Joe Wilson had a point

Bangor Daily News (Maine)
September 21, 2009 Monday

President Obama made it clear: no taxpayer funded health care for illegal immigrants. And a Rasmussen poll found that 80 percent of Americans are opposed to providing health care benefits to illegal immigrants. The people and the president are in agreement.

The problem is that H.R. 3200, "America's Affordable Healthcare Choices Act of 2009," the bill being debated in the House, has no verification system. Although Section 242 prohibits "undocumented aliens" from receiving health care, it has no method for enforcement. Nearly all government welfare and public programs today require agencies to use Systematic Alienage Verification for Entitlements, which is a system to verify an applicant's legal status.

Republicans introduced legislation twice to include a verification system in the health care bill, and both times it was voted down along party lines. See Factcheck.org.

So congressman Joe Wilson raised a legitimate point. If Obama is serious about no health care for illegal immigrants, then he needs to require Democratic leadership to include a verification system in the bill.

And that means the Dems will have to face down powerful lobbies in their own party: cheap labor business, immigration lawyers and ethnic lobbies.

The old "wink and nod" immigration policy won't be dismantled easily.

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