Local Reaction to Obama’s Immigration Action

For Oscar Castaneda, an immigrant from Guatemala, President Obama’s announcement could not have come fast enough. “I’ve been waiting for 10 years for someone to do something about immigration and nobody does,” Castaneda

But now, that has changed. “First, we’ll build on our progress at the border with additional resources for law enforcement personnel…Second, I’ll make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates and entrepeneurs to stay and contribute to our economy…Third, we’ll take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country,” Obama said in a statement to the United States. But there are not enough details for Castaneda to know whether it will truly effect him. Despite this, he is happy to see something done.

Right-to-Work Bills Spark Controversy

Some have described it as a ‘game changer’ while others have declared it a travesty for Michigan workers. Either way, in a matter days, a GOP majority quickly moved right-to-work legislation through a lame duck session in both the House and Senate. “In the space of 72 hours it went from ‘not on my agenda’ to ‘it’s going be a law in a couple of weeks,’ and that’s a pretty dramatic transition,” said Rick Pluta of Michigan Radio who has been following Lansing politics for more than two decades. It’s a move that marks the end of decades long “closed shop” laws in the state, meaning workers would now no longer be required to join union or pay union dues. For most of his term Gov. Rick Snyder has made it a point to steer clear of such divisive issues.

Herman Cain Visits MSU

Former Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain made a stop at MSU recently as part of his nationwide ‘College Truth Tour.’ He became a household name during the primaries this past spring. And although Cain is no longer in the race to the White House, that doesn’t mean he still isn’t working to keep his name in the political fray. As part of his nationwide ‘College Truth Tour,’ Cain spoke to a packed audience at the MSU Kellog Center about the current state of the economy and the role college students will play in the recovery. Cain also spoke about his failed presidential run and why he eventually dropped out of the race.