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I'm really curious about this one.

I understand why in California or Texas, illegal aliens are a big issue. They are, after all, there.

I live in Pennsylvania, a cold weather state that's losing population. Right now, Republican incumbant Senator Rick Sanatorium is running radio ads discussing his opposition to illegal aliens.

From what I can see, quite bluntly, Pennsylvania could use illegal immigrants, even those that have children and user city services. We need young people. Our school taxes are absurd because huge buildings with few students are being maintained. A few extra students would not kill us and would probably help the vitality of our area. And I daresay the same is true of hospitals and other institutions that are overloaded elsewhere in the country.

My foggy impression is that Utah is a similar type of location - another cold weather place losing population to the South and West. Per Wikipedia, it would have lost population without migration from outside of the US.

I would think that the 60,000-odd people who immigrated into the state from a foreign country would be easily absorbed into a population of 2.5 million, and therefore illegal immigration would not be much of a concern, if not any at all.

So why on earth would someone run on an anti-illegal platform in a state where there are not enough illegals to matter?

I think illegals would be largely welcome in most states where populations are shrinking or treading water. The big problems with illegals in California are due to huge numbers that strain resources locally. I'll bet if we could encourage them to migrate more evenly throughout the country we would have little problem absorbing them.

But I think most Mexicans and other illegals would have a very hard time living in cold weather states.

Thoughts?

D

With regard to Mexicans and other Latin Americans living in cold weather climates, keep in mind that Chicago and Northern Indiana have had a substantial Mexican-American community for decades, as has Denver. New York City and environs have had a large Puerto Rican and Caribbean population for a long time as well. OTOH, there was a large settlement of Germans and other Central Europeans in Central and South Texas, including the Hill Country, in the 1800s. Most of their white neighbors were from the Southeastern states, whose forbears came from the British Isles in colonial times.

If the jobs are there, people will migrate, irrespective of the climate of the land of their origins.

I live in Indiana, also a cold weather state. We are covered up with them. The illegals are overwhelming the emergency rooms so that our own people spend the whole day waiting. According to local radio programs, the ratio in ER waiting rooms is about 10 to 1 with illegals. The nurse who was talking on the radio said that when a group of 20 or 30 are all speaking Spanish, you can pretty much believe that they are not legal. The hospitals have to hire translators.

The small rural towns are also inundated. The town where my aunt lives (population approx. 25,000) has rental housing on her street with 10 or 15 single men living together with no furniture, beds, etc. They see them come and go...no families with them.

I could go on and on, but the point is that this is not just a border state issue. Indiana is not a wealthy state and was not prepared for the influx of people needing services.

I believe that this is the reason the immigration issue is going to be an important one in the coming election. People here are mad about it. The protests with Mexican flags woke up a sleeping citizenry here.

Need to check your stats. Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the country without much of a metropolitan area or job magnet. One reason is Mormons have big families, like to retire among their own kind and the educational institutions are a good value for the money-- so lots of people of every demographic-- kids, youth and the elderly.

I remember changing planes in Salt Lake City once and taking a tour of their Temple Square. There was a panhandler nearby whining about how awful the Mormons were-- expecting him to work before he was given anything, denying him alcohol and even a cup of coffee. I asked him why he hung around there to panhandle and he told me "because the tourists were kind." "Not me, buddy" I said and walked away to his cursing that I must be one of them.

I don't like big cities in America much, but I must say Salt Lake City is one of the better kept ones.

So why on earth would someone run on an anti-illegal platform in a state where there are not enough illegals to matter?

Yes, I questioned the local myself, Utah prolly doesn't have 200K illegals in the whole state (yr. round) no wonder the voters there don't feel invaded.

However, Cannon himself brought this partly on, with his 'welcome illegals speech', driver's lic., Titian's, etc.

From what I can see, quite bluntly, Pennsylvania could use illegal immigrants, even those that have children and user city services.

"Illegals"...NO....our electeds *should be* working to expedite the LEGAL precesses, already in place, to welcome ALL immigrants (that we need) and that really want to become Americans.

As a 'Nation of Laws' we do not reward our citizen lawbreakers, there for we should not *reward* any illegal lawbreakers. (or allow them to line-jump)

So why on earth would someone run on an anti-illegal platform in a state where there are not enough illegals to matter?

If the 'status quo' remains it will be interesting to see if UT voters would so readily re-elect another OBL pol in 10 years.