Controversy Over SOS Initiative

USC law professor Howard Chang’s column on Prop. 187--the Save Our State initiative--certainly reflects the kind of ethical bankruptcy that one might conclude pervades American law schools (Commentary, Sept. 6). Chang argues quite systematically, quite rationally, quite articulately, and is quite wrong.

Prop. 187 is not malicious immigrant bashing. My mother came legally to the U.S. in 1956. She has olive skin and an accent. She is undoubtedly a “foreigner.” She has never fallen prey to so-called immigrant bashing.

Chang should try to stop pushing his amoral, liberal agenda for a moment to realize that the only “bashing” going on is against those who have broken the law.

Chang should toss aside his flowery language and take a look at Prop. 187 from a common-sense angle: Illegal immigration is illegal. It is indefensible. It is wrong. For a law professor, one would think that should make all the difference.

PETER MUSURLIAN

Glendale

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If Prop. 187 passes and California denies public schooling to children of undocumented immigrants, we’ll be faced with an unpredictable number of idle kids not learning the basic skills of reading or writing or speaking English; combine this with their understandable anger at a society that forbids basic medical care for themselves and their families; add the dangerous frustration that they’ll be unemployable when they reach work age.

What we’ll have is a startling explosion of gangs with members who are very, very young. The existence of today’s gang activity is frightening enough; the thought of disadvantaged and provoked preteens should scare all of us.

Prop. 187 was penned as a scare tactic to get rid of “them” and to save state money. Any money saved on schools (and that’s a debatable issue in itself) would just be transferred to law enforcement agencies. So, what’s the gain?

The proponents vividly call this a “Save Our State” initiative. If it becomes law, SOS is going to mean exactly that--a call for help!

ROBERT H. STONE

Long Beach

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Because of an undocumented worker, I have enjoyed life in the United States for 54 years. My father walked over from Mexico in 1918, God bless him. During my life, I have paid over a million dollars in taxes. Maybe it just feels like over a million dollars, I don’t know. I do know that I have paid more in than I have taken out (so far). However, I did attend Cal State University for almost nothing.

I have been doing a lot of thinking on the immigration problem. I believe we can’t deny a child or a person health care if they need it, and I also believe anyone has a right to be educated in our schools. On the other hand, it isn’t fair to us taxpayers to foot the bill for these costs. Here’s my solution:

Send a bill to the immigrant’s country for whatever the cost of services we are providing for its citizens. We add a little bit for profit and a great deal for bureaucratic overhead, and maybe these countries will be more enthused about keeping their people in their country, and about creating the conditions that would make them want to stay. If they refuse to pay it, we simply deduct it from the foreign aid I’m sure we’re providing.

RUDOLPH F. SILVA

Brea