Citizenship Amendment

The California David Duke of the Month Award goes to Gallegly for his reprehensible constitutional amendment to deny U.S. citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in America.

Gallegly follows a long line of politicians who seek to restrict individual rights. This racist congressman doesn’t want the children of Mexican or Central American immigrants to become citizens upon birth. His reason: Childbirth costs too much.

Under the Gallegly amendment, an illegal immigrant mother who went to County-USC Medical Center to give birth would be told that she and her baby would be deported. Once word got out on this policy, these women wouldn’t go anywhere near a hospital. While many births can be handled at home by midwives, there are others that are complicated and could result in death for mother and child if proper facilities are not available.

As a taxpayer I don’t appreciate that indigent illegal immigrants cost $5.4 billion a year in social services. I don’t blame immigrants, however. I blame Congress for adopting these programs in the first place. Once in place, these welfare programs spawn a bureaucracy whose best interest is served if more people go on welfare. The solution: Get rid of welfare and “transfer payment” programs completely. They should be replaced by private charitable institutions like churches. The government has no right to force citizens to be charitable by taking money from their paychecks for run-state welfare programs.

Let’s hope Gallegly’s demagogic exercise in intolerance will die a quick, much deserved death.

TED BROWN

Pasadena