Jan 06 2009
Illegal Immigration and Education Funding in California
There is an article in the Sacramento Bee today about illegal immigration. Specifically it is about the ability of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state universities (UC, CSU and Community College campuses).
One of the commentors on the article, someone from the general public, said that we should get rid of all services to illegal immigrants and that would solve the $40+ billion budget problem that California has. Specifically, the rights to education and medical care were mentioned by this commentor.
I want to say that I agree. Services should not be provided to illegal immigrants - except for medical services. Many illegals come here because they think their children can come with them and make a better future. However, this is only true because California doesn’t distinguish - for educaitonal purposes - between an illegal and legal citizen.
Yet education is funded by the state at a minimum level guaranteed by Prop 98. This is true whether there are students at the schools or not. The level of funding the state provides to K-12 education is not determined by the number of students, but is determined by an arcane formula that - maybe - 4 people understand.
I understand the sentiment behind the reader’s comment. It stinks to provide benefits to illegals. They came here illegally and obviously have no respect for this country, or its laws. If there was respect for America and its laws, the illegals would follow the legal process. I understand that the process to come here legally is long, convoluted, and takes forever. But that is the price you pay for admittance to the United States.
Not providing medical care - at all - for illegals brings a massive health risk to the communities where they live. I would venture a guess that all of us come into contact with illegals at some point in our day. It might be that they are the dish washers for our lunch resturaunt, or that they live down the street. We must provide emergency medical care to them. They are humans too. After all, our prison system provides generous medical benefits to the prisoners (better than I get at work). It would be a public health fiasco not to provide basic emergency services to illegals.
I do agree that providing heart (or other organ) transplants is too much. You are not here legally, and you are taking organs away from someone who is here legally and following our laws. The illegals should be last in line for donated organs, not first (or wherever on the list) on the basis of the severity of their disease or need.
Also, stopping these services wouldn’t provide closure of the $40+ billion hole. It’s not possible.
Other states have enacted laws that prohibit illegals from recieving education and other services from the state. Those states have seen a downturn in the numbers of illegal immigrants, as they are moving elsewhere so they can recieve services. It works other places, it would work here in California as well.
But it would never happen. The Democrats won’t let it.
