with him?

Exit polls indicated almost half of the most ardent West Virginia Democrats said they would support McCain over Obama in the November general election.

Politico’s Ben Smith sizes up the situation.

Maneuver intended to thwart Sheriff’s neighborhood patrols

It doesn’t take much to recognize the daily Fish-wrapper for what it is. The newspaper has an agenda a mile wide. Topping the list is their affection for open borders and normalizing illegal aliens. Right on the heels of that pet issue is the promotion of liberal Democrats–most notably Gov. Janet Napolitano and Mayor Phil Gordon. Sometimes, the paths of these subjects criss-cross and intersect. Witness the prime example here.

If a newspaper could salivate, today would be the day. How often does such a juicy morsel present itself?

Napolitano has ordered the state to end an anti-illegal immigration contract with the Maricopa County sheriff, she says, to enable payment for an increased effort to track down thousands of felons around the state under the auspices of the Arizona Department of Public Safety .

That’s what they’ve been grousing about all along. Now they think they have their solution.

It’s sheer folly. A high number of felons are apprehended through seemingly innocuous means such as traffic stops.

“Dirty politics are at work right now,” said Arpaio, who was flanked by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, state House Speaker Jim Weiers and state Rep. Russell Pearce at a news conference.

The paper describes these elected officials this way: “All four men have staked out hawkish positions on illegal immigration reform. The sheriff has been criticized in particular for letting thousands of felony warrants go unserved while he chased after illegal immigrants.”

Napolitano’s spokeswoman Jeanine L’Ecuyer denied that the governor was trying to thwart Arpaio’s efforts to apprehend illegal aliens. “It couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.

Did we detect a wink there?

The Republic is getting even more creative. Now they report that responding to a tip, Phoenix Police “stumbled” upon a “suspected” drop house. Fifty people were in the house, including the illegal alien co-conspirators and the ‘coyotes’ they paid to transport them into the United States.

As usual, the illegals were being “held against their will.”

North Carolina’s community college system today announced it will no longer admit new illegal aliens into degree programs, following the advice of the state Attorney General’s Office.

Last year, the system said it would enroll illegal immigrants who are 18 years old and high school graduates at all of its 58 campuses. That change was supported by Democrat Gov. Mike Easley, but it provoked heavy criticism - especially from the leading candidates running to replace the outgoing governor. The Charlotte Observer carries the complete article.

ASU president Michael Crow, meanwhile, has disbursed almost $2 million to financially aid illegal alien students attending the Tempe, Arizona university–clearly skirting the intent of the voters who passed Prop. 300. Citizen students are not on Crow’s radar.

Arizona’s Attorney General, Terry Goddard might want to watch his North Carolina counterpart, Democrat Roy Cooper, who suggested the college system drop the open admissions policy for illegal immigrants it adopted last November.

Columnist and noted economist, Dr. Thomas Sowell, discusses the truth behind the escalating prices of gasoline. His column, Too Complex, is worth your time.

We also recommend reading Sowell’s inspiring bio, which provides an fascinating insight into the man and his views.

Law firm seminar teaches legal basis to disqualify American workers

“Our goal is clearly NOT to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker. In a sense that sounds funny, but it’s what we’re trying to do here,” says Lawrence Lebowitz, VP of marketing at Cohen and Grigsby law firm. “We are complying with the law fully, but our objective is to get this person a Green Card.”

“We are trying to find a legal basis to disqualify them (American citizen job seekers)……”

Although they talk a good game, many left-leaning younger voters appear to find more interesting pursuits than voting.

Columnist Jonah Goldberg previously wrote an excellent piece on the topic of the guilt-trip laden necessity of the vote for the certifiably uninformed.

Goldberg reminds us of the Arizona candidate who wanted to tie voting to the lottery, to encourage more participation in the process by the uninformed and disinterested.

Just a few more good people coming to do the work Americans refuse to do—such as steal social security numbers of U.S. citizens

At least 300 people were arrested today at the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa. The entire population of the town is reported at 2273.

The operation, which targeted people who criminally used other persons Social Security numbers and were in the U.S. illegally, was the largest of its kind in Iowa, said Claude Arnold, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to an affidavit, “Based on information thus far developed in the investigation, it appears, based on 2007 fourth quarter payroll reports, that approximately 76 percent of the 968 employees of Agriprocessors were using false or fraudulent social security numbers in connection with their employment.”

Read the full account in the Des Moines Register.

So says the daily’s editorial writer, Linda Valdez

She writes: House Democratic leaders may not support the piecemeal. enforcement-only approach to immigration reform being proposed by Rep. Heath Shuler (D -NC) . But that’s minor consolation considering they have done little to push the comprehensive reform since taking the majority role.

Valdez continues: At least Arizona’s (Democrat) Rep. Gabrielle Giffords gets it. She says it would be “disastrous” to go along with Shuler’s plan to impose the flawed E-Verify system nationwide.

Valdez, an unabashed liberal and open borders advocate, appears to find it difficult to abide a Democrat such as Rep. Shuler, who actually supports border enforcement, including employer verification of new hires. She obviously supports Gifford’s contention that the simple-to-use E-Verify system is “burdensome.”

The only word Valdez omitted when referring to principled Democrat Shuler was “Heretic!”