To the editor:
Illegal immigration, increasing healthcare costs, and ICE’s and law enforcement’s use of excessive force in non-life-threatening situations are all potentially solvable.
Immigration: Trump has worked to curtail illegal entry from our southern border—bravo for that—but abducting honest, hardworking people, even when they are here legally, is counterproductive to our national interest, especially without the constitutional protection of due process. All of this is being done indiscriminately, not just targeting the “worst of the worst,” with the affect being a depletion of our workforce and the loss of billions of tax dollars from those individuals and their businesses.
So why are Republicans vehemently opposed to a path to citizenship? Perhaps they are scared that once those formerly undocumented individuals become citizens, they are unlikely to vote red, having been constantly targeted by Republicans. Here is a possible path to citizenship for undocumented individuals.
Anyone who has been in this country for more than 20 years, is undocumented, does not have a criminal record (besides a minor infraction), and has paid taxes should be able to sign up for a plan that allows them to pay a surcharge of 10 percent on top o the taxes they already pay for 10 years. During that 10-year period, should they commit a serious crime or fail to pay their taxes or the surcharge, they risk being deported. When they become citizens, they will be eligible to vote.
Healthcare: Medicare for all can provide universal coverage, which Republicans claim is socialism even though almost every developed country provides some form of universal coverage. Does it come at a cost? Yes. Individuals pay monthly, and we all pay higher taxes. For those who can afford it and do not want to wait for a medical procedure, they can use a doctor of their choice.
If Medicare for all is rejected, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be modified over time. The income ceiling should to be lowered, along with other adjustments, with the goal being to maintain affordable healthcare coverage as called for in the ACA for people who need it.
ICE and law enforcement: If an unarmed person is stopped for a minor infraction and runs away, rather than shooting the person in the back, peace officers should be trained to shoot the person in the leg. What happened in Minneapolis should have never happened. As Renee Good began to drive away, ICE agents had cell phones that could have been used to take a picture of her license plate and had local authorities arrest her. Instead, an ICE agent shot her in the face, killing her. Kristi Noem falsely characterized the victim as a “domestic terrorist,” while the real domestic terrorists in Minneapolis are Noem and ICE agents. Increasing ICE activity is inflaming, not diffusing the situation.
Frank Gunsberg
Great Barrington
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