Letters to the Editor

Offers Comment on Undocumented Workers Those who blame undocumented workers for their plight fail to understand the economics of the situation. If U.S. employers didn’t hire the undocumented they wouldn’t be drawn into the country. Americans who demand goods and services at the lowest possible cost and are perfectly happy ignoring the immigration status of those who provide them have some responsibility. There is also a moral component. Many undocumented workers are exploited by employers who fail to pay a living wage or even minimum wage. If U.S. policy on drug abuse didn’t criminalize addiction there wouldn’t be so much profit in providing the substances being abused and the economies of nations to our south wouldn’t be compromised. Americans who buy from the underground economy have some responsibility. Human overpopulation is a fundamental problem for the planet. Earth cannot sustain 7 billion people and tens of thousands die everyday around the world from preventable diseases and starvation. Americans who support a prohibition on family planning aid have some responsibility. I can’t be angry at parents who bring their children out of poverty and away from drug cartel violence into a place where they can prosper. Mass deportation is not a viable answer. That would devastate our economy. I urge California and federal elected officials to cooperate with the rest of the world’s nations to solve the underlying problems. They should craft a path to legalization for those already here. We should not cause further misery to ordinary working people trying to live a decent life. Sharon Weisman La Crescenta