When you think about it, the Dream Act is a no-brainer—a win-win for everyone. The deserving kids get a chance at the American Dream and, in exchange, America gets their demonstrated commitment to its vitality and future.
That’s why it was so frustrating yesterday to watch the Senate Republicans obstruct yet another legislative initiative; this time in the context of a procedural vote on a motion to proceed to consideration of the fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill (S. 3454). That means the Senate won’t be able to consider the Dream Act as an amendment to the bill along with other issues like the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy regarding gays in the military. At the risk of sounding too partisan, it just seems like in their zeal to thwart President Obama and the Democrats the Republicans in Congress will obstruct anything they do, even if it helps the country.
So the promising youth that will benefit from the Dream Act have to wait a little longer. And so will America, which will reap tremendous rewards from their full participation in American society. Even the Defense Department understands the value these young people bring to the U.S. and strongly supports passage of the Dream Act as one of its official goals for helping to maintain “a mission-ready, all-volunteer force.” And educators and others who also support the act recognize how much better it is to encourage the aspirations of young people, not to consign them to lives of under-the-table jobs and unmet potential.
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