Boycott Lessons

Interestingly, if typically, the media, in covering the rallies today, consistently omitted a crucial word: "illegal". That is, these rallies were NOT for "immigrants’ rights". Very few folks object particularly to those immigrants who came here legally, play by the rules, and work toward citizenship. But a huge majority of the people – properly – objects to offering any benefits to those who flout the rules, living here without bothering with the niceties of immigration laws.

One woman, quoted on the radio this AM, asked: "who’s going to cook your food, mow your lawns, watch your kids?" Most of us, I think, will take our chances while we (a) cook our own food, (b) cut our own lawns, and (c) mind our own kids. But even assuming that we were inclined to tolerate some illegal immigrant babysitters, are we willing to pay the huge costs associated therewith?

One of the other people interviewed for the radio news was a Pooh Bah from a New Jersey urban school district. Asked how this strike would affect his schools, he reported on one school which boasts an enrollment of 350, of which 310 failed to show up this morning.

Hmm. Consider that. Now, it’s simply not possible to conclude that ALL of those absences were illegal aliens. Some might be playing hooky; some might be sick; some might be here legally, but absent in sympathy with their illegal classmates. But it’s a fair bet that a substantial number of these absent kids should not be in a New Jersey classroom in the first place.

The district at issue being an Abbott district, it spends -- depending upon how one does the math -- between $20,000 and $30,000 per year per kid educating the children of illegal aliens. Being generous with the figures, it seems that the MAJORITY of the kids in this school, at least, are illegals. As illegals tend to cluster in urban areas, it’s a fair bet that a goodly number of the kids, upon whom we, the taxpayers, are spending uncounted billions, should not even be here.

THIS, then, is the nature of our constitutional obligation to provide a "thorough and efficient" education? The constitutional mandate applies to every kid from Mexico or Colombia whose parents manage to find their way into Paterson or Passaic? Small wonder New Jersey’s native born population declines steadily, while it’s immigrant population – much of it illegal – balloons. Speaking strictly logically, if one were a parent in Mexico, wanting the best possible – or, at least, most expensive – education for one’s children, why not run the border and move to Perth Amboy? The chances of getting caught are slim and, even if you’re caught, they probably won’t send you back. And your kids instantaneously qualify for an education costing $25,000, paid for, courtesy of the New Jersey Supreme Court, by the poor saps who actually play by the rules, and pay their hugely inflated tax bills.

Illegals in NJ urban zones cost the taxpayers a bloody fortune. Even a hard working, otherwise law abiding couple with three kids sets the taxpayers back a cool $75K or so, just in educational costs. That’s one hell of a price to pay for a cheap short order cook.

My thought, then, is that we should strongly encourage all illegals to boycott public schools. Permanently. The savings would provide our taxpayers with billions in sorely needed property tax relief.