July 26, 2007

I had to take a moment to thank Del. Rick Weldon for his recent article, "Illegal Immigration: The New Battleground," which appeared on The Tentacle, Monday July 23, 2007. It's a shame we have to make so many concessions to get these laws passed; but I'd rather start somewhere and I guess this is something.

The likes of Delegate Rick Weldon and County Commissioner Charles Jenkins are those locally who can - and hopefully - will help address Frederick County's Illegal Immigration problems. I've heard Commissioner Jenkins bring issues up time and again and also get shot down with statements that our county is not able to do anything. His come back was priceless, something to the effect of, if we don't try how will we ever know.

We can somehow pass laws to ban legal substances, yet we can't do anything to curtail and eliminate illegal activities. Oh, come on, grow up and fight the battles worth fighting. This battle is taking money, jobs and healthcare away from our own citizens.

It's becoming easier to break the rules and laws than it is to follow them. Where is the incentive to be law abiding anymore? Follow the path of least resistance seems to be the flavor of the moment. When trying to hire a contractor to do some work for me, it took numerous tries to find one that could not only do the work but could also guarantee that all their employees were legal citizens. The first step is to follow-through and fine those hiring illegal residents. The rules are on the books - use them.

Until and unless we get a handle on illegal immigrants and their cost to our county, state and country, then I don't want to hear the bellyaching about deficits and raising taxes. Stop funneling our tax dollars into illegal activities and take care of the business at hand and our safety and welfare as tax paying citizens who are paying for it. Take care of our seniors, children, roads, and, of course, public safety of this country FIRST.

Thank you, Delegate Weldon and Commissioner Jenkins. Keep up the fight.