Kathleen Suzy Evans for California State Assembly – 40th District

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Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration is the elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss. If you talk about illegal immigration, you’re called a racist or a bigot.  I am not afraid to talk about illegal immigration because I am not afraid to speak the truth. It is a fiscal as well as social nightmare for many parts of the United States, but especially so for all of us in California.

This is a FACT: The taxpayers of California spend more than $13 Billion dollars a year on subsidies to people who are in this country illegally

So here’s a question we should all be asking:  at a time when we are struggling with our state budget, and our legislators are cutting firefighters, laying off teachers, closing our state parks and even letting criminals out of prisons early in order to save money… why did they not cut any of the subsidies to illegal immigrants?

We need to stop placing the needs of those who are here illegally before the needs of our own families, our businesses and our friends.

I drive around my district, the West San Fernando Valley, every day.  Here is what illegal immigration has done to our once beautiful neighborhoods:

* Housing:  It’s lowered housing values as more often than not there are multiple families living in a single family home.  More and more neighborhoods are turning into what you would see in a third world country.

* Crime:  Crime rates are growing every year caused by gangs coming into our neighborhoods. Many of these gang members are in this country illegally.

* Graffiti:  Four years ago we didn’t have a graffiti problem.  Now it’s everywhere!  It’s on walls, billboards, freeways, street signs, public property, private property and even trees.  Graffiti is not art – it’s a crime!

* Traffic: We used to be able to drive easily and quickly from one end of the Valley to the other.  In the last several years we have experienced a tremendous growth in traffic on all of the surface streets here in the Valley.  Overcrowding the houses equates to overcrowding our streets.  If every single family home had one or two cars as intended, this would be a much smaller problem. But when you have multiple families in single-family homes, that means you must also multiply the vehicles per home, per street, and per neighborhood.

* Division: Illegal immigrants are not assimilating to the American culture. They are not learning English, but instead expect the rest of the community to learn their language in order to communicate.  This divides our community, it divides our neighborhoods, it divides our schools, and it promotes ill will and animosity. Almost every front-office job now REQUIRES bi-lingual skills.  In some areas there are commercial billboards that are only in Spanish, making English speaking Americans feel like outsiders in their own country.

* Unemployment: They are taking jobs and lowering wage standards. And yes… they are taking jobs that U.S. citizens or legal immigrants want and need.  Especially in our current economy, we should be employing our own citizens and legal residents. If you go to other parts of the U.S. its our citizens that have those same jobs.

* The Economy: Illegal immigrants send much of the income they earn here back to their native country, so they often contribute much less to our economy then they take.

* Taxes: They don’t pay taxes, instead they get earned income credit.  They also benefit from the luxuries provide by you – the taxpayers – such as housing, health care, education, paved roads, emergency services, and much more.

By promoting, or even tolerating, illegal immigration we send a message to the rest of the world that we as American don’t even respect our own laws. The biggest logistical problem in California is ILLEGAL immigration. If we are to solve some of our biggest fiscal problems, we must get this situation under control. As Americans, we always welcome new people from all walks of life and all countries, providing they follow the processes set in place to live and work here legally. If we get control of our immigration nightmare, then all residents will benefit, both financially and socially. Our great nation is based on diversity and tolerance, and that good will is being challenged daily by the inundation of people who sneak into our country and our neighborhoods and take advantage of our resources. Not only is it against the law, but it is simply not fair to those of us who were born here, and also to those who have immigrated here LEGALLY and respected our laws and society.  Those are the type of immigrates we want! 

If its worth coming to America, than its worth doing it legally.

As your assemblyperson, I will fight to:

* Eliminate the more than $13 billion in subsidies currently spent on illegal aliens (Don’t YOU need that money?)

* Eliminate mandated bi-lingual education

* Make it compulsory for all employers to use the E-Verify system

* Change housing regulations so that three, four, or more families are not occupying a single-family house

* Vote NO on drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens

I will introduce a bill requiring valid ID plus fingerprints for aid programs to ensure:

i) Everyone who benefits is eligible;

ii) There is no fraud through double-dipping; and

iii) We deny benefits to wanted criminals on the lam AND on the dole.

This is America and we deserve to have beautiful paved streets, desirable and valuable real estate, safe neighborhoods and parks, and graffiti-free walls. Let’s make California a dream state once again, not a nightmare to be escaped.  Let’s make California an American state.

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Paid for by Evans for California Assembly 2009 – all images copyright Kathleen Suzy Evans 2009