Monday, February 19, 2007

Illegal immigrants

The illegal immigrant issue, to me, is very important. Here in the north I think it's easy to not see the whole picture . . . the negative impact illegal immigration has on the country. Talk to people in the south (I know several) and you get a much different picture of the situation. Most polls indicate people agree that we need to do something about illegal immigrants. What that is exactly we don't agree on. One thing, we shouldn't make it easier or more attractive to be here illegally than it is to be here legally. That just makes sense, doesn't it? But that isn't the case. We know there are counties and/or states that allow taxpayer benefits to illegal immigrants. Things like loans, education, healthcare . . . even social security. Why should we allow someone who is not here legally to receive taxpayer benefits? That makes no sense to me. You may as well be rewarding people for being here illegally. Here in Wisconsin, until recently, an illegal could get a driver's license. Well, in one section of Doyle's budget rape is a component that would allow lower tuition for illegal immigrants. At the same time, he raises tuition for everyone else. Now, personally I don't care about the tuition hike. The UW system is still pretty cheap by standard. But allowing lower rates to illegals is not only ignoring the problems of illegal immigration, but unfair to both the taxpayer and those who are legal citizens wanting to attend our colleges. We should provide the motivation and means to become legal citizens. Otherwise, it's virtually another form of welfare and a burden on the taxpayers.

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