Election Day

/ The Old Crank

In addition to the presidential contest and a couple of interesting Senate races, there are a couple of ballot initiatives related to immigration and education that I’ll be following closely tonight. First, in Maryland, there is a referendum on whether the state DREAM Act, passed by the legislature, should be enacted into law. If approved, eligible undocumented immigrants will be eligible for in-state tuition throughout Maryland’s public higher education system.

Second, in Montana, voters will decide on LR-121, a proposal to deny certain state services to undocumented immigrants, including barring them from “qualification as a student in the university system for the purposes of a public education,” as well as state-funded student financial aid. The proposal also requires any state agency in Montana to verify the immigration status of any individual seeking a state service if that individual cannot provide evidence of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status. I have not heard anything specific related to the impact of this proposal on state/federal-funded adult education programs, but these kinds of requirements are typically problematic for many ESL programs.

See also: The Maryland Dream Act: Giving Undocumented Students Like Me a Fair Shot

Too Soon?

/ The Old Crank

I was surprised—as I was after Katrina—to receive an e-mail from a certain very large nonprofit asking for donations to help “restock school and home libraries” so soon after Hurricane Sandy’s wake. I think I would have waited another week or two before sending it out. Kids need books for sure, but many storm victims are still facing immediate, life-threatening situations. If a charity’s Sandy-related pitch doesn’t seem to be related to the most urgent relief efforts underway right now, there is a danger that some potential donors will view it as exploitive.

Related:

The Atlantic posted a powerful photo gallery of the storm’s aftermath.

How to Help:

The Village Voice has a good list (look about half way down, under the heading, “DONATE + VOLUNTEER”), as does Time Out.

Tax Break of the Day

/ The Old Crank

For your next givers vs. takers debate, via Bloomberg:

Theodore L. Jones has held season tickets on the 43-yard line at Tiger Stadium, home of the perennial football powerhouse Louisiana State University, for almost 20 years. Because of the Baton Rouge lawyer’s lobbying in Congress in 1986, he and thousands of other fans get a tax break on donations they make as a condition for buying seats.

The deduction Jones helped craft is now costing U.S. taxpayers more than $100 million a year in revenue that the Treasury can’t collect, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

h/t: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Adult Literacy Story of the Day (International Edition)

/ The Old Crank

From The New Zealand Herald:

An adult literacy group has been torn apart by internal squabbles including highly colourful language about nuts and seaweed.

The fallout has led to one disgruntled language tutor, who said his bosses “collectively generated less neural power than a pickled walnut”, winning compensation after he resigned with hurt feelings.