An Open Letter to Cliff Wright

Dear Cliff:

I read your statements in the TimesDaily concerning illegal immigration and the recent law changes in Alabama. I agree with much you have said, but I also disagree with much.

I agree that the law was not the best thought out piece of legislation ever to be produced in Montgomery. Our lawmakers need to take the blame for that--if they honestly tried to serve the people of Alabama instead of special interests, they wouldn't work under time constraints of their own making, but would labor in a bipartisan manner to serve the state's citizens.

I also know that you have a family and in all probability have your income invested in such ways that you are not inordinately taxed. For those of us who are single, not quite poor, but not quite rich, we pay approximately 25% of our income in taxes. We want our money to go to the citizens and infrastructure of this state--not a foreign government.

I'm also going to guess that you don't do much of your home's shopping. In other words, you're not frequently standing in line behind Hispanic Indians who produce a state electronic debit card to pay for two carts of groceries--all the while in the express lane either because they don't read English or don't care since breaking rules means little to them.

I daily see citizens who are suffering--white, black, and in between. It's not about being a racist. I want our citizens put first. I cannot imagine Jesus advising anyone to commit an illegal act. In fact, He said the poor would be with us always.

We don't have the funds to help everyone. Whom should we help? The Alabama child who may grow up to be a brilliant researcher or top industrialist...or the Hispanic child who may never learn even to read or write English? Again, I say whom should we put first...our citizens or those who continue to fly the colors of a foreign country while taking all the United States has to offer? It shouldn't be a hard choice.



Shoalanda