Cut benefits to illegals to balance budget

Governor Terminator, want to balance the budget? Start with immigration! According to the governor's office, approximately 100,000 U.S.-born children in about 48,000 California households headed by illegal immigrants receive monthly state welfare payments of $472 ($77 million/year).

And more than 45 percent of the California schoolchildren (3,299,000 students ages 5 to 17) result from immigration costing taxpayers $8,067 per student; more than $26.6 billion a year.

Nationwide, non-native households are 59 percent more likely to take advantage of a state or federal welfare program.

Immigration advocates claim illegal alien workers contribute $7 billion each year to Social Security, but fail to mention they withdraw $10 in other government benefits for every $1 illegal aliens contribute.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates the cost of a compressive amnesty would be $306,000 per immigrant with a total net cost of $2.6 trillion for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid during 18 years.

Even the liberal Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has written, "Unfortunately, low-skill immigrants don't pay enough taxes to cover the cost of the benefits they receive." Bottom line, American taxpayers subsidize the costs, aka corporate welfare.

This doesn't count health care and crime-related costs. Taxpayer burden â€"â€" cost of immigration.

Brandon Ebeling

Oceanside

Palomar College accreditation safe

An article regarding Palomar College's accreditation contained references that require clarification ("Palomar College warned by accrediting agency," July 11). Palomar College is accredited. Our students, their parents and the community can be assured coursework for credit is transferable, degrees and certificates will be awarded and recognized, and financial aid is available for eligible students.

Palomar College received notification from the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges of four areas requiring improvement, including: 1) integrated planning, evaluation and resources allocation; 2) student-learning outcomes and assessment; 3) distance education; and 4) creation of a district policy regarding administrative evaluations and due process. Be assured we take the commission's recommendations seriously. We will provide a follow-up report in March, followed by a commission visit. The college will submit a midterm report by March 15, 2012. The ACCJC follows a six-year cycle for accrediting the 139 community and junior colleges in this region.

In spring 2009, 14 colleges were evaluated; seven received a warning and two were placed on probation. Our next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for spring 2015.

Let me reiterate that throughout this process, Palomar College remains accredited by ACCJC. …

Robert Deegan

superintendent/president

Palomar College

Constitutional convention

Here is a challenge for Patricia Sharp, who quoted William Buckley's "400 people in the phone book" remark in her letter of July 16: Would you entrust the construction of a new constitution for the state of California to 400 people randomly selected from voter registration rolls throughout the state? Talking tough is one thing, but are you willing to go the distance?

By the way, some of Mr. Buckley's disdain for the wisdom of the faculty of Harvard may have been due to the fact that he was a graduate of Yale.

Karen Stephen

Encinitas

Sonia Sotomayor represents change

Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed, but not without the opposition of white male Southerners. For the first 150 years of our country, the only people who could vote were white males who were age 21 and owned property. Finally, after many years of struggle, white women were allowed to vote. Less than 50 years ago, minorities were given the right to vote.

People with power want to retain power and will do almost anything to keep from sharing power with others. Some 50 years from now, there may be a majority of women on the Supreme Court.

This country is changing, and the people with power don't want change. They want the status quo. Change is coming!

Daniel Lynch

Vista

Where is the outrage?

Hope and change, hope and change â€"â€" what happened to all those promises Barry Soetoro, alias Barack Obama, made? What happened to "I am going to end this war and bring our servicepeople home"? Where are all those anti-war protesters now? I hear very little on the news or see in the newspaper about how many service personnel have been killed since Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan.

Forty-seven military people have been killed in combat so far in July. We will never know how many civilians have been killed. Mr. Wonderful has sent 8,000-plus Marines to Afghanistan. Now I read that the Associated Press reported that Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced July 20 that the size of the Army will be increased temporarily by 22,000 soldiers to help meet the needs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other missions around the world.

What a shame, or should I say sham, all that hope and things are still the same. So come on, all you hopefuls, let's hear it. Impeach Obama now and try him for war crimes. Oh, I forgot, he's special, it's OK for him to lie. Tell that to the families who have lost loved ones in Obama's new war.

Mike De Leo

Oceanside

Thanks for info aboutbasket-weaving class

I read the notice about basket weaving in the North County Times. I spent a wonderful morning at the Batiquitos Lagoon Information Center. First, we were shown lots of local Indian artifacts. Kathleen told short animated stories accompanied by her son playing the Indian flute. Later, we were instructed how to make a wicker basket by a wonderful lady named Diana; everyone's basket came out as a work of art.

Where else can you find so much enjoyment at no cost to the public? Thanks, North County Times, for the information about the event.

Alexandra Kendzior-Fuller

Carlsbad

Universal health care and nation's values

Universal health care is essential for the physical and mental health of this country. Of course, it will cost money â€"â€" more than we are paying now. Why isn't there more of an outcry about the billions of dollars we are spending on two wars, killing thousands of people? Why not spend that money on saving thousands of lives in our own country? What has happened to the morals and values of our country? Have our churches failed us? Have our families failed us? Has our government failed us? How can we tolerate a minister who asks his members to bring guns to their church?

God help us, since we can't seem to help ourselves.

Betty Ball

Lake San Marcos

Thanks to council for smoke-free stance

Congratulations to the Solana Beach City Council for voting unanimously to make all outdoor dining areas, building entrances, playgrounds and the coastal rail trail smoke-free.

The council also enacted an ordinance to license tobacco retailers, a vital step in eliminating illegal sales of tobacco to kids and reducing their risk of addiction, disease, disability and early death.

Kudos to council members Joe Kellejian and David Roberts for tirelessly championing smoke-free protections in Solana Beach and throughout North County, including North County Transit District facilities and all 55 miles of the San Dieguito River Park. Residents and visitors to Solana Beach will breathe easier as they dine, play, travel and hike in this beautiful city.

Debra Kelley

American Lung Association

Filly's death is cause for concern

The Del Mar races haven't even begun and already a horse is dead ("Harper: Horse incident 'our fault'," July 21). By the way, this poor creature and all others like her are not full-grown horses, but babies with undeveloped bones and muscles. This is one of the many reasons they are easily injured and ultimately ruined once the owners are "finished" with them.

This filly does not care whether Mr. Joe Harper takes the blame for her injury and lack of timely treatment. She is dead.

Speaking of untimely deaths: Once the owners of racehorses are "finished" with these horses, there is no place for them to go. People who already have horses cannot take care of them because of the serious economic conditions. Therefore, the shelters and rescue ranches are full. Many "finished" racehorses will end up being hauled off like garbage to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada.

It is time to take a serious look at the inhumane and disgusting practice called horse racing and overhaul "acceptable practices."

Debbie Hauser

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Commission's OK of change unbelievable

On July 17, I went to the county Planning Commission meeting. The planning and land use department presented a change in the "wording" regarding boards' authority â€"â€" for example: the Deer Springs Fire Protection District Board. This proposal would change the boards' authority from providing "requirements and conditions" to providing "comments and recommendations"!

A bemused and mesmerized commission listened as the department's representatives explained there would be no difference in the way projects were handled â€"â€" it would be the same as always!

I can't imagine what a teacher's comments would have been had I turned in a school paper that used "recommendations" as a synonym for "requirements" or "comments" as a synonym for "conditions."

Bruce Tebbs tried to give information on the state law spelling out which agency (in this case, Deer Springs fire board) was the "fire agency having jurisdiction." The commissioners appeared bored, and since they took the word of the department representatives that there would be no change in the handling of projects, they voted to grant the request!

With information on the legislation regarding the agency having jurisdiction readily available, it is unbelievable the commissioners would blindly go with the county department's request.

Joan Van Ingen

Escondido

California's budget disaster

How wonderful! Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger happily announced that a budget agreement was finally reached: Cuts will include $15 billion in programs, like $1.3 billion from Medi-Cal â€"â€" the health care program for the poor, the children, the elderly and the disabled!

Schwarzenegger will collect billions from the local governments â€"â€" result: local programs for the poor, the children, the elderly and the disabled will cease to exist.

What cuts did Gov. Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature make to the wealthy and the affluent? How much are they contributing? None!

One good thing about this agreement is that these drastic cuts will have no effect on the illegal immigrants in California!

Nice going, California!

Louis Bajkai

Carlsbad

Democrats should listen to people

Judy Lin, Associated Press, said the Republicans were "limiting lawmakers' options." ("Deal reached to close state's $26B budget deficit," July 21). What she does not seem to understand is the fact that the Democrats kept going against the will of the people in California. They voted for no more taxes. The governor and the rest of the Republicans honored the will of the people, something the Democrats do not understand.

The voters and the Dems should take a course in our Constitution. If the Dems had listened in the beginning to the people (they work for us) and written a bill eliminating all taxes, the bill would have been signed a long time ago.

Jo Ann Spivey

Oceanside

A competition among 'poor thinkers'

A while back (Letters, April 27), I submitted a slogan for a certain group of contributors to the letters page (they'll know who they are): "Poor thinkers of the world, unite!" Topping the list of names of writers from that group is, of course, the one and only Junious Montgomery. An example of the sort of drivel he submits is on the Community Voices page of July 20 ("Congress, president have gone mad").

Also on that page is a bizarre submission from one Buddy Gran ("What is wrong with politicians?"). I suggest that Mr. Gran be inducted into the same group that is headed up by Mr. M. As far as I'm concerned, Buddy's letter certainly rivals anything Junious has ever written. It's really out there!

Look out, Junious! You've got some real competition now!

Patrick Frawley

Carlsbad