Releases

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- A professor of finance, insurance, real estate and law at the University of North Texas says the city of Farmers Branch's decision to ban illegal immigrants from renting property in that city is in direct violation of federal fair housing regulations.

Dr. John Baen predicts the ordinance will not survive a court challenge. He says, "The city of Farmers Branch is using federal immigration laws to violate fair housing discrimination laws. Those laws say you cannot discriminate on protected classes, such as race or marital status. The city is using immigration status as a way to get around the protections of the protected classes."

The restriction, which goes into effect in January 2007, requires apartment owners or managers to obtain proof that all prospective tenants are either U.S. citizens or in the country legally before agreeing to a lease or rental agreement.

Baen thinks that racism may be behind the new laws. "You cannot tell if a person is a legal resident or not simply by looking at them. As a result a whole class of people, many of whom are citizens and legal residents, are offended by the law. We need to embrace different cultures and face reality."

Supporters claim that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes, but Baen counters that the immigrants indirectly pay local and school property taxes through their rent payments to a landlord. Baen points out nearly two dozen cities around the United States have adopted similar ordinances, which he describes as short-sighted.

"Twenty to thirty percent of these ‘new Americans' are sending money to their families back in their home countries. In the case of Mexico, we do not provide any direct financial aid to that country, so you could argue that the families are doing that by transferring the money," Baen says.

Baen has published several articles on both mineral rights and oil and gas activities in the North Texas area. They are available on his website, http://www.coba.unt.edu/firel/Baen/. He is also a practicing commercial real estate broker and certified real estate appraiser.

Baen can be contacted via his office, (940) 565-3071 or on his cell phone, (940) 507-0312

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The nation's largest radio station operator--San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications-- is being acquired by a pair of private equity capital firms and the family that founded it for nearly $18.7 billion in cash and $8 billion in assumed debt. The chair of the department of radio, television and film at the University of North Texas says this is a surprising case of new money flocking to traditional media.

Dr. Alan Albarran points out the Clear Channel deal follows recent efforts by private equity firms to buy the Spanish language TV network Univision and bid for parts of the Tribune Corporation. He says, "Most media companies have squeezed out as much cost savings as they can, yet we are seeing these private equity firms offer to buy them. It's very surprising. Do they think they can operate the conglomerates more profitably?" He adds that Wall Street has shunned media companies for having " single-digit, slow growth" potential.

Clear Channel operates 1,150 radio stations nationwide, and Albarran says that has forced them to be both creative and aggressive. He says, "Clear Channel has been an innovator in the radio business, by clustering its stations in markets to reduce overhead and sharing talent through ‘voice tracking.' Following the 1996 Telecommunications Act, it substantially expanded its holdings."

Clear Channel is also planning to sell nearly 450 radio stations it owns outside the top 100 U.S. radio markets, as well as its television broadcasting unit. Albarran says this may be an opportunity for smaller broadcasters to expand their reach and scope. "Players in those smaller markets may be able to establish duopolies, where one owner owns and operates two stations," he says.

Albarran can be reached via his office, (940) 565-2537, or on his cell phone, (972) 989-7513.

Friday, Nov. 24, will be the start of an important 31 days for retailers -- the holiday shopping season for 2006. Spending on gifts in expected to increase 5 percent this year from 2005 -- a healthy upswing for retailers, according to Dr. Dee Knight, University of North Texas assistant professor of merchandising.

Knight says the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday" because it is the date "when retailers begin to operate from a profitable, or ‘in the black' position rather than an unprofitable, or ‘in the red' position."

"However, it is not the biggest sales day of the holiday season; that honor typically belongs to the Saturday before Christmas. This year Christmas is on Monday, so Saturday, Dec. 23, will probably be the biggest shopping day in terms of sales," she says.

Knight notes that many people do begin serious gift buying for the holiday the day after Thanksgiving, and they are usually rewarded with deep discounts by some major retailers. But she adds that with the bustle of the shops and, often, the entertaining of friends and family members who are visiting for Thanksgiving weekend with a trip to a mall, "it is easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holiday season and lose sight of your budget. "

Knight gives these tips for staying on a budget this year:

• Determine the total amount that you will spend on gifts for the season.
• Make a list of the people to whom you plan to give a gift and the amount you will spend on each person.
• If possible, have a general idea of a gift in mind for each person.
• Make a list of the stores you will visit.
• Ask a salesperson for assistance to save time.
• Check off each name on the list. "It brings a great deal of satisfaction!" Knight says.

Knight may be reached in her office at (940) 565-2433 or by cell phone at (940) 391-6408.

On Monday, the Farmers Branch City Council voted unanimously to pass ordinances aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and making English the city’s official language. The ordinances will require city officials to conduct nearly all official business in English, prohibit landlords from renting apartments to people who cannot prove their citizenship or legal status and have city police enter into a cooperative agreement with federal immigration officials to target "criminal aliens." Anti-illegal immigration activists in Arlington and Fort Worth have said they will push for similar measures in their cities.

Although members of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund have said that these ordinances violate federal law, Dr. Kimi King, University of North Texas associate professor of political science, said provisions making English an official language "have been upheld consistently by the courts, although not without challenge."

"The government has to clearly specify what its interest is in seeking to protect English as the official language," she said, adding that some courts have ruled that failure to provide benefits or services in foreign languages does not constitute discrimination on the basis of national origin under Title VI of the Civil Rights law because equating a person's language with the person's national origin has no basis in law or fact.

King says the larger issue for city councils passing anti-illegal immigration ordinances "is not a legal issue, but a political one."

"A city has to weigh legal issues with political issues, realizing that Spanish-speaking businesses may decide to go elsewhere," she said.

King may be reached at:

Mobile phone: (940) 597-4802
kking@unt.edu

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation was almost inevitable due to increasing opposition to the war in Iraq, a Democratic takeover in the U.S. House and a possible takeover in the Senate, says Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, director of the University of North Texas' Military History Center and the Major General Olinto Mark Barsanti Professor of Military History.

"A new Democratic majority would have subjected Rumsfeld to the oversight he has not been subjected to by the Republicans , which means he would have been on Capitol Hill defending his strategy," Wawro says. "This all seemed a bit much for him . At the same time, it allowed President Bush to preempt the inevitable opposition of a Democratic majority by offering Rumsfeld's head on a plate."

Bush nominated former CIA chief Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld. Gates, now president of Texas A&M University, headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 under the leadership of George H.W. Bush.

"It shows that we are seeing a flight from ideology and a reversion to pragmatism, at long last," Wawro says. "Gates is an interesting guy, a smart guy, and he will integrate the proposals of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group and the legitimate concerns of the new Democratic majority in Congress (and of the American people), and integrate them into a new course for the Iraq War."

Wawro joined UNT's Military History Center in the fall of 2005 after serving as the professor of strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Wawro is also host and anchor of the History Channel and History International programs Global View, History's Business and History in Focus.

Wawro can be reached by cell phone at (214) 514-7224.