From Long Island Wins: February 22, 2013

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From Long Island Wins: February 22, 2013

Written by Maryann Sinclair Slutsky, mslutsky@longislandwins.com Friday, 22 February 2013 00:00

Immigration: Moving Along

Finally (maybe) there’s some good news on immigration reform. There seems to be real movement in Washington on the issue. It seems that now that the people are leading, our leaders are following.

First, a group of eight United States senators revealed a bipartisan immigration plan to reform our broken immigration system. Some of the principles outlined are far from perfect, but the fact is that several conservative Republicans have committed in writing and in public to allowing immigrants an earned path to citizenship, a central tenet that’s necessary to real reform.

Not to be outdone, President Barack Obama countered with a plan of his own.

He noted that it is just not practical to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our borders. His proposal provides undocumented immigrants a legal way to earn citizenship that will encourage them to pay taxes, play by the same rules, and come under the jurisdiction of the law. In the Obama plan, after national security and criminal background checks, paying a penalty, and learning English, immigrants will be able to earn a path to citizenship. Also, his proposal will put an end to punishing innocent young people brought to the country through no fault of their own and let them earn citizenship more quickly if they serve in the military or pursue higher education.

We’ve heard President Obama say the right things before. We’ve even heard his usual opposition in Congress say many of the right things before, too, though admittedly not lately.

What’s important and different this time is the palpable sense that something seems to be happening—that public mood and public moment seem to be in sync.

And that’s good for Long Island. We already benefit from the fact that immigrants come here from around the world to work and contribute. We’ll benefit even more when the system starts working right.

The specifics of this plan are going to be important. We know that there are many politicians who’d prefer a plan that’s designed to punish immigrants and—in the words of Mitt Romney—”encourage them to ‘self-deport’.” We know that many politicians are fine with simply doing nothing at all about this vital issue. And we know that both types of politicians will be weighing in.

So it’s up to us—all of us—to speak out and make sure that we do not miss this opportunity to deliver real change to a broken system.

Dig out. It’s time to get to work.

Maryann Sinclair Slutsky is the executive director of Long Island Wins, a communications organization promoting policy solutions to local immigration issues. The website is www.longisland wins.com.

News

How I Love Sagamore Hill

Saturday, 08 June 2013 00:00

The final 2013 lecture in the John A. Gable series was somewhat different from past lectures. The May 16 lecture showcased Xiomaro’s (pronounced SEE-oh-MAH-ro) wonderful and inspiring “How I love Sagamore Hill” photo collection. Commissioned by Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, and displayed in collaboration with the Oyster Bay Historical Society at the Koenig Center, “How I love Sagamore Hill”, derives from Theodore Roosevelt’s well-known quote to his wife Edith on the day before his death.

Sports

Boys Lacrosse Wins County Championship

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

County title is a first for Quakers and their program

With fans wildly cheering from the sidelines, the Friends Academy Boys Varsity Lacrosse team kept rival Cold Spring Harbor at bay before ultimately beating them 9-4 to capture their first ever Class C Nassau County Championship.

Coach Brian Crocco credits the team’s offensive balance with their success in the championship game and throughout the 14-2 season. “What we have found all season is that while we do have a few serious impact players who contribute quite a bit to our offensive success, what has been most remarkable is that we have shared the scoring well, especially in big games. During the championship game, we had seven different goal scorers contribute for the win — two seniors, three juniors, and two sophomores. We have six guys with at least 20 points each this season, so in crucial situations we have found that any number of guys can make a play.”