Houston Democrats

Submitted by Democrat Vilma Luna of Corpus Christi, HB2345 calls for a 1/2 percent fee on whatever money an immigrant sends home by wire transfer. Money collected through a new bureaucracy created under the Comptroller of Public Accounts will be distributed to county governments. Prior to distributing the money, the Comptroller will be allowed to take 2% of money collected to pay for the added bureaucracy. The money will only be distributed to county governments or county hospital districts and will be used only for indigent health care services. Hardly a substantial amount of money for health care services, but detrimental to indigent immigrant families that already contribute their sweat, blood, and what little they make to the U.S.

Now, we all know that there is a definite crisis in public health care. As Democrats, many of us have called for “universal health care” to assure the health security of our nation, state, and cities and to assure that all residents and visitors are provided quality health care, no matter their economic or social stature. As Democrats, we must be cautious of considering, or even supporting, bills that target families, children, and individuals through what some call scapegoating of whole groups of people; especially those considered indigent.

It’s a fact! Immigrants take jobs that most Americans do not want to work. They take jobs that have low wages, increased danger of injury, and submit to political and personal mistreatment by hate-mongers; all to support their families, children, and themselves—no different, although some call worse, than what some “citizen” Latinos and African-Americans and poor Anglos have historically experienced in their own country.

A recent study called “The Economic Integration of Mexico and Texas” stated that immigrants contribute a net benefit of $14 billion per year to the United States—NET benefit. So, the Republican mantra, that apparently a few Democrats are now accepting, that immigrants are a “drain” or a "waste" is false. Meanwhile, immigrants inject billions of dollars into two national economies, and still support their families, whether they are home or abroad, with the miniscule amounts of money they earn—and they do earn it!

Democrats, like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and others, fight for federal legislation, such as the DREAM Act, and progressive immigration reform that allows immigrants the opportunity to become citizens and obtain opportunities for economic freedom. So, if it is out of a sense of “desperation” on the part of local elected officials or members of any given county hospital board that they support this legislation, the bottom line is that we shouldn’t be acting like Republicans targeting indigent groups of people.

So, as Democrats, let us fight this bill to its death. It has no place in Texas. Anti-immigrant legislation has NEVER had a place in Texas or the Democratic platform. A recent article in the San Antonio Express-News quoted a leader of the National Council of La Raza, stating that even the guy some labeled “Torturer Al,” attorney general Al Gonzales, stopped anti-immigrant legislation from making it to then-Governor George W. Bush’s desk. Whether it be for political reasons, or out of a sense of humanity, they stopped it. Democrats have always stopped anti-immigrant legislation, and now is not the time to begin scapegoating immigrants as a means of “saving health care” through what hardly is a drop in the bucket in the cash flow that is needed to improve services. We’re better than that!

Contact State. Rep. Vilma Luna at
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=33&rep=vilma.luna and advise her to withdraw this legislation as a means of promoting humanity, and to stop the targeting of certain groups of people.

Ultimately, it only takes one group to be targeted to begin the targeting of the next group, and the next group, and the next group…We’re better than that!