How About Some O'dat Free Magic Gub'mint Cheese?

Source: jconline

Klinker wants Rhoda to pull immigration ad, but he won't

State Rep. Sheila Klinker says immigration is a question for the federal government.

So why, she asked, is her political opponent accusing her of not doing enough to prevent people from coming to this country illegally?

Klinker, a Democrat who represents Indiana House District 27, responded Monday to an advertisement that appeared on television last week.

"Sheila Klinker voted to allow illegal immigrants to receive state benefits and welfare," the advertisement charges.

The ridiculous reason?

According to the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, people may not receive Medicaid after July 1, 2006, unless they prove their citizenship through documents. Klinker said many lawmakers didn't like the bill because they feared it would deny health care to children during an epidemic -- such as an outbreak of the avian flu.

"We would have to inoculate everyone to get rid of it," she said.

Uh, yeah, that's the ticket! That's like reinstating the death penalty in Illinois only in the case of space alien attacks.

It continues...

The advertisement also says, "Sheila Klinker's vote allows illegal immigrants to take more than $700 million in state tax dollars."

Rhoda said the figure came from a report by the Indiana Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement. It lists the money spent in different years to teach students English, to imprison foreigners and to pay for state aid that goes to Hispanics.

The report recognizes that not all of those costs can be attributed to illegal immigrants, but says, "they are responsible for a significant portion."

Rhoda's advertisement also charges that the money going to help illegal immigrants should be spent to give health care to Indiana children. Klinker countered that they are already covered under the Indiana Children's Health Insurance Program.

Oh, Oh, I see. "The Indiana Children's Health Insurance Program?"

Hmmm, wonder who pays for that?

From the Indiana Family @ Social Services Administration page...(Google's a bitch ain't it?)

As part of the Federal Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Congress created the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as a way to encourage states to provide health insurance to uninsured children.

smells like gub'mint cheese to me, am I missing something here? Amazing how politicians appear to be unaware that this money they throw around with such largesse is actually, um, ours.

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