By Carole Orlin

Living in California, we are faced every day with the staggering and seemingly unending growth surge stemming from illegal immigration. There are currently between 12 and 20 million illegal immigrants in this country. California has at least 3.2 million. This has become a very sensitive issue to discuss. One can be termed racist or worse if one opposes the apparent open or rather “no door” policy of our state and country. I have seen in the few years that I have been living in California the apparently insurmountable challenges that result from the rapidly accelerating pace of illegal immigration.

Quality of life issues like traffic congestion, air pollution, increased water and energy demands, school overcrowding and an overburdened health care system are but a few examples of how this impacts our everyday lives. As always, the middle class shoulders the burden and pays for the costs on every level. According to Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), illegal immigration costs taxpayers $10.5 billion dollars a year in education, health care and incarceration. Between 1993 and 2003, 60 California hospitals were forced to close, as they could no longer bear the burden of providing free health care to uninsured illegal immigrants. In addition, according to CAPS, illegal immigrants who take low paying jobs do not pay enough in income taxes (if they pay at all), to reimburse taxpayers the $5,000 per student annual cost of educating their children. Illegal aliens constitute 15 percent of the state’s school population. Those of us who pay for our health insurance are watching the costs rocket sky high, while our governor wants us to pay for the health care of the children of the illegals.

Another remarkable fact arises from the fact that 300,000 people who have been deported are still in this country, as their deportation orders have not been enforced. Also, according to the Census Bureau, 115,000 people from terrorist-sponsored Middle Eastern countries live in the United States illegally.

The Californians for Population Stabilization Web site has a very practical and fair “Ten Principles” for immigration reform. These principles seem to be plain common sense. For example, since the U.S. immigration policies so profoundly shape our country, immigration needs to be carried out in an orderly and lawful way, and not by accident or acquiescence. Otherwise, it will adversely affect the lives of the citizens of the U.S. This policy should be based on an adherence to the rule of law. Non-citizens must obey the rule of entry, and the U.S. government must track their entry, stay and departure to ensure compliance with the terms of their visas. Illegal aliens should not accrue any benefit in the United States as a result of their illegal entry. U.S. employers should be given a streamlined and simple way to determine if an employee is legal and eligible to work.

There are more principles, but this is just a sampling. Seems like common sense, but there are so many private interests and personal agendas involved that we seem to be stuck in a hopeless quagmire. It seems that whenever the issue of illegal immigration comes up someone always espouses: “We are a country of immigrants.” Of course we are, and that is not the issue. The issue is illegal immigration. Is it all right to disobey a law simply because we don’t like it? That is something that is hard to explain to the kids.

I don’t like how the government spends a significant portion of my taxes. Does that give me the right to not pay taxes? I don’t like having to pay tolls on the toll road, so is it OK to just breeze on through the tollbooth?

We can lobby to change the law if we disagree with it, but as far as I know, we do not have the right to pick and choose which laws we must obey.

Carole Orlin can be reached at Caroleorlin@yahoo.com.