Colorado - Illegal Immigrants no longer eligble for state health care

Published

Effective Aug. 1, state services, including the state health plans and welfare, will no longer be given to illegal immigrants in Colorado. This law, enacted by Gov. Bill Owens, in considered the 'toughest in the nation' and other states are expected to follow suit.

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=5bd32d4f-0abe-421a-0198-a704d3f07a3a&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

You've got to be kidding.

I live in a town of 9000 people in Southern MN. I can walk into our grocery store at any time of day and see people from Africa and South and Central America. Immigrant families are moving into our dying small towns and buying lower cost homes for the purpose of doing what we all do, building lives and starting families.

Over the past 15 years MN has evolved from a state that was 98% + European to roughly 80% european and 20% other....(These are approximate numbers that represent where the demographic trend is headed if we are not quite there yet.)

Hispanics are technically as a group classified as "white." (Next time you fill out a demographic questionnaire look at the classification structure...One will be White-Nonhispanic.) I think that if you look at my post that I was speaking to multi-ethnic diversity not just Hispanics versus everyone else. I have been trying to take the high ground in all of my posts. I think what has been missed is that I believe everyone is entitled to civil and human rights (white, black or martian....:>>). Seriously, I think that working towards tolerance and assimilation is one of the steps that we need to take for the people who are already here. Make things better abroad and you will reduce the pressure for people to come here for economic opportunity.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

LOL! I laughed too. I just pulled up a map of the US to get a gander of how much closer the Mexican border is to Minneapolis than Southern Az.......

Viking, your wife teaches to immigrants? How many of those African children are Illegal? Do they march in your streets? Do they threaten your city, drain your hospitals? Do they proudly fly their flag and then have the American flag upside down beneath it? When was the last African boycott of your city? When was the last time you heard about the 15 who just died in a single car accident? When was the last time you took care of a border crosser near death in your ICU?

To say that MN is the most racially diverse in the US is beyond laughable! My first thought would be NYC, but what do I know? I'll tell you what I do know though.....I actually DO know what it's like to live in this CRISIS of illegal immigration. I'm not looking up other's stats to justify my opinion, I'm not quoting someone else's newspapers analysis of the situation. I live in the situation.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I live in a town of 9000 people in Southern MN. I can walk into our grocery store at any time of day and see people from Africa and South and Central America. Immigrant families are moving into our dying small towns and buying lower cost homes for the purpose of doing what we all do, building lives and starting families.

Ok, fair enough. You just said "MN" in your post. Now I understand you are referring to the demographics within your particular little town.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

Since the one day walkout, if I suspect a business uses illegals as employees - I no longer do business there. That means I gave up my favorite local restaraunt - havn't eaten there once since - and we used to go there 1-2 times a week. Maybe my 20.00 to 40.00 check and tips don't mean much to them, but I know of other people who do the same thing, it adds up.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Hispanics are technically as a group classified as "white." (Next time you fill out a demographic questionnaire look at the classification structure...One will be White-Nonhispanic.) I think that if you look at my post that I was speaking to multi-ethnic diversity not just Hispanics versus everyone else. I have been trying to take the high ground in all of my posts. I think what has been missed is that I believe everyone is entitled to civil and human rights (white, black or martian....:>>). Seriously, I think that working towards tolerance and assimilation is one of the steps that we need to take for the people who are already here. Make things better abroad and you will reduce the pressure for people to come here for economic opportunity.

I am aware of this, which is why I quoted figures for "white, not hispanic" from the census figures. You will see this if you click on the links I provided to census data.

I too believe that everyone is entitled to civil and human rights. I do not believe that enforcing immigration laws and having legal, safe and orderly immigration obliterates that view.

I don't think you are taking into account that there are certain problems unique to the border. The immigrants in your little city that hail from the other side of the planet are not doing the following: digging drug tunnels and importing massive amounts of drugs, bringing massive amounts of drugs across the border every single day, dying in the desert by the thousands, violent gangs that terrify (google ms-13 and be terrified), destroying ranchers property, increasing crime, shutting down emergency rooms, too many traffic accidents to count caused by 'coyotes' (google that term too) and sucking the state dry with public benefits.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Seriously, I think that working towards tolerance and assimilation is one of the steps that we need to take for the people who are already here.

Do you understand that most don't want to assimilate? The fact that they protest for us to teach their children in Spanish is just one example. Do you know how many times I get eyes rolled at me by my pts because I don't speak Spanish? They will actually curse at me in Spanish because I don't speak their language (we all know the curse words). Protesting with our flag being burnt or flown upside down is also another clear sign that some don't wish to assimilate.

Tolerance was something that we were all trying to do for so long down here. But the marches and boycotts have really put a bad taste in our mouths. There are simply too many complex issues and problems that can't be fixed with mercy and tolerance. Those were used and abused and thrown in our faces.

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I am aware of this, which is why I quoted figures for "white, not hispanic" from the census figures. You will see this if you click on the links I provided to census data.

I too believe that everyone is entitled to civil and human rights. I do not believe that enforcing immigration laws and having legal, safe and orderly immigration obliterates that view.

I don't think you are taking into account that there are certain problems unique to the border. The immigrants in your little city that hail from the other side of the planet are not doing the following: digging drug tunnels and importing massive amounts of drugs, bringing massive amounts of drugs across the border every single day, dying in the desert by the thousands, violent gangs that terrify (google ms-13 and be terrified), destroying ranchers property, increasing crime, shutting down emergency rooms, too many traffic accidents to count caused by 'coyotes' (google that term too) and sucking the state dry with public benefits.

I absolutely agree that there are problems! I have never tried to discount them. I have tried to say that if we want to really fix this we have to vote our own autocratic and oligarchic rulers out this fall AND fix the problems with NAFTA and CAFTA that have pushed people to try and get to the US for economic survival reasons. (I apologize for not reading the demographic link you provided carefully.)

What I have also tried to say is that we have immigrant non-citizen parents of families with children (who are citizens by birth) whose children should not be penalized due to their parents mistakes.

Many of the drug supply activities are driven by poverty and if we find a way to reduce poverty to the south we will also limit the allure of working for the gangs. Law enforcement cannot be the only approach to solving the immigration problem.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I absolutely agree that there are problems! I have never tried to discount them. I have tried to say that if we want to really fix this we have to vote our own autocratic and oligarchic rulers out this fall AND fix the problems with NAFTA and CAFTA that have pushed people to try and get to the US for economic survival reasons. (I apologize for not reading the demographic link you provided carefully.)

What I have also tried to say is that we have immigrant non-citizen parents of families with children (who are citizens by birth) whose children should not be penalized due to their parents mistakes.

Many of the drug supply activities are driven by poverty and if we find a way to reduce poverty to the south we will also limit the allure of working for the gangs. Law enforcement cannot be the only approach to solving the immigration problem.

Hey, I'm all for voting out the oligarchy we have going on. I'm certainly not a fan of NAFTA and CAFTA. At the same time, I want the border closed to illegal immigration. I want legal, safe, and orderly immigration.

We can provide some assistance to our neighbors south of the US border. But we didn't create all of their problems, and it's not our responsibility (or ability!) to fix them.

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Hey, I'm all for voting out the oligarchy we have going on. I'm certainly not a fan of NAFTA and CAFTA. At the same time, I want the border closed to illegal immigration. I want legal, safe, and orderly immigration.

ME 2!

We can provide some assistance to our neighbors south of the US border. But we didn't create all of their problems, and it's not our responsibility (or ability!) to fix them.

No we can't fix all their problems but we can set standards for doing business with them that will help improve their situation.

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Just a thought about immigrants and service......(11/1/2004)

Today, there are more than 70,000 foreign-born, including nearly 40,000 non-citizens, in the US armed forces. Of the 1,000 US soldiers killed in Iraq through early September, at least 36 were foreign-born, and 10 were waiting for citizenship.

California contributes nearly one of every three green card soldiers -- more than any other state. (“Fighting for their citizenship,” L.A. Times, 4/1/03)

According to Goldich and other researchers, Hispanics account for many of today's immigrant service members, although there also is a significant presence of Asian Americans, including young Vietnamese men and women who resettled as refugees from the war there. All told, more than 37,000 members of the active-duty military -- nearly 3 percent of 1.4 million -- are noncitizens, one-third of them Latino, according to Defense Department figures. About one in six is a woman, similar to the military overall. (“For immigrants, a special sacrifice,” The Washington Post, 4/7/03)

In fiscal 2002, 2,435 foreign-born military personnel were naturalized, up from 1,146 in fiscal 2001, the Immigration and Naturalization Service said. (“More immigrants filling the ranks of U.S. military,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12/15/02)

More than 6,000 Marines are non-U.S. citizens, with the largest group -- 1,452 -- from Mexico. (“Immigrants could end up fighting war in Iraq,” Miami Herald, 9/19/03)

Nearly 7 percent of U.S. Navy enlisted personnel are immigrants. (American Immigration Law Foundation Immigration Policy Report, 3/03)

FWIW Henry Kissinger served in the ARMY as a non-citizen.....

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I live in Southern Arizona. Last election, I went to a local political forum where the local interfaith counsel invites church members to ask questions of those running for office. About 1/2 of those in attendance were immigrants and their activist representatives. Many spoke Spanish and asked their questions thru interpreters. All of their questions were asking the candidates what they would give them. They call illegal aliens "undocumented immigrants." Examples of the questions:

"Will you make sure that undocumented immigrants can get driver's licenses?"

"We want health benefits. Will you make sure undocumented immigrants get medicaid?"

"We want food stamps. Will you promise we get them?"

"We want our AFDC. Will you promise we get it?"

"We want in-state tuition at for undocumented immigrants. Do you promise and pledge?"

"Will you pledge to exempt those whose first language is Spanish from the AIMS test for high school graduation?" (the AIMS test is an Arizona standardized test which is required in order to graduate)

Now as a liberal democrat myself, I was astonished. It was one giant gimme gimme grab session. Please do not assume that those who wish to enforce immigration laws are cold or bigoted. It is crazy living here near the border. The cost of illegal immigration is a epic drain on the state budget.

That is unbelievable.

:devil:

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What? Please tell me you're joking! The absolutely DEMANDED to get better treatment, and the absolutely THREATENED us with their Boycott and march. They flat out came on TV and threatened to not work, and to not buy anything American, and to do this until they got their demands. Maybe you missed the coverage of all the marches???????

If you didn't know this little bit of information, than you are sadly misinformed about the subject.

BTW, as a result of the boycott (which has been done twice now), the LEGAL Mexican-Americans lost thousands of dollars. Seems like since they illegals mostly work at Mexican restaurants, their boycott only hurt themselves.

I have absolutely NO SYMPATHY for businesses that employ illegals. They SHOULD lose money.

They keep claiming that prices will go up if illegals don't work here. It's a bunch of horse hockey. I've got illegals working construction all over my neighborhood where home prices have skyrocketed. Consumers don't save money on this ... only businesses do.

Let them boycott, walk out ... whatever. Besides ... traffic was great the day they did boycott. In SoCal ... the illegal march was an instant solution to traffic congestion.

:typing

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