... according to Sarah Palin and Arizona governor Jan Brewer. According to them, all of this is because President Obama has failed to secure our southern border with Mexico. Forget the fact that W, H.W., Reagan, Nixon, Eisenhower, Hoover, and so on never secured the four-strand barbed wire barrier either.
When you read or hear the statements from supporters of SB 1070 stating that the law is not racist, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM; THEY ARE LYING!!! This is racist legislation and here are my reasons:
Arizona has passed several laws this year that are as discriminatory as SB 1070. Arizona's HB 2221, signed into law by governor Brewer makes it statutorily unlawful to teach courses that "... are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group." The stated objective of this law "prohibits a school district or charter school from including courses or classes that either promote the overthrow of the United States government or promote resentment toward a race or class of people." By passing this law, Arizona ruled that ethnic studies are treasonous. Note that ethnic studies are taught at every credible college and university in the United States, but are now not allowed to be taught in Arizona because teaching these classes "advocates the overthrow of the United States Government."
The Arizona Department of Education has notified schools that English teachers who speak with a strong accent must be reassigned to teach other classes; they are not permitted to teach English. This may sound okay on the surface, but no one believes that a teacher with a strong Southern accent, a strong New England accent, or a strong Texas accent would be considered unqualified to teach English. Additionally, Arizona law requires that a teacher must be certified to teach the coursework to which they are assigned. By Arizona law, a teacher must have passed intensive, specific, standardized testing to prove they are knowledgable in each subject area they teach. Most English teachers are not licensed to teach other coursework like Social Studies or Math; so, essentially, a teacher speaking with a heavy accent who is certified to teach English cannot teach another subject without having been previously tested in the specific coursework of the new assignment. Therefore, they must be dismissed from work, which HB 2227, also passed this year, allows.
Arizona spends less money than all other states on public education (see diary Funding Education in the Conservative Desert). This $6,232 annual amount per student is increased by an additional $320 per year per student to educate English Language Learners. This additional $320 is paid for two years and is then revoked. The stated reason is that an English Language Learner (ELL) should have adequate mastery of the English language in two years. Educational research over the past three decades has proven that it takes seven years for a person to master English. Interestingly, the conservative desert is home to the U.S. Army's Language School. Their students are extensively tested before admission to the language program to determine whether or not they have the aptitude to learn an additional language. The Army then spends tens of thousands of dollars per year on each of these proven-to-be-capable students to teach them a foreign language. Quite a contrast!
I have lived my life in the conservative desert; my family came here in 1906. I know that Arizonans understand money and lost revenues. The legislature is made up of businesspeople. In 1990 Arizona refused to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. That refusal was supported by then Governor Evan Mecham, future Governor Fife Simington (both of whom were impeached for nonrelated criminal activities), and Senator John McCain. The nation boycotted the state, conventions were cancelled, the Super Bowl was relocated from Phoenix to Pasadena Cal., revenues dropped, McCain reversed his position, and the voters passed a MLK holiday (Republicans are greedy, you know). Boycotts work. Everyone needs to boycott this state again, and continue boycotting until these racist, xenophobic laws are removed. I urge Major League Baseball to relocate all post-season games away from Arizona. I want the NBA, the NFL, and the PGA to do the same. In fact, all professional sporting events, both regular season and post season, should be rescheduled to be played somewhere other than Arizona!
I live here, I work here, I have a small business here, but this must be done to to undo this evil legislation.