More shame for California

[jaysunb]

I love my State with a passion, but, sometimes I feel great shame when we let the minority ( assholes) project their bile and intolerance on the rest of us.

As California lawmakers struggle with a budget gap that has now grown to $26.3 billion, one of the hottest topics for many taxpayers is the cost to the state of illegal immigrants.

The question of whether taxpayers should provide services to illegal residents became a major political issue in California's last deep recession, culminating in the ballot fight over Proposition 187 in 1994. That history could repeat itself in the current downturn, as activists opposed to illegal immigration have launched a campaign for an initiative that would, among other things, cut off welfare payments to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Those children are eligible for welfare benefits because they are U.S. citizens

Most people accept the fact that there are millions of undocumented people living here, but also recognize that they too are part of the fabric of our society and culture. They are the nannies & gardeners and all the people that do the work we won't. Take away their contribution and we'd be left w/ lots more problems.

On the other side of the ledger, illegal residents pay taxes -- sales taxes on what they buy, gasoline taxes when they fuel their cars, property taxes if they own homes. The total is hotly debated, although most researchers agree that the short-term costs to state and local government are bigger than the revenues.

Asshole republicans have successfully run this state into the ground starting w/ prop 13 right through props 187, the recall of Gov. Davis and Prop 8.

When will we learn and kick these evil people to the curb. :evilfrown:

entire article here :http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-illegal10-2009jul10,0,3398621.story

[lindisfarne]

1. I doubt excluding legal US citizens born to illegal immigrants, from something that legal US citizen

born to US citizens would qualify for, would be considered constitutional.

[lapfog_1]

2. Violates "equal protection"

settled case law.

But then, this is the state that passed prop H8.

[jaysunb]

3. Bush v Gore ?

comes to mind.

[lapfog_1]

4. More applicable is Brown V. Board of Education.

Directly applicable since this would be about racial/ethnic/parental origin discrimination.

edit to add: If the wingnuts want to fix this to allow such discrimination, all they have to do is pass a constitutional amendment which changes the way people become citizens... i.e. one or both parents would have to be citizens or something like that. Good luck with that.

[Caliman73]

6. I think jaysunb means that Bush v. Gore is an example of how..

the Government can subvert the Constitution for powerful interests.

[lapfog_1]

8. As always in a typed discussion group / message board...

smilies are everything...

they needed the :sarcasm: tag thing.

[Caliman73]

14. True

I think that people sometimes type and think that it carries over like they speak. I am guilty of that sometimes too. I appreciate smilies.

[closeupready]

5. They certainly did pass H8.

I feel very bad for the liberals and other good people in California (LA, SF) (some of whom are my friends and family), but for the others, the financial problems and all the others calamities to come are kind of like karmic retribution.

[lapfog_1]

7. Please...

There are real people who are hurting here.

This is similar to the wing nuts saying that Katrina was retribution for New Orleans and their "wicked gay parade".

You simply replace "God" with "Karma" and ascribe retribution because SOME people in California didn't hold the same viewpoint that you (and all of us) wanted them to have... and so biblical punishment is meted out to all in California.

As someone that is out of work and has been for a while, I don't think that it is fair to "wish this" on myself or anyone anywhere.

[LeftyMom]

9. That's fucked up.

One of the ideas getting kicked around right now is a reduction in reimbursements for foster care. Now by definition none of those kids voted for Prop H8, because they're all under 18, and they're all already suffering due to their parents' bad decisions, and now they're going to have less money for things like school clothes and hair cuts because of something that has nothing to do with them. At the same time, their schools are also facing cutbacks, MediCal is facing cutbacks, etc. The poor and the victimized going to get poorer and further victimized as a result of this mess.

Please don't blather about karma. It's nonsense to begin with, and it's especially unfair when you realize that the suffering is disproportionately falling on people who had no real power to begin with.

[closeupready]

10. Sorry.

I don't wish bad on people, and certainly not kids or the poor.

[Blackhatjack]

11. When I think of Calif today I can't help thinking of Grover Norquist's dream...

... reduce government to the size where it can be drowned in a bathtub.

By creating a huge budget deficit and refusing to approve any attempts to raise revenue, there is nothing left to do but either 'cut' social welfare programs or let them die unfunded.

Almost time for the public to appear on stage with pitchforks on hand...

[jaysunb]

13. Bingo !

You nailed it !

[EFerrari]

12. Republicans trying to raise money from their racist base is all this is

Those children are citizens = no brainer.

But their base will never notice since they are brainless.