<i> During 1990, many Orange County residents wrote about their thoughts and feelings in articles for Orange County opinion pages. As we look back on the year, some of those thoughts are recalled.</i> : Brian Bennett on Vietnames Refugees

Relatives by the scores, bearing welcome signs and American flags, were teary-eyed with anticipation Jan.13 at gate 70B at LAX. The first South Vietnamese political prisoners to be released under a Washington-Hanoi agreement had arrived, and many were heading for Orange County.

Know this first and think what it might mean if it were you: Unlike immigrants, refugees are driven from their homes, families, jobs, culture and country. Leaving is dispiriting, humiliating and traumatizing, but a necessary act of self-preservation.

So, where are the new refugees going to live? How will they get jobs? Will they be treated “special” with low-interest loans and cash grants? Who will pay the bills ? Inquiring taxpayers want to know.

Under the Refuge Act of 1980, all refugees are treated alike. No discount loans. No special rates. The federal government, largely acting through state and local governments and voluntary agencies, provides short-term resettlement aid.

Of the 900,000 Indochinese who have settled in America, 40% live in California. Of those, 180,000 are in Orange County. If current trends continue, we can expect at least one-half of the 90,000 political prisoners and their families to come to Orange County. Here they will find social support and economic assistance among their well-established predecessors.

Resettlement aid is the first step toward toward self-sufficiency. Liberals might call it guilt. Conservatives call it duty-bound honor. Whatever your preference, these friends of America have earned our compassion, support and tax dollars.