CALIFORNIA'S ELEPHANT: As gubernatorial candidates in California lay out their positions, the degradation to the state caused by illegal immigration should be close to the top of conservatives' agendas-especially considering illegal aliens' impact on California's disastrous fiscal situation. "It would be difficult to overestimate the negative impact of illegal immigration on California," reported Project USA last week. "For example, in Los Angeles County alone, illegal immigrants cost the health care system $340 million annually, according to a report from the county's Department of Health Services. The source of much of the cost is aliens who use the county's emergency rooms for routine health care-essentially turning emergency rooms into free clinics and driving many hospitals into the red." In addition, "federal statutes. . . severely restrict the kinds of public benefits, cash assistance, and non-emergency health care available to aliens," said the group. "Yet a link from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' website takes one to a county Public Services department web page titled 'Important Notice for Immigrants,' which instructs 'immigrants' (in ten languages) to access many of the public services forbidden to them by federal law. (According to county officials we spoke to, the county, in dispensing most services, does not distinguish between immigrants, illegal aliens, and foreign nationals.)"
DON'T ENFORCE LAW: Some laws are enforced. And then there are immigration laws. "After protests over recent immigration arrests in San Diego and San Juan Capistrano, Border Patrol officials have instructed agents not to make arrests on city streets or question suspected illegal immigrants except along and at highway checkpoints in Orange and Riverside counties," reported the Los Angeles Times on August 13. An August 8 memo written by San Diego chief Border Patrol agent William Veal told agents to let the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) do all enforcement away from the border. Border Patrol agent and union official Thane Gallagher told the Times, "I refuse not to do my job. They want us to turn a blind eye even if we know that an alien is here illegally, and a criminal [besides]. That's reprehensible" (brackets in original).
LIEBERMAN CONTINUES: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D.-Conn.) continues to attack his fellow Democratic presidential candidates for being soft on national security and the war in Iraq while continuing to bash President Bush. On August 11, the Manchester Union Leader in the nation's first primary state, New Hampshire, reported that Lieberman said about the Bush Administration during a campaign stop in the state, "When it comes to diplomacy, planning and preparation, they don't get passing marks with me." He also said that Bush was the "worst environmental President in the history of America." He criticized Bush's tax cuts but, noted Julie Teer, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire GOP, "Tax increases and repealing all or part of the Bush tax cut doesn't create one job."
NOT INTIMIDATED: In the Arab world, supporters of violent resistance against the American-British occupation of Iraq argue that violence drove the United States out of Beirut and Somalia, and thus can drive the United States out of Iraq. The reaction of some political leaders here could be feeding that view. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.), however, expressed his unwavering support for long-term engagement in the war on terrorism. On August 19, the day terrorists struck both the United Nations office in Baghdad (killing at least 17) and Jerusalem (killing 20), DeLay said, "The terrorists who struck Baghdad and Jerusalem today may have different allegiances and affiliations, but they are a common enemy. The organizations behind the attacks will not be tolerated or bargained with. They must be dismantled and destroyed. . . . I join the President in offering my prayers and condolences to those injured and the families of those killed today. And I also join him in his resolve to liberate the Middle East and the world from terrorism. Let there be no mistake: today's evil only strengthens our resolve and further assures our ultimate victory in the war on terror."
OPEN TO CUTS: Some in the major media gave the misleading impression that President Bush ruled out more tax cuts in the near future in comments made at Crawford on August 19, but what he actually said was: "We'll take a look and see. . . . As we stand right now, I believe the tax relief packages we have in place are doing their job. But I'm a flexible person. I want to make sure that the conditions for economic growth and vitality are strong."
SMOKERS WIN: New Hampshire small businesses and smokers won in a ruling from the New Hampshire Supreme Court on August 19, but their victory may have come at the price of restricting local governments' control. The court threw out an anti-smoking ordinance passed by Colebrook, N.H., voters twice. "The Colebrook House motel and restaurant had argued the town went beyond the less stringent state law restricting smoking in restaurants," reported AP. "The high court said that regardless, the state, not towns, has jurisdiction over restaurant smoking regulations. 'Where the state has preempted the field, local law regulating the same subject is inconsistent with the state's transcendent interest, whether or not the terms of the local law actually conflict with the statewide legislation,' the unanimous opinion said, quoting an earlier ruling." Said Colebrook House owner Richard Olzsower, "We worked pretty hard at all of this and thought it was not right for them to tell us what to do. We have that 'Live Free or Die' motto. So we're pretty happy."
