By Bob Harris
I must be fair and say that federal officials did try to get a higher count. The Census Bureau specifically hired people from the various ethnic groups in Queens to better reach the immigrant population. They placed TV, radio, and print ads, posters, information in the schools, and assigned workers to go home by home.
People who are undocumented are certainly not going to fill out a form telling where they are, although government officials swore up and down that the information would never be released to the Immigration and Naturalization Service or any other agency or individuals. One can only guess how many illegal aliens are living in Queens and using our services but not contributing to them, unless you consider people who work at very low wages as contributing to productivity and the economy.
Many of the undocumented aliens just fear any big, powerful government, and want to stay invisible. In many places around the world one has to sometimes bribe government officials just to stay alive, so filling out a government form is unthinkable for them.
These same poor, undocumented immigrants often live in illegal apartments, or several families just live together in a legal one. These people will not fill out a Census form and only want to remain invisible. The illegal aliens cause illegal apartments because some greedy landlords feel they can make huge amounts of money from them.
Illegal people living illegally in illegal apartments often do not take their children for medical treatment. I wonder how many of these families have fake immunization records. I wonder how many diseases are slowly gathering strength and if we will experience some kind of disease outbreak. I have read that one can now buy fake papers of all kinds on the Internet. Are Third World illnesses slowly gathering strength in crowded rooms?
Sadly, the number of people counted in the Census will determine the amount of federal and state aid to communities. The population figures will also determine the number of congressional seats a city and a state receives.
If we lose more seats, then New York will have fewer votes in Congress and we can expect to receive less money from the federal government because of lower voting power.
Did we spend enough money to count people? But more importantly, are there too many illegal immigrants here filling our schools, filling out trains and buses, creating trash, using water, putting a strain on our sewers, crowding some areas like Third World areas, not treating illnesses, destroying grass and trees in some places, cooking illegally and slowly lowering our quality of life?
Any suggestions?
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK
The 107th Precinct Youth Officers POShelby White and her partner, P.O. Robert Carmodry brought four Explorer Scouts from the precinct
