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ALPERN AT LARGE - Let’s be honest and blunt: if illegal immigrants were mainly going to be Republicans, Newsom, Biden, Harris, and Democratic Legislatures all over the nation wouldn’t be fighting for “free” citizen-taxpayer funded benefits.
Let’s again be honest and blunt: if citizen-taxpayers of all political persuasions weren’t rising in anger and indignation over having their rights and needs trampled on by paying for people who broke the border and the law by being here, Newsom and Sacramento would just let more illegal immigrants in forever and ever.
Apparently, going billions into debt for a “free health care for illegal immigrant” initiative didn’t sit well with either the Sacramento budget or the voters having to pay taxes into a system that didn’t give a rip about the needs of the citizenry.
Also apparently, the concept of someone other than the fiscally-irresponsible Joe Biden in the White House throwing limitless billions at Sacramento for a “more Democratic voters for the 21St Century” Initiative didn’t really land in Gavin Newsom’s brain until the spectacle of California going into debt became glaringly obvious.
…because it turns out that “free” health care isn’t really free, and hence Governor Newsom and the California Department of Finance is forced to charge illegal immigrant adults currently enrolled in Medi-Cal $100 monthly premiums starting in 2027.
But all is not lost for the “the evil rich will pay as possible for people who broke the law to be here” and “we need these folks here to ensure California remains a one-party blue state forever” crowds.
Emergency and maternity care will remain available, and children would continue to receive coverage—as is the moral and medically-responsible thing to do—despite the risks that come to the rest of our budget.
Because when California’s Legislature voted (did the citizenry vote?) to become the first state in the nation to off free Medi-Cal benefits to all low-income adults regardless of immigration status, it set off a series of domino events that has pushed our state’s budget deficit to $12 billion.
And while we might save $5-6 billion by 2028, as has been projected by the state, it won’t come near to allowing us to fund our infrastructure, schools, 2028 Olympics, etc.
Apparently, Governor Newsom (realizing he has to show some responsible leadership, if he wants to have any future credibility in national politics or in the podcast/New Media/Legacy Media worlds) realized that maybe a state with budget problems really should NOT have allowed “free” health care to 700,000 illegal immigrants.
As with the “let’s make California the homeless capital of the nation” and “let’s triple-down on the worst bait-and-switch transportation boondoggle ever with CA High-Speed Rail”, the rest of the nation wants nothing to do with the childish, ill-thought, and arguably corrupt policies of California (including the need to pay for these policies).
Congress is trying to penalize California and cut federal payments in its Federal Medical Assistance Percentage because of the “illegal immigrants deserve free health care” policies of Newsom and Sacramento.
And the concept of penalizing both employers and state/local governments for making the legal citizenry pay for the benefits of those here illegally is still lost in a Democratic Party leadership that has long, long, long ago moved beyond fiscal and legal realities involved with prioritizing the needs of taxpaying citizens.
This is yet again a blow to those (particularly in today’s Democratic Party leadership, unlike traditional JFK Democrats) who claim to support the poor, the environment, the children, and the elderly by making policies that cause both short-term and long-term economic, environmental, and quality-of-life.
It is up to BETTER Democrats, and up to a newer generation of Republicans and Independents, and to a more fiscally-literate and scientifically literate voter/citizenry, to vote for policies to represent what’s best for us and our families and our neighborhoods.
Because the words “free” and “sustainable” and “responsible” and “moral” aren’t apt descriptions to Governor Newsom and the Sacramento gang who are clearly being driven to perform actions and policies that are not in the interests of those they were elected to serve…
…because while it’s a baby step to make adult illegal immigrants pay $100/month for their health care, it would help our state even more if the state and federal government got out of the “enabling illegal immigration” business, and demanded either private sponsorship of those here illegally, or for those here illegally to self-deport.
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENS IN PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER NATION ON OUR PLANET EARTH!!!
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
