LA Daily News: Slamming California

[question everything]

Los Angeles Daily News

Slamming California
Bush budget would make border states pay for federal immigration failures

Monday, February 07, 2005 - With the federal budget deficit careening out of control, President George W. Bush is right -- albeit late -- to try to get rid of ineffective and duplicative programs. But he is dead wrong to include the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program among those targeted for elimination.

In the proposed budget Bush released Monday, funding for SCAAP -- which helps states cover the costs of jailing criminal illegal immigrants -- gets wiped out. States would be on their own to cover the costs of Washington's failed immigration policies.

That's unacceptable.

As it stands, SCAAP was already underfunded. Last year, Congress appropriated just $305 million for the program, but the cost for border states to imprison criminal illegal immigrants is closer to $1 billion.

(snip)

Nearly one-quarter of all inmates in Los Angeles County jails are illegal immigrants, here because Washington won't implement practical immigration policies. County jails are overwhelmed and overcrowded, forced to release convicted criminals before they've served their full term.

Rather than slashing SCAAP, Washington ought to give the program adequate funding, and that's what some border-state legislators -- most notably California Sen. Dianne Feinstein -- have demanded.

(snip)

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20951~2697971,00.html#

[realFedUp]

1. Howabout we cut the amount Californians send to DC...

Since we subsidize lots of "red" states
and still keep getting punked by this
administration and their pals.

[indepat]

2. What if California does not want to absorb the expense of policing Federal

law?