Published: July 03, 2007 04:58 pm            

LETTERS: July 5, 2007

Rose is off base

Local columnist Lillian Rose showed once again that the proponents of the immigration bill currently being discussed, I use this word loosely, as these proponents wish to limit discussion on the bill to the elite, select few in Washington, just either don’t seem to get it or think that the 68 percent of Americans that oppose this legislation are just too unintelligent to understand its’ complexity.

Of course the lobbyists, the National Restaurant Association, New England Apple Council and the Nevada Casino workers union, want amnesty for the illegal immigrants currently in the country. It means that their businesses won’t have to worry anymore about doing a little background checking and breaking the law when they hire someone illegally.

I agree with Ms. Rose’s statement "…that by not doing anything, the system become (sic.) more and more unmanageable." Instead of enacting more bad legislation, how about a more rigorous enforcement of the laws that are currently on the books? If companies that hire illegal immigrants are prosecuted more vigorously, than the demand for illegal workers will shrink. As demand shrinks, so will the supply, those who are crossing the border illegally. As the number of people crossing the border illegally declines, so will the need for increased border enforcement, not to mention an ugly fence. A simplistic viewpoint, you say? Perhaps it is. However, isn’t it worth a try before more bad legislation is enacted? By the way, two additional potential positives of increased business prosecution is the potential for an increase in hiring of domestic workers and higher wages for all workers. This will most likely cause higher prices to the consumer, but isn’t it a small price to pay if the policy works?

By now, some of you reading this may be ready to put me into one or more of several categories that are currently in vogue by the proponents of this legislation; xenophobe, "nativist" "and crazy conservative." Let me put the record straight. I will proudly admit to being a moderate with conservative leanings when it comes to politics. Also, no one can accuse me of the other two either. I am a second generation American. My grandparents, all four of them, legally immigrated to the United States from Sicily and I have a surname with Spanish roots. I came to understand the plight of poor immigrants from stories that my mother and father told me. I understand the desire to have a better life with unlimited opportunities. Immigrants have made the United States the great country that it is, and we need to continue to have them come into this country. My only caveat is that they come here legally.

As I write this, the U.S. Senate has voted to stop this legislation from moving forward. I think that they finally heard what the people were saying. Let’s hope that they continue to listen.

— Nick Cortolillo, Floyds Knobs



Reader: Finish Mt. Tabor Road



I live just off Mount Tabor Road on Lancaster Circle. Mount Tabor Road has been closed for renovations for over a year. Most days I see only four or five persons working on Mount Tabor Road. Now some mental giant has decided to close Daisy Lane for renovations before Mount Tabor is completed, creating gridlock between State Street and Charlestown Road. How in the world can the renovation of Mount Tabor Road take over a year? Hire some more workers and complete the work on Mount Tabor Road before starting on Daisy Lane.

— Chris Nance, New Albany



Right to Life leader unhappy with Hill

Rep. Baron Hill’s recent vote to expand taxpayer funding of agencies that promote abortion as a method of family planning in foreign countries is a slap in the face to voters in Indiana’s ninth congressional district who took Rep. Hill at his word when he stated his support for the 95-10 plan, a strategy promoted by Democrats for Life to reduce abortions by 95 percent over the next 10 years. Hill’s promotion of the 95-10 plan took many forms in the weeks leading up to the November 2006 elections, including campaign stops in heavily Catholic areas in the district. Now it is clear that his actions were not due to any convictions about protecting human life, but about getting elected to Congress.

Rep. Hill should now explain to his constituents how using our tax dollars to promote the killing of unborn children in foreign countries will help to reduce abortions. Even the most strident liberal understands that when you throw more money into promoting an activity, more of that activity will occur. This is the worst of the worst when it comes to politics, and its part of the reason why congressional approval ratings are sinking to historic lows.

Rep. Hill stood in small towns across his district in late 2006 and thumped his chest over his stated support of the 95-10 plan. Now we know that giant thumping noise was nothing but hot air.

— Mike Fichter, Executive Director, Indiana Right to Life



Reader: Waste not, want not

I just returned from my weekly shopping trip to Kroger. I’m not writing about the way prices are skyrocketing, although I could. I’m writing about the wastefulness I see in our welfare/food stamp program. I’ve got no problem with the idea of helping the less fortunate, but I do have a problem with the misuse/abuse of the system. While my husband and I are comparing prices, buying generics and buying “Chef’s Special” almost expired hamburger, the woman ahead of us is buying steak, Kool-aid sippers, potato chips, soft drinks and name brand everything. If we had control of their spending like working for a living has on ours they certainly would spend more wisely.

Since when is chips and soda food anyway? And why in the world should they be allowed to spend food stamps at a convenience store or gas station. If we controlled what they spent money on there’d be more to go around for those in need and who would appreciate a little help. I know there is not a lot that can be done at the city or county level, but we have to do something. So what if we limit what they eat. It’s free. And they usually eat better than many of us. Even the WIC program has limits. If recipients don’t like it they don’t have to get on the program. Another thing that gets me is families get a certain amount of food stamps during the summer months to feed their family. Then when school starts their kids get free breakfast and lunch with no reduction of benefits. Makes no sense.

Maybe since it’s two different programs, during school we could cut back on the food stamps that they don’t now need and use these funds to pay for the free books that they also get. And at holiday time when they get the free food baskets, subtract these funds from their food stamps and give to those who can’t afford a nice dinner, but have worked their tails off all year and deserve to eat too. And for my last gripe, I’m sick of seeing “the poor” who live off of our taxes smoking, buying dog food, watching dish TV or in any other way wasting money we have given them for the “welfare” of their kids.

— Ed and Carol Johnson, Jeffersonville

        

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