How much dumber can we get? Apparently, quite a lot. Regarding your Oct. 6 editorial “Alabama Rides Again,” while the point of states taking over a federal government function may be well-taken, some of the other statements made are nonsense.
Especially that illegals make a positive contribution to the local economy because they do jobs people who can work on the books do not want to do. Is the editorial board publicly suggesting that people work off the books of the Internal Revenue Service? Is the board publicly condoning not only illegal immigration, but also tax evasion?
As for the part of the argument of making a positive contribution by doing jobs other people do not want to do, when I was a teenager I worked after school to make extra money. I got my working papers and I worked in a candy store collating sections of The New York Times, I worked in restaurants washing dishes and cleaning floors, I had a paper route — and I am a U.S. citizen. And the writer says illegal immigrants are having a positive impact.
Finally, the argument that all children should go to school regardless of the immigration status of their parents, well, this may sound hard, but let them go to school in their own countries, not on my tax dollar. My family came here as immigrants, but they followed the rules, became citizens and worked hard as part of our system. Let the parents go on welfare in their own countries and not on my tax dollar. I work too hard to support myself and my family to support people who come here illegally to live off my hard-earned money.
Although I agree that this is a federal government issue, the federal government is either not doing its job or not up to the task without help. It is understandable that states are feeling the frustration of a growing problem that is not being addressed sufficiently.
I do not pretend to know the answer to this problem, but perhaps part of the answer is that more of the citizenry — including teachers — and local law enforcement agencies need to be involved in exposing illegal immigrants to the U.S. immigration services.
It is the same argument as on the streets: You want safer streets, get involved — but do not say it is not my problem.
Rene Alkalay
Forest Hills
