Invasion of the Refugees

Federal government incompetence is continually hurting my state.

Now a new one - the Bush Administration would like to place 15,000 Iraqi refugees in Warren and Sterling Heights. Warren is Michigan's third largest city and shares a part of Detroit's north border. Sterling Heights is directly north of Warren (and is Michigan's sixth largest city).

Warren is the home of Michigan's newest mosque, which opened earlier this year.

Democratic Mayor of Warren Mark Steenburgh complained right away, even appealing to President Bush to stop the madness.

Steenbergh said two-thirds of the applicants for refugee status indicated that they have relatives in the area.

"I've been told that these refugees will be given assistance in locating housing and in learning English," Steenbergh said in a statement.

"Will the City of Warren receive assistance for the burden placed upon our services with so many people set to arrive?"

Of course, in our politically correct, socially responsible world, the Mayor is called a racist.

"All the stuff he put in his press release is inaccurate," said Martin Manna, head of the Chaldean Chamber of Commerce. "It's all inaccurate. It smells of bigotry."

U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., called Steenbergh's statements "inaccurate and misleading."

I don't know if the mayor is racist or not, but I do know he is right - we can't absorb the costs associated with such a plan.

Of course, the Feds are denying there will be that many people transferred here. That's nice. But let me ask President Bush, why is your Administration bringing Iraqi refugees here to the US? Isn't part of your brainy war plan making Iraq safe for Iraqis?

How smart is it to bring people over to the worst economy in the United States, where citizens are losing their jobs right and left - and have been for two years? The jobs have already moved to China - how are the Iraqi immigrants supposed to get a job here?

The Warren Consolidated School District already doesn't have enough money to operate. They've drawn out of the rainy-day fund and let go a bunch of teachers when school got out in June. Now the school district is supposed to absorb these costs? There is nothing humanitarian about brining people into this situation, placing them on welfare because there is no work, and feeling like you've done the world a favor.