Frosty Wooldridge -- California Is the Canary in America’s Immigration Coal Mine

Frosty Wooldridge -- California Is the Canary in America’s Immigration Coal Mine

Have you noticed California lately? Do you get the idea that Governor Schwarzenegger, the invincible terminator, falters with every tick of the clock? His state’s problems grow beyond solving. California’s sheer hyper-population load cannot be mitigated.

Water issues force ‘toilet to tap’ for citizens thirsting in that dry state.



When Proposition 187, passed by voters, augured into the ground via incompetent federal judges, the state become a magnet for mass migration of criminal aliens. At some point, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will not be able to walk safely in his drug crazed, 18th Street Gang-ridden, trash-filled, gridlocked, water shortage and air polluted city. Let’s face it; Los Angeles may be equated more to hell than the city of angels.

In a brilliant expose’, “California is Dying—and it’s the Canary in America’s Immigratiion Coal Mine” by Washington DC writer, Don Collins, you find a plethora of understanding facing the United States.

“Did you happen to catch Governor Terminator talking about Judgement Day in California?” Collins said. “Schwarzenegger went on the tube this past week to tell us that "We can only spend what we have. That is the harsh but simple reality," he said in the rare midyear appearance before a joint legislature session. "Our wallet is empty, our bank is closed and our credit is dried up."

Last week, Schwarzenegger said that the annual $4 billion illegal aliens cost taxpayers in educational, medical and incarceration costs doesn’t amount to much. He neglected to say that the actual numbers exceeds $10 billion annually. Worse, he failed to address the billions lost to taxes by the underground economy by criminal aliens.

Collins said. “And just now, in responding to the Governor's urgent message for cutting costs, the California Senate passed a bill to give driver's licences to illegal aliens. As if losing an average of almost 600,000 jobs a month in the US should mean we make it easier for the illegal aliens to stay here and to get to jobs American citizens don't have.

“But then, of course, our helpful Federal government is bowing to strong business pressure and allowing over 100,000 legal aliens a month to come here to the US on various brands of work visas.”

How many to California? Well here's a bit of basic demography.

“Since the 1965 changes in our immigration laws, we have added huge numbers of immigrants and their children to our national population,” Collins said. “In 1970 California's population was 20 million. Today, that population is estimated at about 37 million. Of those, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates about 10 million are legal (7 million) and illegal (3 million) immigrants. Over 8 million Californians were born outside the USA.”

Just on the sheer numbers alone, it is not hard to see why California is now bankrupt.

“I am a long-time San Francisco Democrat, now transplanted to Washington D.C.,” Collins said. “So recently I wrote Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to ask why we didn't fix our broken immigration system. This was her June 5, 2009 email reply:

"I have long called for comprehensive immigration reform to address the growing disconnect between our nation's immigration policy and the reality on the ground in cities and communities across our country. Our immigration system needs to honor the promise of America and recognize the enormous contributions immigrants make to our nation. We must enact immigration reform that is humane and honors our American tradition of being a nation of immigrants and a land of opportunity for all. At the same time, we must secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure the safety of the American people.

While immigration reform remains an unsolved challenge for our nation, we must recognize that America was built by immigrants, and the immigrant community continues to make significant contributions to our nation. The debate on immigration reform must be framed by our nation's rich tradition of respect for our shared immigrant heritage. Please be assured that I will keep your comments in mind as I work with President Obama, leadership and the committees of jurisdiction to develop a strategy to advance immigration legislation that promotes our core American values."

“Can you imagine such chutzpah?” Collins said. “You know her "comprehensive immigration reform" simply means "amnesty" for the 20 million illegal aliens here now and encouraging many more later. We know the fiasco that the 1986 immigration reform legislation proved to be.”

But it really gets much worse if one is trying to calculate the fiscal effect on California—and project what this means for America.

“Folks, California is the biggest example of the famous canary in the coal mine theory ever,” Collins said. “Remember, until 1986 in the U.K., canaries were regularly used in coal mines as an early warning system. The birds died in the presence of toxic gases. Because canaries tend to sing much of the time, they provided both a visual and audible cue.

“California is certainly getting toxic budgetary news. It is killing the economy and all that this once-vaunted state had to offer in the way of education and environment, making it the envy of the world. The decline I have personally observed is obvious to so many I talk to, yet this fiscal death notice to California which has counterparts in other states, does not seem to worry other Americans—yet.”

All this means more public costs, more demands on government resources.

“How long will this madness continue?” Collins said. “California Governor Pete Wilson tried long ago to get help from our Federal Government, but those elected officials knew better than to try to buck the industrial-military complex that now rules our former Republic. Those worthies (notice in what high regard our Congress is rated in the polls) handle immigration like a political popularity contest where the more cheap labor you support importing, the more money flows to re-elect you from the coffers of business.

“Result: Just take a look at the bloated California budget. And then we learn that the City of Oakland, California will be soon joining San Francisco in giving all residents including illegal aliens ID cards. That can only serve to add to that city's nearly $100 million deficit, as public services will now flow to illegal aliens and their anchor babies.

“Of course the California voters don't want to pay to fix this mess. In the May special election, voters rejected all five budget-related measures placed on the ballot by Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders. Revenue has continued to plummet as residents have reduced spending and unemployment has soared to 11 percent.”

One must ask the question: are the patients are running the asylum?

“I predict that as matters get worse—and they surely will—Californians and all Americans will finally wake up to the facct that unchecked immigration, wanton use of the public trough and loss of expected public services will cause a revolt by voters,” Collins said. “But for now too many are sitting on their hands, fat, dumb and perhaps apprehensive but unwilling to take part in the political rough and tumble. Sad that corrective action will likely not happen before devastation to our culture, our traditions, our comity and the prosperity we have enjoyed.

“California has had many recent internal signs of overuse and unsustainability. For example, the fish resources of the state have precipitously declined and the commercial salmon fishing season is now closed, while when reasonable new regulations to save the salmon have been proposed, Terminator Schwarzenegger has sided with the farmers who keep degrading the free water they abuse, so that renewal of this great resource is imperilled.”

Having bicycled the length and width of California four times in the past 30 years, I witnessed the degradation of our most populous state. Collins gave the final blow, “California is the Big Canary. It’s dying—and Americans had better take notice.”