Orange County Voices : The Debate on Proposition 187 : Passage Will Help Solve Welfare Crisis : Taxpayers cannot afford to subsidize both a legal and illegal underclass.

Proposition 187 is not just about limiting public social services to illegal immigrants. It is about much more. It is about how we deal with a very difficult and significant problem in our society. And it goes right to the heart of who we are as a people.

On Liberty Island, in New York Harbor, stands the Statue of Liberty. In one hand she holds a flaming torch, a symbol of enlightenment and reason; in the other she holds the law, and inscribed on her foundation are words of welcome. As the French who gave us the statue beautifully symbolized, we are a people of reason who debate, discuss and attempt to make reasonable laws. We are a people who live by the rule of law. And yes, we are a compassionate people willing to share the blessings of liberty.

Before the American experiment, Europe and other nations accepted and knew nothing else but masses of people living in poverty, just as can be found in much of today’s Third World.

But America changed that. The French historian Edouard de Laboulaye, who suggested the Statue of Liberty, also wrote about his amazement in coming to America and seeing a large middle class, where most could enjoy the privileges once reserved only for the rich. No longer could the world accept the poverty-laden masses as a necessary evil. For now liberty, true freedom, had put in place incentives and opportunities.

This was the experience of the United States until we mistakenly waged a “war on poverty,” spending billions on entitlements: welfare programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, food stamps and Medi-Cal. But rather than reducing poverty, this well-meaning but ill-conceived practice has created a growing underclass of welfare generations.

We have become a nation that pays people not to mow lawns, not to wash dishes, not to clean houses. Thus we have created a giant vacuum. Our economy cannot run without inexpensive labor. We needed others to fill these entry-level jobs. And yes, a new group of people have been standing in line, jumping fences and waiting on corners, eager to fill the need. They have performed a great service in keeping our economy going. And we should be grateful.

But the problem is we now have growing masses of welfare recipients living on the edge of poverty. Plus, we have added a growing group of immigrants, many of whom are illegal, who, despite their very hard work, are also living on very little.

For the first time, we now have to deal with a mushrooming permanent underclass. It is a new experience. Do we allow pushcarts? Do we allow homeless to sleep out in the parks? Do we give to those who beg on the street corners?

Not only are many uncomfortable, but many feel victimized, for with the rise of poverty, we have seen the rise of crime and gangs.

The solution is not to lash out at the illegal immigrants, who have filled the vacuum that has been created by our own doing. We must reform our entire welfare system, and the Save Our State initiative is the first step in that direction.

There is also a very real fear that taxpayers can no longer afford to give benefits to both the legal and the illegal. Due to entitlements, our nation and state are close to insolvency. The once prospering middle class has seen its collective tax bite progressively go up to almost 50% of their incomes.

Along with our fears and discomfort is the nagging question of compassion. Who would deny a bright, shining little face an education? Who would deny an operation to someone desperately ill--especially when they live next door?

I am a first-generation immigrant from Central America and understand the experience of our students who must learn a new language and culture. But what may seem harsh or cruel upfront is often compassionate in the long run. If you overload a lifeboat, everyone would drown and you wouldn’t be able to help anyone. We must respect our laws, and we must protect our ability to save, to help, to share with, to give rest to the oppressed.

We must as a people band together. We cannot leave it to the border patrols alone. Requiring papers to show legal residence will not make school administrators INS agents any more than they are Centers for Disease Control agents when they require immunization papers.

Proposition 187 is a well-reasoned, moral and viable step toward solving a very difficult situation. It can be supported with compassion.