Posted on 02/12/2007 4:14:26 PM PST by batter
Having responded to some of the world's most tragic humanitarian crises including the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and the earthquake in Pakistan, I have seen innocent people who have lost everything — homes, children and parents.
In Darfur, people pass their lives in desolate camps where their homes consist of a few sticks with a sheet of plastic draped over them, a jerry can for their water supply, a couple of pots and pans, an open fire to cook on and a hole in the ground for a bathroom. Children fall sick one day and die the next. These people truly merit our compassion.
Now compare that to the compassion advocated by the supporters of in-state tuition for the "foreign-born" children of illegal immigrants. Compassion, we are told, supersedes the law, and anyone who opposes in-state tuition is labeled as being self-righteous, a zealot and a racist by the Deseret Morning News' editorial writers.
Of course, this is misplaced compassion because it encourages children to break our immigration laws while failing to acknowledge that they cannot work legally for reputable employers either before or after graduation without committing document fraud and identity theft. But, perhaps most troubling is the fact that it fails to show compassion for the true victims of illegal immigration such as the thousands and thousands of Utah children, who according to Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, have had their identities stolen by illegal aliens.
Where is the compassion for the young parents in Draper who are trying to recover their 2-year-old daughter's identity after an illegal alien used it to get two jobs, take out loans and obtain credit cards?
Where is the compassion for the family of the nurse who was recently killed when an illegal immigrant left his wrecked vehicle in the road in southern Utah?
Where is the compassion for Utahns who must pay more for their health care in order to offset the free medical care provided to illegal immigrants?
Where is the compassion for the Utah family who has a premature baby and now faces bankruptcy while an illegal immigrant runs up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and pays nothing?
Where is the compassion for the Utah child who is forced into an overcrowded classroom in order to accommodate tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children?
Where is the compassion for our children who are addicted to and dying from heroin and other drugs provided by illegal immigrant drug cartels?
And why did the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants, who committed identity theft in order to get jobs, result in an outpouring of compassion for their families rather than for their victims who have had their lives turned upside down?
If the media, the Alliance for Unity and other illegal immigrant advocates are truly concerned about Utah, let them begin by focusing on the true victims of illegal immigration — their fellow citizens whose identities have been stolen, whose health-care system is being destroyed, whose children's education is suffering and whose family members have been killed by illegal immigrants.
Then, if these advocates of misplaced compassion still wish to support those illegally in the United States, let them use their personal funds to create and support scholarships, free clinics and welfare programs for illegal aliens and let them treat those who honestly disagree with them with civility rather than childishly calling them names.
Ronald W. Mortensen is a retired Foreign Service officer who served three tours in Africa and continues to respond to international humanitarian crises.
I'm surprised the MSM even published this at all...of course it comes after the House failed to repeal in-state tuition.
I'll have to try to find the original editorial the Des. News wrote - it was a nasty one (hence, the references to the name calling in the above op-ed).
BINGO!
I find your editorial titled "Don't Kill Tuition Break" offensive (Jan. 7). The fact that you would actually champion the illegal immigrants' lawless behavior and chastise those who are attempting to correct the problem mystifies me. Your attack on Rep. Glenn Donnelson is spurious and underhanded, and to accuse him of racism defies anything remotely resembling truth. As to your assertion that illegals are law abiding, estimates from law enforcement show that 62 percent of violent crime in Utah is committed by illegals. And do not forget that the river of drugs flowing across the border is almost strong enough to divert the Rio Grand.
We do not need immigration reform, what we need is enforcement of the laws we have. Your editorial smacks of liberal elitism.
Robert Taylor
Salt Lake City
We can all thank Washington, DC, again for a job well done.
Don't kill tuition break
Deseret Morning News editorial
Why some members of the Utah Legislature insist -- year after year -- on targeting illegal immigrants who pay in-state tuition at Utah's colleges and universities is beyond us. Perhaps they do it because patting themselves on the back for their moral superiority feels so good. Perhaps they use the issue as a sop to throw to the Minuteman crowd so they won't muddy the Capitol steps with protests.
The truth is, only 182 students in the state have taken the tuition break. That hardly qualifies as a speed bump. Lobbyists probably buy that many lunches each week. And those 182 students are still paying the in-state rates.
Just getting into college shows a tremendous amount of gumption and initiative on the part of young people who came to the country with two strikes against them -- language and legality. They've done it by their bootstraps. We should be cheering these students on and holding them up as examples, not holding them down.
There are pill pushers and there are bill pushers. In this case, the biggest "bill pusher" is Rep. Glenn Donnelson of North Ogden, who has apparently decided to take a page from the book of George Wallace. For the fourth time he is trying to repeal a 2002 law allowing undocumented students who have lived in Utah for three years and have graduated from a Utah high school to pay the same tuition as other Utahns. We expect to see him standing spread-eagle in the doorway of a dean's office at some point. Others are also responding to the rallying cry. Who do they think is taking advantage of the in-state tuition break? Members of the Bloods and the Crips? Pancho Villa? Fidel Castro?
People may squeal when the following word surfaces, but targeting such a tiny number of pupils in an ocean of students does have overtones of (hush this up) racism.
Reform is called for, but legislators shy from it. That might actually mean coming up with ideas and laws that deal with the situation as it is instead of presenting a Fantasyland alternative. It's easier to dog the boys and girls with schoolbooks beneath their arms than it is to rethink the issue.
We're sorry, legislators, but June Cleaver has gone to her grave. It's a whole new world -- one filled with confusion, but also with incredible opportunities. Get some new ideas or get out of the way of young people who actually are trying to get a life. Offer solutions that make sense or offer none at all. Don't clutter the agenda with your hobby horses.
Let's face it, RINO's like Chris Cannon and Orrin Hatch are going to ally with Democrats and give us open borders & amnesty.
We might as well let illegals pay instate tuition. Thanks to Cannon and Hatch, all illegals are going to get US citizenship in a couple of months anyway.
I forgot who wrote this but-
We the people are:
FED UP with plans to merge the United States into a North American alliance with Canada and Mexico. Such a plan would destroy American sovereignty and is totally unacceptable.
FED UP with the refusal of the federal government to secure our borders at time of war.
FED UP when armed Mexicans illegally cross our borders and assault Americans, yet our government takes no action, and refuses to even protest.
FED UP when Americans defending the U.S. from drug smuggling illegal aliens are sent to federal prison, while invading criminals are to be forgiven via amnesty for violating our borders and laws.
FED UP with the fact that upwards of 30 million illegal aliens are currently in America, and cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
FED UP with a president who orders thousands of young Americans into harm's way thousands of miles from home, but who refuses to secure America.
FED UP with politicians who refuse to enforce immigration laws and who claim it is "impossible" to deport criminals here illegally.
FED UP with illegal aliens who can not and/or will not speak English.
FED UP with taxpayer dollars being wasted to print documents in foreign languages.
FED UP with illegal aliens who dump their medical bills on the backs of U.S. taxpayers, but who send $30-40 billion a year back to Mexico each year.
FED UP with the fact that providing free medical services to illegal aliens drives hospitals out of business, making those facilities unavailable to American citizens for whom the medical centers were intended.
FED UP with our schools being invaded by non-English speaking children who impede the learning process of students who genuinely belong here.
FED UP with the fact that federal, state, and local penal systems are overrun by illegal aliens, again costing taxpayers billions each year.
FED UP with the fact that, on average, illegal aliens kill 12 Americans every day.
FED UP with the fact that the overwhelming majority of felony crimes being investigated in Los Angeles have been committed by illegals from Mexico.
FED UP with politicians who refuse to round up and deport millions of illegal aliens who are destroying American culture and language.
FED UP with politicians who pamper illegal aliens with driver's licenses and free public services, which encourage even more invaders to come to America.
FED UP with the attempted Mexicanization of America. Mexico is a third- world slum, and we are FED UP with those who want America to be like Mexico!
Finally, Mr. President and members of the U.S. Congress, we the people are FED UP with those who consistently work on behalf of illegal aliens and the state of Mexico, and against the interests of the American people!
Good article.
"In Darfur, people pass their lives in desolate camps where their homes consist of a few sticks with a sheet of plastic draped over them, a jerry can for their water supply, a couple of pots and pans, an open fire to cook on and a hole in the ground for a bathroom. Children fall sick one day and die the next. These people truly merit our compassion."
Compassion and condoms.
It is rare that I can ping you to a thread . . .
An excellent editorial.
I still think that ALL STATES should adopt the policy of giving illegal immigrants their last free ride - a one way bus ticket to District of Columbia.
If DC doesn't want to deal with the problem, then let DC deal with the problem.
Tell ya what... if 25,000 illegals got shipped there, you'd see a solution quicker than spit.
BTTT!!
Very true!
100,000 would be much more accurate!
>We can all thank Washington, DC, again for a job well done.<
I think you may have forgotten who placed these people in DC. We did therefore I want to say that we are the ones who desrve the hugs, kisses and cheers for destroying America.
Sure we were deceived in the previous election, but are we so stupid that we needed to reelect these bastards? Evidently we are because we did send them back to finish the job.
If you voted to reelect anyone, give yourself a pat on the back.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Have the southern states tried passing some voter initiatives? Couldn't a wall be built state by state?
At the very least we need some initiatives that ban ESL. I have a friend who is a teacher in a farming community who says the state basically wastes money baby-sitting the students. It is also rumored that grades are (cough) adjusted for NCLB.
I will admit to helping reelect Senator Ensign. The rest of them didn't get any help from me.
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