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Kathleen
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CONNECTING
THE DOLLAR DOTS
Illegal Immigrants,
Forest Fires and Prescription Drug Coverage
Paying for prescription drugs, the nightmare of citizens,
insurance companies and elected officials. It is also a hot topic for
media mavens. It’s a serious issue no doubt about it. However,
it’s a problem with a solution if we connect the dollar dots!
Billions of dollars
are being spent to provide social services for millions of illegal immigrants
across this nation. Those dollars don’t begin to reflect the collateral
costs to communities whose infrastructures are over used and abused
in trying to deal with the illegal immigrants that are being foisted
upon them.
If elected officials,
both state and federal, would insist on enforcement of existing immigration
laws, and effective strengthening of border controls then the billions
of dollars paid to undeserving illegal immigrants would be available
for prescription drug coverage for Americans and legal immigrants.
Billions of dollars are being spent to fight catastrophic wildfires
year after year. National costs to fight forest fires on public and
private lands are now beyond the expectations of even the most pessimistic.
Dollars to contain and subdue these catastrophic fires is only one small
part of the costs of fighting forest fires.
One must add on
to these costs, the billions of dollars that will go into recovery.
Insurance companies will have astronomical claim settlements, which
will increase premiums and decrease stock performances. Then there are
the numerous federal programs that will ‘kick in’ to help
citizens and states get back on track. These dollars are paid for by
the rest of America. This is a case of other Americans having to pay
some heavy prices for the consequences of extreme environmental philosophies
that prevent forest and rangeland management. It is these extreme philosophies
that have contributed to the increased magnitude and intensity of forest
and rangeland fires.
This country is
wealthy and smart enough to plan for the inevitable expenditures related
to ‘reasonable’ forest fire costs and ‘reasonable’
costs for dealing with illegal immigration policies. These are not cheap
operating costs under the best of circumstances, but they are doable
if relevant laws are not abused and/or ignored because they are politically
uncomfortable.
Perhaps it is time
to open our political eyes to the realities of abuse and neglect of
our own citizens and legal residents as a result of misdirected dollars.
The discussions
around paying for prescription drugs seem to only spin around and around
the question of how we could possibly pay for such a program. Going
in circles often keeps one from seeing anything outside that circle.
However, there are dollars in this country to fund such a program in
some fashion. If we connect the dollar dots between the costs of catastrophic
forest fires and paying benefits to illegal immigrants a picture comes
into fiscal focus.
Citizens should
put immense pressure or persuasion on elected officials to change the
way we are doing business in this country. Elected officials should
step up and step out politically to defend legal residents of this nation
before they consider defending any other constituency.
In this case, the
defense would come in the form of spending dollars for the most deserving,
i.e., legal residents first and foremost.
Yes, this might
mean getting laws amended and court rulings revisited and brought back
into balance. Such courage and commitment is what is needed from elected
officials. Elected officials should require more of themselves than
just finding another way to fund through more taxes, or cutting other
needed programs.
There are sources
of revenue to fund some level of prescription drug coverage if we are
willing to connect the dollar dots. Prescription drug coverage is not
just about the needs of senior citizens. No, the need spans the entire
demographics of our nation and its many health problems.
So, the remedy for
the problem of prescription drug coverage can be found if we are truly
willing to make the dollar dot connections right before our eyes.
~ Casper Star
Tribune - November 17, 2003
Permission
granted to reprint in full or part with full credit given to author.
