ILLEGALS: Letter promotes racism

Teri White’s recent letter to the editor probably did more to promote racial bigotry than Arizona’s recent immigration law. When people trespass our borders as illegal aliens they are breaking the law no matter what their ethnic origin. Terri is listed as a resident of Post Falls and is over 800 miles from the problem and doesn’t have to fund the added burden on schools, hospitals and welfare. It is easy to criticize the Arizona law when you are far from the actual problem.

Our national agencies have failed miserably in managing of our borders and haven’t addressed the need for documented, temporary laborers. The Border Patrol should be staffed to control our borders, but until Washington responds to the problem, Arizona should, by their 10th Amendment rights, be able to address their real, severe and rapidly growing problem. Is their plan flawed? Possibly, but they are within their rights of a work in progress. Would I like to be stopped? Probably not.

One way to slow the flow of illegal emigrants would be for employers, nationwide, to require resumes from all new employees. If the applicant couldn’t provide reference of previous employment within the United States, he or she could be questioned further to determine citizenship. Thus, employers would have no excuse for not knowing they were employing illegal aliens. Some row-crop farmers do need migrant workers to tend and harvest their crops, but they should be card-carrying, temporary, individuals or naturalized citizens.

I have little faith in our congressmen solving the immigration problem. They would rather kick the can down the street than offend their constituents. Personally, I am tired of seeing our facilities and over- stressed Social Security system under attack by those who view the United States only as a place to earn a living. I empathize with Latino need for work and appreciate the millions of fine Latinos who have come to our nation legally, work hard, pay taxes, learn the English language, fight our wars, and are every bit the American citizen that I am.

LEONARD BRANT

Rathdrum