Got kidney? Sorry, it might go to Pablo.
According to an October 29, 2008 Los Angeles Times article, Californian illegal immigrants account for about 1,350 of the 61,000 people on dialysis. Their treatment cost taxpayers $51 million last year. The investment in a single patient can easily top $1 million over time. The cost of one routine treatment is about $250. The cost of providing it in the emergency room can easily climb into the thousands of dollars, especially if the patient has to be admitted to the hospital.
I bring this up now because it was discussed on a local radio station last week - a woman in Orange County is still waiting for a kidney and brought up the LA Times article. Last year, 52 of the 1,912 kidney transplants in California were for illegal immigrants.
(Those are kidney BEANS. I was feeling hungry while I was blogging.)
I've blogged often on the illegal immigration issue in the United States. From May Day Celebrations, alien unionization, alien education, alien welfare, alien civil service, am I a racist?, border patrols, more alien handouts, alien amnesty, 26% of my payroll tax subsidizing aliens, what in the hell are aliens here in the first place, etc, etc. If you're not familiar with my stance, it's very simple - I want illegal aliens OUT of my country. Do not collect welfare or food stamps or a diploma at one of our many universities or have a baby at the nearest hospital that will take you. Just leave. Take some water and some foodstuffs to get you back over the border and stay out.
I'm all for people coming to our country to carve out a better life for themselves - as long as they follow our immigration laws. We CAN NOT SUPPORT THEM RIGHT NOW. How difficult is that to comprehend?
Take Marguerita Toribio, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Roughly 2,000 times over the last 17 years (why didn't they take her into custody when they interviewed her for this story?) she has climbed into a cushioned recliner for the three-hour dialysis treatment that keeps her alive. She has never seen a bill. I feel bad for her condition. My Uncle Jerry had the same thing. But my Uncle Jerry was a U.S. citizen and paid taxes. Marguerita's treatment in California = more than $500,000, not including a kidney transplant in 1993. AND YOU PAID FOR IT.
Get this. A group of illegal immigrants sued Arizona in 2002 after the state attempted to cut off their dialysis. A judge told the state to keep treating them while the case was being decided. In a settlement last year, the state agreed to restore its policy of providing routine dialysis, but the settlement applies only to Arizona.
So fine. Weep for the less fortunate and all those illegals coming to the U.S. for a better life. Bleed your heart out for them. But the next time you're taking a piss, thank God you CAN. 'Cause if you can't and you need dialysis or a new kidney, you may have to wait behind an illegal alien, Amigo.
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