Ga Rabid Right to Deny Illegals Access to State Services
Members of Georgia's wretched, rabid right want to keep illegal immigrants from using state services.
They seek to keep limited state resources for legal residents of Georgia. Basically the argument is that they don't contribute to the state's coffers and are a drain on the ability of the state to provide services. Proponents of this legislation would still allow illegals to use some services. School districts will still be required to accept all children, and federal statutes require medical facilites to provide life saving treatement illegal immigrants.
But access to services like collegiate education, welfare, unemployment benefits and the like would be restricted. The republicans invloved in this endeavor swear that they are not 'anti-immigration' but 'anti-illegal-immigration'. I've got little reason to argue with them on that point. There are bound to be bigots within their midst, but they are present in every walk of life and political viewpoint.
My problem with their approach is that I believe this would lead to pockets of stranded illegals that would become second class citizens. Their locales would become ghettos and cause serious problems within and nearby. This lower class would be a bigger drain on our economy as they lose hope, give up all pretenses of assimilating and resort to more criminal pasttimes to get by.
I don't want illegal immigrants in our midst. But if the primary gripe is that they don't contribute to the funding of state services since they don't file income taxes, I've got a solution. Adopting a state version of the Fair Tax would ensure that everyone pays taxes. Whenever an illegal purchases goods/services in Georgia, they'd contribute to the state coffers. And if the illegals desire to live where they aren't taxed, they'll relocate elsewhere. Problem solved. I believe it is a much more humane solution.
And in the meantime, I hope that the Federals would crack down harder on stemming the illegal flow into the country.
Instead, I fear that local politicians are really just stirring up their base with this 'hot-button' issue and trying to receive free air time. This will come at the expense of a truly viable solution.
They seek to keep limited state resources for legal residents of Georgia. Basically the argument is that they don't contribute to the state's coffers and are a drain on the ability of the state to provide services. Proponents of this legislation would still allow illegals to use some services. School districts will still be required to accept all children, and federal statutes require medical facilites to provide life saving treatement illegal immigrants.
But access to services like collegiate education, welfare, unemployment benefits and the like would be restricted. The republicans invloved in this endeavor swear that they are not 'anti-immigration' but 'anti-illegal-immigration'. I've got little reason to argue with them on that point. There are bound to be bigots within their midst, but they are present in every walk of life and political viewpoint.
My problem with their approach is that I believe this would lead to pockets of stranded illegals that would become second class citizens. Their locales would become ghettos and cause serious problems within and nearby. This lower class would be a bigger drain on our economy as they lose hope, give up all pretenses of assimilating and resort to more criminal pasttimes to get by.
I don't want illegal immigrants in our midst. But if the primary gripe is that they don't contribute to the funding of state services since they don't file income taxes, I've got a solution. Adopting a state version of the Fair Tax would ensure that everyone pays taxes. Whenever an illegal purchases goods/services in Georgia, they'd contribute to the state coffers. And if the illegals desire to live where they aren't taxed, they'll relocate elsewhere. Problem solved. I believe it is a much more humane solution.
And in the meantime, I hope that the Federals would crack down harder on stemming the illegal flow into the country.
Instead, I fear that local politicians are really just stirring up their base with this 'hot-button' issue and trying to receive free air time. This will come at the expense of a truly viable solution.
posted by Ga Mongrel at 3:51 PM
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