Is this 'discrimination'?
Is this 'discrimination'? Originally published February 18, 2011 The Frederick News-Post By Steven R. Berryman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Discrimination has various meanings; we all know that race and color distinctions are "illegal" as a basis on which to discriminate in America. Illegal means "against the law," for the benefit of some liberals who wish to ignore definitions, choose their own facts, and obfuscate information contrary to their immutable positions. The term "illegal immigrant" defines those entering our country without a visa, or overstaying a valid visa. Discrimination also means to choose, as in choosing your spouse or girlfriend by selecting him or her out of your various other acquaintances. Your actions tell the world that you have a preference. In Maryland, we have our share of legal residents who have difficulty finding a slot in state-subsidized colleges. More want to go to the University of Maryland, for instance, than will fit. Many, including the leader of www.helpsavemaryland.com, (the link is down temporarily, go here instead: helpsavemaryland.blogspot.com), Brad Botwin, believe that maintaining a preference for lawful residents works best for most in our state; it's morally defensible! Our laws and Constitution do not qualify anyone to an automatic higher education; it is a privilege, not a right. Granting in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants makes no sense, as it is illegal to hire them upon graduation anyway. Plus, offering illegal (or undocumented, if you are a liberal) immigrants preference for college makes Maryland even more of a "magnet state" if we enact SB 167. Offering anyone any incentive to come to America illegally for free health care and cheap education compared with their home countries is a bad financial move for us at the state and federal levels, but has even more terrible costs. Gang violence is on the rise, primarily by illegal immigrants from Central America. Our chief of police in Frederick, Kim Dine, recently attended an Arizona conference confirming just that. County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins is second to none in being proactive on this issue. Only last week, in nearby Northern Virginia, Jose Oswaldo Reyes-Alfaro, a criminal from El Salvador in the U.S. illegally, was charged with committing a triple homicide. Had this man been stopped at the border or detected in-state after overstaying a temporary visa, these three people would still be alive today. This is but one of many examples of the negative consequences of illegal immigration in America. A proposal such as in-state tuition that is automatically granted -- essentially as a right -- can have far-reaching, unintended consequences as described above, even with the best of intentions. In an era of negative state and federal bank accounts, and where our own Immigration and Customs Enforcement readily admits it does not have the manpower to find even our visitors who intentionally overstay their visas, why would we intentionally allow our own children to get bumped out of the college that we fund for taxpaying citizens? Or are we satisfied with the policy decisions by our lawmakers to keep Maryland a "sanctuary state" in the eyes of lawbreakers who illegally take advantage of our good humanitarian nature? Do discriminate against illegal immigrants. Steven R. Berryman writes from Frederick. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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