Thread: Women voter's group discusses immigration issues

Women voter's group discusses immigration issues


STEVE TIMKO
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 11/4/2007


http://news.rgj.com

Immigrants are needed to bolster the work force, they should be guaranteed safe working conditions and livable wages and should have no criminal background.

That's the conclusion of the Northern Nevada League of Women Voters, which held a roundtable discussion of the immigration issues Saturday at the South Valleys Library.

Eight league members and one nonmember attended the discussion, which is part of the national League of Women Voters effort to come up with an immigration policy.

The national group sent local chapters 16 pages of questions and background for them to evaluate. Members were then asked to decide whether they could reach a consensus on each of the issues and then to rank the issues by priority.

Immigration as it relates to the economic, business and service employment needs was voted the top priority among those issues they were asked to prioritize.

The league background material noted more Americans are retiring, and people are needed to fill the gap.

But league members also want safe working conditions for immigrants and want them paid decent wages so they can care for themselves and not live in squalor.

Among the other dozen questions considered, the group couldn't reach a consensus on whether families beyond spouses and children should be a high priority. The group came down strongly for keeping immediate family together, but some felt immigrants understood they were leaving other family members behind when they came to the United States.

They were strongly against spending billions to build a fence between the United States and Mexico.

Turnout disappointments

"It worries me that everyone here is white," league member Marge Sill said as the meeting wrapped up. "We don't have a Hispanic person here. We don't have an African-American."

Nancy Scott, a board member with the Northern Nevada League of Women Voters, said after the meeting that one thing about Saturday's get-

together surprised her.

"I was surprised that as many of us were in favor of allowing people to stay in the country and work towards citizenship," Scott said.

Jan Browne, president of the Northern Nevada League of Women Voters, said after the meeting that she was disappointed with the turnout. The Nevada chapter has about 50 members, and the meeting also was promoted as being open to the public.

The last time the local chapter had helped shape the league's national position was three years ago when it considered health care, Browne said.

Although immigration has been a hot button issue for the past year, the League of Women Voters started the process to review it and come up with a position at its 2004 convention, she said.

The local chapter's position has to be forwarded by December.

The group makes absolutely no distinction between illegal and legal immigrants.

I would suggest that the poor showing of members at the meeting was because of the lack in interest to follow an agenda already predetermined by the organizations leadership.

Jan Browne, president of the Northern Nevada League of Women Voters, said after the meeting that she was disappointed with the turnout. The Nevada chapter has about 50 members, and the meeting also was promoted as being open to the public.

Don't know why Ms. Browne would be surprised by that level of participation...I'd say 16% is about representative of typical participation on a national level for any political effort. It should come as no surprise that roughly 85% of Americans prefer to stay home and let others make the decisions. Let's hope next years presidental elections draw more support.

"It worries me that everyone here is white," league member Marge Sill said as the meeting wrapped up. "We don't have a Hispanic person here. We don't have an African-American."

That too should come as no surprise. In order to garner support for any group effort from these communities it would be prudent to consider reaching out to them on a one-to-one level and listening to their opinions first. They are typically not interested in issues outside their own ethnic circle because they have been motivated by their peers for years to rally around race rather than embrace the mutual interests of the society as a whole. For this country to prosper into the next century that has to change, and I encourage everyone to be mindful of the invisible barriers we have placed between ourselves and others and begin to pull those barriers down.

One nation, one people, one culture, one language! There is plenty of room for diversity within those guidelines without fracturing the core of their meaning. Reach out to someone today!