The state of Arizona has taken the bold step of controlling illegal immigration. This new law is controversial, and has sparked debate on both sides of the issue. Is this action taken by Arizona the right thing to do? Time will tell. However, they have taken action that they feel is needed in the midst of our federal government failing at any attempts toward immigration reform.

For years now, Congress has danced around the issue of immigration issues, fully realizing that reform is needed, but failing to act. Some measures have been taken toward border security, but even with these measures there remains a large influx of illegals into this country. This is not only an economic problem, but also a national security issue.

NC State Grange policy supports efforts to control the influx of illegal immigrants into the country. We recognize that it would be extremely difficult to achieve this on a state-by-state basis. A partnership between states and the federal government, operating under effective and common sense legislation, will be the ideal path toward controllng illegal immigration.

NC Education Lottery - A Question of Ethics

Included in today's Charlotte Observer is an article about an individual who through some type of numbers game has greatly increased his chances of winning. He has won several times in the last month, so he has been barred from participating in the lottery. Whether or not lottery officials are justified in this action, I do not know. Were rules broken? I do not know this either.

In the article, an unidentified spokesman for the lottery stated, "We can't have people winning the lottery. It's like stealing money from kindergarteners." This philosophy creates a dilemma for those who purchase lottery tickets. They aren't suppose to win. However, if they do, they are stealing from our students. To date, I haven't purchased an NC lottery ticket, but my wife has! It's a good thing she didn't win because I would not want this heavy burden of guilt thrust upon her.

The State Grange opposed the lottery from the beginning. The act of gambling is ethically questionable, in addition to taking advantage of those citizens who may not need to spending their cash on lottery games but hope to win big someday. Ironically, unethical tactics were used by the General Assembly to get the lottery passed! The vote was taken while opponents were absent so that enough votes could be gathered to pass the legislation.

Even though I have not purchased a lottery ticket yet, I am less likely to do so in the future because I am not suppose to win. If I were to win, I would not want to be labeled as a person who stole from kindergarten children. I will probably do more good, and feel much better about purchasing something from a local school fundraiser!