Candidates Stance on Immigration

Words by Aaron Aguilar
Community Charter Early College High School

With the primary elections just around the corner, it is time to look at the major candidates stance in regards to one of the greatest issues concerning the coming election: immigration. In our neighborhood, which has a large community of immigrants, it is especially important to know where these candidates stand and how our vote will impact future generations of immigrants.

Rudy Giuliani - Republican
Giuliani believes in strengthening border security and takes an offensive stand against illegal immigration. He plans to stop illegal immigration in a period of three years, keeping in mind the strategy that, if it is made very difficult to enter the country illegally, people will stop doing it. As for illegal immigrants who are already in the country, Giuliani believes that a person who comes to the United States illegally and commits a crime should be thrown out. As one of Giuliani’s twelve promises to the American people, he says: “I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.”

Hillary Clinton - Democrat
Clinton seeks to fix the damaged immigration system of the United States. She is looking for a reform on immigration - one that will enhance border security, and better the relationships between the United States and its neighbors. She supports working towards citizenship for those who come to the United States to work hard and follow the law. In the past, Hillary Clinton has campaigned to give medical benefits to low-income, legal immigrant children and pregnant women under the DREAM Act, but has also opposed a proposal that would have granted undocumented immigrants driving licenses in New York City.

John McCain - Republican
McCain’s goal is to restore American’s faith in the government by securing the nation’s borders, not just from illegal immigration, but from contraband that enters the country via the border. In the past he has had several failed attempts to facilitate citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants with no criminal record. He recognizes that in order for border control to work, he must also work with Mexico and Latin American countries to better their economies, and reduce illegal immigration. Also, for the people who are already here, he stresses the importance of “learning English, American history and civics, and respecting the values of a democratic society.”

Barack Obama - Democrat
Obama believes, like most other candidates, in stronger border security, but places greater emphasis on keeping families together, and eliminating incentives for people who enter the country illegally. He will encourage those who come in illegally but follow the rules and help the economy to “come out of the shadows,” and supports a path to legal status for them. He proposes a way for employers to more efficiently verify employee’s legality to work meaning that illegal immigrants would have a harder time finding a job, as well as stricter laws on employers who abuse and underpay illegal workers. He says that “we need stronger enforcement on the border… but for reform to work we also must respond to what pulls people to America.”

Whatever our individual stance on this issue, we must be informed of all presidential candidates’ views and opinions. It may be difficult to visualize, but our vote will certainly have an effect on how the issue of immigration (and many other issues as well) will shape up in coming years. One vote does count!

The information referenced in this article was obtained in the candidates’ websites, under each of their “issues” tabs, as well as the following site: http://indyunivision.com

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Saving for your future

Words by Karolyn Blancas
San Fernando High School

Many people have had to work very hard to get to where they are, having their children watch them go to work every day. Some parents even work 12 hours a day just to put food on the table. Retirement at the age of 45 would be impossible for these hard working parents. Our parents suggest getting an education so we can obtain good jobs that will give us large amounts of money. Unfortunately most students do not take their advice seriously so they only see school as a social event.

They slack off, reach their twenties, and are still working at a minimum wage job. Many get stuck at community college and can’t even pay their own cell phone bill. There is now a solution for our generation to think about, especially if you have a job. The secret (solution) to this problem is
just saving money. I know that this is no secret but somehow people don’t get it until they are in their mid-fifties and say “Yeah, I should have saved my money”. That is why as a fellow teen I feel it is my duty to remind not only teens, but everyone to do this. The proposal is not to save every cent and dime that you earn, actually that would be terrific if you would, but there are other ways. For example, when you receive twenty dollars, imagine all you really have is ten dollars and just forget about the other ten. Put the extra ten somewhere safe. Forget about the rest and at the end of each month collect your extra earnings and put it into a bank account. At the end of every month keep putting the money into the same account, but the most important thing to do is to just forget about the account. The point of this is to keep the money going in and NOT out. By the time you’ll reach your forties that sum of money you have in the account will be a large amount of money. Also remember you must put money in every month, even if it’s as little as twenty-five, fifteen or even five dollars. Something is better than nothing. For parents with kids I encourage you to pass this knowledge on and if you have children smaller than ten years of age, you can do it for them as well, so by the time they become a teen they can keep it up and have a head start.

Other ways you can save is by taking mass transit or carpooling to school; this can also help save our environment. The most important way to save money is to realize how many hours of work it takes for you or your parents to pay for those new shoes you wanted or that shirt you are wearing. Is the time you or your parent spent working worth the shirt? If so, then you’re not saving very successfully. The point in saving is making sacrifices. There is no need in buying a 30 dollar shirt when it is just as useful as buying one that cost 5 dollars. The point is that in order to save you have to be willing to make sacrifices and if you’re not willing to sacrifice then you won’t successfully save money for the future.

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Letter from the Editor

Words by Aaron Aguilar
Community Charter Early College High School

This is the very first issue of For the Record Newspaper, but certainly there will be many more to come. We are working to write to and about the San Fernando Valley’s youth. Our focus is on our community and the world at large, so there will definitely be a wider range of articles in coming issues. We hope to grow larger with each consecutive issue, and share our opinions and concerns about the San Fernando Valley.

As of now, we have worked hard to get the newspaper up and running. We are currently a small team, but are sure to have more high school students contribute with stories, articles, art, or pretty much anything that motivates them to speak out to our community.

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Children Being Left Behind

Words by Rafael Flores Jr.
San Fernando High School

In elementary school, in each grade you will learn how to read and write up to a certain level. Your reading level is then tested by a standardized test such as the CAT6. Then you pass onto the next grade until you reach middle school. In middle school most kids begin to fall behind. Test scores noticeably drop and students who should repeat the grade go right on through to the next grade thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act passed by the current administration.
All through middle school you will repeat this test just like you will in high school. In high school you take a test called the CAHSEE. The CAHSEE is a high school exit exam in which a student must reach a certain level of comprehension in order to graduate high school. This level is set at seventh grade. Most students in the San Fernando Valley are having trouble passing this test. But they will continue to pass onto the next grade and the next grade until they reach their senior year in high school where they will get stuck because they can’t pass the CAHSEE.

What exactly is this supposed to teach us? They continue to pass you even though they know you are unprepared for the next grade, yet they expect you to pass a test in order to graduate. If you cannot pass the test by the time you are 19 they will kick you out of school and you will have to go to adult school and take the GED. Colleges and Universities don’t look highly on the GED. How will most of us get into college and earn a better living? It seems that this is not a worry when legislation like No Child Left Behind is passed. It’s as though the sixties never happened and no one is doing anything about it. Word to the wise, history repeats itself. It will have to if no one is speaking on behalf of the youth.

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Horoscopes

Words by Beatriz Ramos
San Fernando High School

March 21 - April 19
You need to keep busy this month, which should be quite easy for you! It’s one of those days that calls for lots of energy, which is something you’ve certainly got in abundance. Expect nothing but the best.

April 20 - May 20
It may feel as if the world is pushing back pretty hard against you right now and it is! But there’s an upside to this pressure: You know you’re doing something right and your persistence should help you win.

May 21 - June 21
Listen carefully to the most important people in your life, as they’ve got some great advice for you, whether they know it or not! You should be able to piece together a good plan out of their comments.

June 22 - July 22
It may be tempting to lash out when provoked this month, but your best bet is to take a deep breath and count to ten instead. If you keep your cool, everyone else will and that should make life much easier.

July 23 - August 22
New information comes your way at some point and changes your thinking on some important issue. It may not shake things up completely, but it ought to make life a whole lot more interesting!

August 23 - September 22
The people you deal with every day, fellow students, family members are considerably harder to manage than usual. Most of them have separate agendas that may not match yours.

September 23 - October 22
Your intuition is strong now and you might find that people are much easier to read. It’s a good time to take quick action, especially if you see a temporary advantage you can exploit.

October 23 - November 21
It’s a great time to do something positive for your health even if you feel totally fit! There’s no need for a complete improvement, but an extra serving of vegetables or a walk around the block might feel great.

November 22 - December 21
Your good energy is helping you have fun with pretty much
everything you’ve got to do this month, from taking out the stinky garbage to talking about serious issues with your parents. Enjoy the ride!

December 22 - January 19
Today brings an ending of some kind, but that is by no means necessarily a bad thing! While it may sting a bit at first, you know deep down that this is the only way to open new doors in your life.

January 20 - February 18
You’re much better off taking care of business quietly and informally this month big presentations or papers just get in the way of things. You can see amazing results if you slow down.

February 19 - March 20
Someone close seems to be speaking in riddles, but you don’t mind. You’re happiest when you’ve got a mystery to solve, though at some point you may be reduced to asking for a few hints from them.

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