Dear Senator,

Please use your vote to help pass the DREAM bill allowing illegal immigrants in-state tuition.  It is the best thing for Utah, no matter your stance on illegal immigration.  In a time when fewer people are going to college because of the cost and difficulty, it is foolish to make it more difficult for a few who have the tenacity to get a degree.

Even if you vehemently oppose illegal immigration, giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition will benefit Utah.  First, if the climate changes and these students are someday allowed to work legally in the U.S., it would be best that they have college degrees so that they can contribute more to the state and not be a drain on it instead.  Second, if they should return to their country of origin, their U.S. college educations will serve them greatly there, making them less likely to return to the U.S.  They may also be able to effect enough change with their college educations that they can help to provide a better life for others in their own country, making illegal immigration to the U.S. less attractive.  Thirdly, from a security perspective, having more educated people among the illegal immigrant community will increase the likelihood that criminal activity will be reported and countered.

The numbers of college attendees and graduates continue to decrease as costs continue to rise.  The kind of person who is willing to confront these facts and overcome them is the kind of person we want as part of our state.

Please vote for the DREAM act to strengthen Utah.

It’s listening to National Public Radio (NPR). Heather and I started listening to NPR when we first got married and had no other access to news (and didn’t want to listen to one of the 15 country stations Logan, Utah has). Why should you listen to NPR?
1. They are very circumspect in reporting what in other channels becomes quite salacious. For example, during the Clinton impeachment hearings, we never heard any of the sordid details. During the recent Don Imus brouhaha, the only time he was quoted on NPR was by guests, not by reporters.
2. Although the perception of NPR, as with most of the media, is that it is overly-liberal, according to studies, a large majority of the political guests are Republicans. This may be due to the fact that Republicans have controlled both the executive and legislative branches. I feel that NPR is what used to be “fair and balanced” before the phrase was hijacked.
3. It gives a good view of the world, not just local or national news. In today’s world, we have to understand what those outside our country think in order to understand our country’s position in the world and our international and domestic policies and situation.

I challenge those who don’t listen to it to do so for one week. You’ll never go back.