Funds for Immigrants
The article (March 20) about supporting Armenian immigrants to the tune of $600 monthly welfare checks for 18 months and federal rent subsidy roused the anger and disgust of many native taxpayers. The immigrants also get free school lunches and food stamps.
Contrast that with U.S. citizens, a mother and child deserted by the father able to get only $240 a month in Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
Contrast that with several generations of U.S.-born black people, who were insulted, maligned, and hassled when job discrimination and other tragedies forced them onto welfare. Many who unjustifiably vented their spleen over excess taxation on them are now strangely quiet about financing all the immigrants, just because they’re from communist countries, whether Cubans, Soviet Jews, Vietnamese, etc.
How strange it is, above all, that Mexicans driven by extreme poverty who come here to work, have been harassed, persecuted, and forcibly dumped back over the border. Yet, they were the ones who did the work of saving much of our food production during World War II.
And, why is it that people running away from the horrors and death squads of El Salvador can get no help from our government, but are hounded and deported? It couldn’t be the affordable housing shortage.
MOLLIE SIEGEL
Manhattan Beach
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