Siliconchef by Brian Richardson
I am going to post more details from my Vega$ vacation soon … but first, Brian rants against the wonders of misinformed boycotting …
Good thing I didn’t want Mexican food today … http://wsbradio.com/news/032406latinoboycott3a.html
Some area Hispanics are boycotting their employers and any commercial activity in opposition to a new Georgia bill aimed at reducing the impact of illegal immigrants on state funded services, while also fining employers who hire “undocumented workers”.
Quoting a story from today’s AJC about Senate Bill 529 …
Rogers� bill attempts to prohibit adult illegal immigrants from getting taxpayer-funded benefits to which they are not entitled. It also attempts to ensure that companies with public contracts hire only workers in the country legally, and it would financially penalize private employers who hire illegal immigrants. The bill also would establish tough penalties for human trafficking.
House members added a provision in committee that would require illegal immigrants to pay a 5 percent surcharge on money they wire out of the country.
Funny, but isn’t this the same as all of the drug dealers or hookers going on strike because nobody appreciates what they bring to the local economy? As a big fan of personal choice, I don’t believe these things should be illegal (morals aside), but it’s the closest example I could find.
So the Frontera restaurant closed today, along with other businesses, with a big sign on the door asking folks to sign a petition opposing the bill. They think the bill is racist against Hispanics … Hispanics just happen to be the immigrants that can walk here (trust me, if that land bridge was still running across the Baltic Sea, Alaska would be up to its armpits in Siberian 7-11 workers).
Yes, immigration is a touchy issue (I just had a fairly heated discussion about it in a chat window, the notebook is still hot to the touch). But border security is a big issue now (if workers can just walk into the country, why can’t terrorists?), and folks who break the law as their first act entering the country do fall into “security”. I know that some folks come for “the better life”, but many others just exploit the system. As far as I know, Mexico’s biggest import is money from Mexican citizens working in the US.
If we’re going to keep this crap-tastic income tax system in the US, then folks who are evading the system are using services without paying for them … which then increases my tax burden, along with anobody else working in this country legally (that applies to the drug dealers & hookers, too). Leaving work for a day because Georgia wants to keep non-citizens from getting services reserved for citizens is a bit misinformed.
If I show up in Canada tomorrow, I don’t expect free medical services on an American passport (especially since there’s a long waiting list … but that’s socialized medicine, another topic for another day).
Sorry to get your notebook all het up, but I just don’t see that telling a poor, non-English-speaking woman that her kid has to suffer untreated through measles bc she can’t find legal work to pay taxes to qualify for health care is solving the problem. I’m not saying it isn’t a problem, but these people have to go somewhere. Sweeping them under the rug isn’t a viable option.
The major problem is the fact that the mother and perhaps the child are not here legally. If we fix the problem of the illegal aliens, the heath care issue will resolve itself eventually. I don’t have a problem with someone wanting to come to America but there are procedures set up to do so. If someone comes in without following the immigration laws, what will that person do while in our country? They committed a criminal act the second they touched foot in the country.
That said if someone has an emergent medical need- here legally or not- the hospital has a moral obligation to help that person- just as I would expect if I were in Canada. If I were illegally in Canada I would expect them to ship me back once I was medically cleared. Why will we not do the same?
The "sick kid turned away" situation isn’t going to happen with this bill. Emergency rooms in the US can’t deny care, and this bill specifically keeps coverage for kids.
The "communicable diseases not treated" situation won’t happen either. Health departments always provided treatment for communicable diseases as a way of protecting the public health.
You really don’t want to know how many of your tax dollars are spent annually on treating people who come here illegally
and are carrying tuberculosis.
This issue is really hard for me to stay calm about. The city in colorado where I work is much more hispanic than white. I also what to add before I get to far into this I do not enjoy broad racial generalizations. That being said, I was made aware of two things last night by our off duty cop security.(yes we police security at my theater). the two things he told me 1)Greeley has a higher property Crime rate than any city in the country even LA. 2)Any time I am in Greeley I should carry pepper spray or a tazer at all times. To answer the obvious question yes my life has been threatened seriously there. Why bring up all these Crime stats? it is estimated 30-40 percent of the Greeley hispanic population is here illegally. Just wanted to add my two cents.