Pam Gencarella: RI Has Lost Cabin Pressure
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Governor Chafee has stated that the federal government has not “formally” contacted the state requesting that we take in children and young adults who have illegally flooded our country’s southern border. This article is the first of a two-part piece stating why OSTPA implores the governor not to force the RI taxpayer into a long-term commitment it can ill afford.
You’ve heard it over and over again if you fly frequently. You may even have it somewhat memorized, “In the event the plane loses cabin pressure and the oxygen mask falls from the ceiling, please place the mask on yourself before assisting the children.” At first, passengers naturally think that sounds heartless! Why would anyone take care of themselves before helping any children? We all know the answer to that question. Hypoxia sets in relatively quickly and if you make an attempt to help the children first, while you are deprived of oxygen, you may never have the opportunity to save the children or yourself. It is sadly and simply a harsh reality.
Whether we like it or not, the reality in RI is that our state has lost cabin pressure and we need to fix it before we can take on any further burden of caring for the illegal immigration of minor children and young adults who have recently flooded our country’s southern borders. We have no one to blame but ourselves. RI has allowed the unabated influx of illegal aliens. This continued flow of people who have come to RI, without regard for the laws of our country, have substantially drained RI’s capacity to help in this current situation. They have taxed the very systems depended upon by our citizens who reside here legally and many of whom are in need of assistance.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt’s a huge conundrum. On one hand, our hearts say that we must help, particularly when we see pictures of unaccompanied little children. But on the other hand, by helping, we will harm the very people who we need to make our first priority.
So while Governor Chafee has been free to allow RI’s borders to be very porous in a way that shadows clear thinking and defies our massive structural deficit, we are left with no capacity so that the people who argue against allowing more illegal aliens into RI become the heartless, in true RI fashion. But, like losing cabin pressure, nobody wins if everyone fails.
Most people would agree with the fact that we would need to house, care for, feed, educate and provide medical attention for these people if Governor Chafee were to agree to take them into our state.
If he does agree, then he’ll likely point to the federal government’s promise to provide RI with revenue to cover all of those expenses. We don’t believe that it could ever be enough to sustain the necessary care for what will likely be a very long period of time.
How can we say this? Just look at the promises made by the federal government for infrastructure! They can’t keep their hands off the funding that was meant for our country’s roads and bridges. Do we think that they can manage sustainable funding for people who are here illegally and, who will very likely, attract mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters at some point in the future? The other harsh reality of the Highway Trust fund is that the federal government recognizes these funds are desperately needed, in many cases, to allow states to continue repairs on dangerously crumbling infrastructure, yet nothing has come through. How will they commit to a long-term subsidy for these illegal children and young adults and their families?
The cost of allowing these children and young adults to come to RI will be an enormous financial burden on an economy devastated by the crash of 2008, on an economy that, six years later, has only restored half the jobs it lost since then, on an economy that, week after week, is on the bottom rung of some new list of ‘worst in the country,’ whether it be jobs, taxes, roads and bridges, education system, corruption.
It is not hard to imagine how much in the way of resources are needed to educate children that don’t speak the English language, or to provide free medical care for people who come from third world countries, or to provide housing and food assistance. RI has been doing this for years and it has taxed our education system, our welfare system, our Medicaid and healthcare systems, our social service systems, our correctional systems and our private, nonprofit organizations. And the cost for each illegal child is a long-term, annual cost. That is the harsh reality.
Stop and think about this. Our hearts say “yes” but “yes” to what? When was the last time that you spent a few hours in our homeless shelters or examined the condition of many of the state owned buildings that the governor may be considering to house these people? Our shelters do the best that they can with the limited resources they receive, but it’s not a “comfortable” sight. Don’t forget, too many special interests in RI, and those politicians who align with them, say all the warm and fuzzy things that make people feel good about themselves, but when the rubber meets the road, organizations that lend a helping hand are already over-burdened, and funding for the children of DCYF and the mentally disabled has been cut to the bone. So, let’s not be too quick to judge those who are thinking rationally about this difficult topic.
No one can claim ownership to being a better person for supporting the federal government’s failure to maintain border security and thereby supporting the mass distribution of illegal people across our country, most of whom will not have been screened at the border for disease or for any prior illegal activity or for any association with groups known to be against the US.
OSTPA believes that we will all be better people if we take control of our budget, regain the strong footing of an improved economy, provide jobs that allow a sustainable living wage for those who desire it, and make sure that the legitimately needy already among us are taken care of with dignity.
Pam Gencarella is a member of OSTPA, a taxpayer advocacy organization in Rhode Island.
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