EDITOR,
Last month, the citizens of Scotts Valley voted to enact a school tax. On Friday, July 6, the California senate passed an “anti-Arizona” immigration bill. It blocks local police from referring a detainee to immigration officials for deportation, unless that person has been convicted of a violent or serious felony.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, we have about 3 million undocumented aliens in California. According to Wikipedia, there is about one school-age child for every four undocumented aliens in the United States. From that information, one could reasonably estimate 750,000 school-age children in California have parents that have ignored American immigration laws to come to our state. There are 6 million students attending California public schools and the total amount spent from state and local revenues came to about $60 billion or $10,000 per student. One could say that California taxpayers spent $7.5 billion dollars on 750,000 children of parents that are illegally residing in California.
Though my children are too old to attend Scotts Valley Schools, I don't mind increasing taxes to pay for increasing costs of education, as long is the money is spent on American children.
You people in education need to understand there is a limit. The poor of the world might want to better their lives by coming to California, but do California taxpayers desire it, and more important, can they afford it? The California legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown seem to believe Californians want more of the world’s poor people.
Please contact state Sen. Sam Blakeslee (916-651-4015) and state Assemblyman Bill Monning (831-425-1503 or 916-319-2027) to voice your opinion. I can assure you that more than 100 immigrant’s rights groups voiced their opinion to push the recent “anti-Arizona” bill. Our legislators should also hear from you.
Michael Duffy, Scotts Valley
900 teachers just got laid off
from the Los Angeles Unified School District . They are $650,000 over their annual budget.
The following English teacher helps to explain one area that looms large over California 's educational crisis.
This English teacher has phrased it the best I've seen yet.
This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent.
From a California school teacher - - -
"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc.. where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.
(OUR TAX DOLLARS ATWORK)
I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also providesday care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.
(OUR TAX DOLLARS ATWORK)
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America .
(OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less than 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas"(whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, day care, etc, etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled not only to be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
Americans, We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it. Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weakand worried about"political correctness " that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know including your Congressmen and Senators.
CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.
Consumers don't want expensive produce.
Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.
But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth,a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor."
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or 6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.
He qualifies for food stamps..
He qualifies for free (no deductible), noco-pay) health care.
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.
He requires bilingual teachers and books.
He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI.
Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense.
He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills AND his.
The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.
Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!
Having said that, I would like to see who the above letter is attributed to. Some confirmation would be helpful.
Should be called the "Anti-american" bill. Protects foreign invaders who snuck into our country "illegally".
"It blocks local police from referring a detainee to immigration officials for deportation, unless that person has been convicted of a violent or serious felony."
That's BS, they broke a law by sneaking in here and should be deported. It's not our job to take care of all of them.
"I don't mind increasing taxes to pay for increasing costs of education, as long is the money is spent on American children."
No kidding, not only schools but everything.
Read more: Press-Banner - Immigration bill affects schools too
"The poor of the world might want to better their lives by coming to California, but do California taxpayers desire it, and more important, can they afford it?"
No problem, just tax the rich.
Wouldn't it be better to see them educated, healthy and eventually contributing than not?