🚀 go-pugleaf

Needhams Electronics (needhams@crl.com) wrote:

: However, removing FREE health care for illegal aliens is long overdue, 
: and here's why: 

: 1> Illegal aliens for the most part don't pay taxes.(How do you file a 
: tax form with a phony Social Security Number?)  

: 2> I don't get any free health care, and I DO pay taxes, so in effect, I 
: end up paying all of their health care bills.

: I am of course not speaking of emergency care, which is in no way 
: effected by the Prop 187.

     Actually, I bet Prop. 187 increases the overall health car tab we
taxpayers must foot.  Non-emergency care is often preventative care.  If
kids don't get their immunizations, they'll come down with serious
illnesses like mumps and polio.  And if the parents wait until they're
emergencies, the cost is going to be alot higher.  Not to mention those
kids who get the care too late and die or are crippled.  And it won't just
be limited to kids either.  Diseases like tuberculosis are already making
a comeback, and delaying treatment for such infectious diseases will only
drive up the ultimate bill.

     The strongest argument I've heard yet for Prop. 187 is that it's
unfair to legal immigrants.  Legally immigrating to this country is an
long and expensive process.  It's unfair because illegal immigrants avoid
the long selection process that legal immigrants must undertake.  It's
unfair because the legal process also seeks to prevent criminals, the
seriously ill, and those who would become a financial burden to society
from immigrating to the US.

     My personal belief is that Prop. 187 is the wrong solution.  The
right way to go about this is to increase the legal immigration quotas.
The reason people come here illegally is that there is a market for
cheap labor, but immigration quotas don't allow people to immigrate here
in sufficient numbers to meet that demand.  Make it easier for people to
come here legally, and you meet the labor force demands without creating
second-class non-citizens.  Let them immigrate here legally, and they'll
pay they won't be afraid of the government and will pay their taxes the
same as the rest of us.

						George



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George J Wu                            Software Consultant
georgewu@netcom.com                    Expertise: Galaxy, C++, OOP, UNIX, GUIs
415-964-4381                           Currently seeking Bay Area contracts