Marietta Daily Journal OP ED
August 7, 2009

D.A. King: Americans, make it clear ObamaCare debate must include illegal immigration issue

It is the last thing the leftist president and the Democrat congressional leaders wanted to happen: An actual debate, an over-informed citizenry and the August congressional break before a rushed vote on government regulated health care.

At least a month of actual public exposure to Obama’s health care legislation.

The magnitude of the detrimental effect of the planned takeover of American health care is quickly becoming apparent to even the least curious American voter.

As details of the scheme become known, the overexposure of the contents of “the health care reform bill” is creating a legislative pre-existing condition that the president strived to avoid at all costs … reality.

It has become crystal clear that the decision has been made to cover a huge potential voter base for the Democrats … illegal aliens. Contrary to constant denial from the Democrats, every version of the Obama’s health care legislation would permit coverage for the victims of geography in the government regulated health insurance.

And they are willing to fight for it.

The most recent effort to require use of existing tools to determine eligibility for taxpayer-funded health care benefits came from Georgia Representative Nathan Deal (R- Gainesville). He proposed a badly needed amendment that would have explicitly prohibited illegal aliens from receiving health care benefits under the health care reform bill (H.R. 3200). The horror.

Deal’s amendment was defeated in committee last week along party lines. Pandering to hoped for future voters and rationality don’t mix.

Still, the media and too many in GOP leadership are not making the legislation’s immigration element a big issue. One Republican Congressional staffer told me this week that the bill was so bad that its illegal immigration component didn’t really need to be brought up.

This longtime American adamantly disagrees.

Any discussion of the health care swindle that does not include the fact that Americans would be forced to further permanently subsidize illegal immigration into their nation is dangerous and incomplete.

Both Cobb’s GOP congressmen seem to agree. “It’s neither an oversight nor a surprise that congressional Democrats have a loophole in their bill to provide government-run health care for illegal aliens. Americans don’t want the government running their health care, and they certainly don’t want their tax dollars paying for health care for those who have shown no respect for our borders or the rule of law” said Congressman Dr. Tom Price earlier this week.

This from Georgia Representative Dr. Phil Gingrey: “While Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Waxman were busy navigating their own intra-party squabbles in an attempt to reach agreement on how best to nationalize America’s health care system, they created several avenues by which illegal immigrants can receive health benefits at the expense of taxpaying citizens. Simply put, this is disgraceful.”

Disgraceful or not, desperate economic times and immigration law or not, the Democrats seem to be determined to further reward illegals – even if it means a tax increase on middle-class America to finance the contemptible program.

The Associated Press – without mentioning government coverage for illegals – reports that “Obama’s treasury secretary said he cannot rule out higher taxes to help tame an exploding budget deficit, and his chief economic adviser would not dismiss raising them on middle-class Americans as part of a health care overhaul.”

And it is not just far-left extremists in government who support the plan. Joining such fringe groups as ACORN, La Raza, and MoveOn.org, even corporate giants like Wal-Mart have taken up the cause of redistributing the wealth.

According to Chicago Public Radio, during a health-care reform panel discussion at the recent annual National Council of La Raza convention in Chicago, Dr. John Agwunobi, a senior Wal-Mart vice-president said the company supports rewarding illegals with government health care.

To a direct question from the panel moderator, “What about health-care coverage for undocumented immigrants?” Agwunobi described Wal-Mart’s position: “We believe strongly that everyone should have access to affordable health insurance. Everyone.”

Everyone should heed the words of Drs. Phil Gingrey and Tom Price. And Texas Congressman Lamar Smith. “If Americans aren’t already concerned enough about the astronomical costs of the healthcare proposal, this taxpayer-funded benefit for lawbreakers should sound the alarms” writes Smith in The Hill, a Washington Newspaper for the Capitol Hill staffers and members of Congress.

August is the last best hope for killing ObamaCare. Outraged Americans would be well advised to make it clear that they will not be lulled into ignoring its connection to our unsecured borders and illegal immigration.

King is president of the Dustin Inman Society. He is not a member of any political party.

HERE