It’s an outrage. It’s a scandal. It’s un-American.

And something must be done.

What is it?

It’s the army of illegal aliens getting fat off state welfare benefits. Or, at least that’s what earnest callers and letter-writers contend in their regular communications on the subject. Few things seem to rankle readers more than the idea that people here illegally are collecting benefits traditionally reserved for taxpaying citizens.

With the state budget facing a crisis and the economy on the skids, lately I have been reminded more than usual of the unreported costs generated by the undocumented in our midst. Complaints that come in sporadically in fat times greatly increase in frequency and volume when the governor calls for more than $1 billion in state budget cuts.

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LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. — A 30-year-old woman is charged with attempted murder after she stuffed her newborn baby in a garbage bag, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

According to the BSO, Meshia Morant was staying with Junior and Nadia Lodge at their Lauderdale Lakes apartment June 14 when they arrived home and found a trail of blood leading from the living room to the kitchen.

When the couple found Morant, she was standing in the doorway holding a white garbage bag.”He questioned her and at the time he was questioning her, he heard a baby cry,” BSO spokeswoman Alesha Russell said. “He asked Meshia, ‘Did you have a baby?’ Meshia denied having a baby.” Read more »

SILVER LAKE - People in Sam Israel’s old neighborhood weren’t surprised to learn that the 48-year-old had surrendered.

“I feel sorry for what his family went through, and he probably realized he was going to be caught anyway, so he turned himself in,” said Michelle Trapani, an employee at the New York Hair & Nail Salon in the Silver Lake section of Harrison.

Trapani said she didn’t know the fugitive, who once lived at 31 Buckout Road and coached youth soccer in the area a decade ago.

“People who have money think that they can get away with anything,” said John Schnabel, owner of the Jottery, a store in Taylor Square. “Clearly, Sam Israel knew he wasn’t going to get away.” Source>>>

At least they’re equal opportunity victimizers. 

The Coatesville Police Department continues to receive reports of black city residents robbing, assaulting and raping Hispanic immigrants, according to Police Chief William Matthews.

And, if the activity is not stopped, police say it could trigger the formation of violent Hispanic gangs as a type of cultural protection.

With the city’s black community, growing immigrant population - many of whom do not speak English - combined with the city’s social issues, “It’s not long before you have black-on-brown crime,” said Matthews. “And we’re seeing the beginning of that.” Read more »