The state Legislature recently passed a bill that allows the undocumented to receive driver's licenses, a first for California. This could be a boom for those who work and live in Santa Monica who are here illegally.
So, this week's Q-Line question asked:
Do you think it is time for more sweeping immigration reform and why?
"Why do we keep giving our country, jobs and housing away to people who are here illegally? Nobody should be here illegally and nobody should be rewarded or get special treatment if they're here illegally. This is freaking ridiculous."
"I think it's a jolly good idea to let undocumented people have driver's licenses. After all, they give a lot to this economy and they're about the best workers one could ever wish for. I know that because I'm an ex-landlord in the city of San Malicious. I've used a lot of undocumented workers in the past. You can't ask for a more dedicated group of workers or people."
"I guess I could say I was shocked by this suggestion. Our politicians seem to sink even further into the mess that California, and especially Santa Monica, has become. It's now righteous to feed at the public trough. Low- or no-income housing, food stamps, free education, free lunches, living wage, free phones, reduced transportation costs. Just give a hard-luck story; the rules of an orderly society don't apply to you. This is the societal rot that has infected this country, the state and certainly this town. The greed of politicians is causing overdevelopment and destroying our town. Paying for illegals is just massaging the egos of progressives. They will save you from your unenlightened self, and best of all, it will be with your own money."
"We don't need reform, we need to enforce the existing laws we have. I'm sure what I'm about to say will be called discriminatory, but that's not true. I support anyone from any race or religion, as long as they are not lawbreakers, meaning that the very first act they commit is to violate our immigration laws. Also, it is not racist or profiling to expect with a very high degree of certainty that individuals who speak only Spanish, have no valid ID and drive without a license or insurance are illegals, when the indisputable fact is when the overwhelming vast majority of illegals have come here form Mexico. Every citizen of the U.S. is paying way more than they should on auto and health insurance because of so many extra uninsured motorists and health insurers are being made to make contributions to pay for so many extra people that use emergency rooms like others use a family physician. Many communities no longer have emergency care due in large part to too many free services given to illegals. We have our own poor to take care of. A change should be made so that children born in the U.S. are not automatically a citizen, unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen. Illegals basically cut in line ahead of those who follow the legal process and take away jobs from U.S. citizens, from fast food to construction."
"It is time Congress passed comprehensive immigration reform and allowed aliens without documents living in the U.S. to become voting U.S. citizens. The Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights-controlled City Council gave over $300 million to Community Corp. of Santa Monica to develop low-income housing projects. Drive by 15th and Broadway, Stewart and Pico, 26th and Broadway, Pico across from Samohi, 26th and Santa Monica, 200 units on Virginia Ave. from Cloverfield to Frank St. Most of the tenants moving into these buildings come from outside Santa Monica and many are not U.S. citizens. If Congress passes the Path to Citizenship these people will register to vote, and vote the SMRR ticket. An unintended consequence of immigration reform, the homeowners will be disenfranchised forever as SMRR is against home ownership."
"We do not need more amnesties for illegal aliens. Seal the border, use troops if need be, and keep deporting the illegal aliens already here. They do not need to have more rights, like driver's licenses. What part of illegal is it that these idiot politicians do not understand?"
"Granting driver's licenses for illegals is a step backward and not a step forward. Those that come into this country illegally should not be rewarded for anything. This unjust bill is a boon for the state coffers, and that's why it was passed. Law and order be damned. Our immigration policy does not need to be reformed, just followed to the letter of the law."
"We should not touch our immigration laws until we've first had a national conversation to establish a goal for our population and just how many people we want to stuff into this country. The size of our population and its environmental implications should not be left to chance or put in the hands of others outside our borders. Since 1980 our population has grown by a third. Our children are already going to see a U.S. population of over half a billion in their lifetimes. Their children will see it double to one billion if we continue to ignore the population issue. Global food, water, and energy shortages are looming. Our aquifers are being pumped out, the oceans are being fished out, and our arable land is shrinking. Rising population destroys 10 million acres of green space each year in our country, accelerates global warming, adds to the jobs deficit, and degrades our infrastructure. Don't we care about the future of our country, our kids, and the legal immigrants who are already here?"
"First of all the United States should explore dual-country citizenship for all people of the Americas. We have devolved into a social media culture where we are either building out social media or simply playing with it. We need people with work ethics, and Latinos have demonstrated that they fully subscribe to the work ethics culture that Americans have drifted away from. I would want us to eliminate English proficiency. It's a discriminatory practice. English isn't required for most of the work Latinos are currently doing and will do in the future. And to encourage Latinos to continue their admirable work ethic, the city of Santa Monica should be the first to eliminate the need for English-language skills. Santa Monica should become the Montreal of California where every sign, everything that is done within the city should be both in English and in Spanish. … With the influx of Latinos, the city of Santa Monica must recognize the fact that sooner than later the Latino culture will supersede the English-language culture. Whether it's signs in the store or the showing of films in our movie theaters, all films should be subtitled with Spanish subtitles. We should make sure we are a welcoming city."
