Candidate for Arizona utility commission wants to cut off utilities of illegals

One Arizona politician has made a vow to make illegal immigrants powerless -- literally.

Barry Wong, a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission, an elected body that decides public utility issues, says he would require the utilities to check the immigration status of customers, he told the Arizona Republic.

"I'm sure there will be criticism about human-rights violations," said Wong, who held a temporary spot on the five-person Commission in 2006. "Is power or natural gas or any type of utility we regulate, is that a right that people have? It is not a right. It is a service."

Cutting electricity, water, natural gas, even telephone lines at the homes of illegal immigrants, he said, would lower costs for the rest of the state's customers. He believes the population spike caused by illegal immigrants forces the state to build new power plants and then raise rates for customers.

Since 2000, Arizona's population has jumped nearly 29% to almost 6.6 million people. In roughly that same time, the number of the state's Hispanic residents increased and now composes more than 30% of Arizona's population, according to the U.S. Census.

Link to article

Wow...never thought I would see this.:o

Man that is just wong.

I can certainly see this forcing illegal immigrants to move elsewhere, which is ultimately the goal of these laws. :|

Can Arziona just pass a law that says they'll execute anyone suspected of being illegal on sight?

It's getting suspicious when we've had like 5 different illegal immigration laws that many find excessive coming out of one state in like two months.

Cutting off water? If they are found to be illegal, deport them, don't cut off their water. :|

That's sick.

Interesting. This should be fun to watch the arguments in this thread. Btw, I support this.l4dak47

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

Even though I dislike republicans and yank conservatives as much as the plague. I'll have to say I agree with them when it comes to illegals. They're not even supposed to be in the country.Osaka-06

I agree with this. The system in the US is quite peculiar, an anomaly if you will.

[QUOTE="l4dak47"]Interesting. This should be fun to watch the arguments in this thread. Btw, I support this.Pixel-Pirate

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

Even though I dislike republicans and yank conservatives as much as the plague. I'll have to say I agree with them when it comes to illegals. They're not even supposed to be in the country.Osaka-06

You know what a place is when it has no running water and energy? Its considered condemned.. Many illegals are young children with no control of themselves being there, this may lead to their harm.. That single possibility makes it completely unethical.

[QUOTE="Pixel-Pirate"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"]Interesting. This should be fun to watch the arguments in this thread. Btw, I support this.l4dak47

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

Then they are legally there if they have a child there.. :| Hence they shouldn't fit int hat catagory, hence they should not have power or water turned off if they are paying for it.

[QUOTE="Pixel-Pirate"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"]Interesting. This should be fun to watch the arguments in this thread. Btw, I support this.l4dak47

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

I 100% support Any laws Like this. I really think we should make living here as hard as it possibly can be for them.

If you want to live In this country do it right

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="Pixel-Pirate"]

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

sSubZerOo

Then they are legally there if they have a child there.. :| Hence they shouldn't fit int hat catagory, hence they should not have power or water turned off if they are paying for it.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] Probably because the authortites will do nothing or they use the anchor babies as an excuse to stay.l4dak47

Then they are legally there if they have a child there.. :| Hence they shouldn't fit int hat catagory, hence they should not have power or water turned off if they are paying for it.

But the government allows them to be there due to their child being legally born.. Hence ANCHOR..

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="Pixel-Pirate"]

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

SgtKevali

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

Then they are legally there if they have a child there.. :| Hence they shouldn't fit int hat catagory, hence they should not have power or water turned off if they are paying for it.

sSubZerOo

But the government allows them to be there due to their child being legally born.. Hence ANCHOR..

[QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] Probably because the authortites will do nothing or they use the anchor babies as an excuse to stay.l4dak47

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

.. Its considered condemned and unfit for children, are you willing for the state services collecting them and taking care of them?

[QUOTE="Osaka-06"]Even though I dislike republicans and yank conservatives as much as the plague. I'll have to say I agree with them when it comes to illegals. They're not even supposed to be in the country.sSubZerOo

You know what a place is when it has no running water and energy? Its considered condemned.. Many illegals are young children with no control of themselves being there, this may lead to their harm.. That single possibility makes it completely unethical.

[QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] Probably because the authortites will do nothing or they use the anchor babies as an excuse to stay.l4dak47

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

If you're going to let them live here, don't ban them from having decent living conditions. It's absurd to expect people to be able to constantly buy drinking water? How do you live without electricity in the modern age? Cooking?Telephones?

Of course, if you don't want them here, just change the policy and deport them.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] No, the child is legal. The parents are not. l4dak47

But the government allows them to be there due to their child being legally born.. Hence ANCHOR..

But according to the law they are deemed allowed to be here.. Hence they can not be deported..

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

sSubZerOo

.. Its considered condemned and unfit for children, are you willing for the state services collecting them and taking care of them?

I don't get it? How would he know if they are illegal? If they did, they would just be deported.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="Osaka-06"]Even though I dislike republicans and yank conservatives as much as the plague. I'll have to say I agree with them when it comes to illegals. They're not even supposed to be in the country.Osaka-06

You know what a place is when it has no running water and energy? Its considered condemned.. Many illegals are young children with no control of themselves being there, this may lead to their harm.. That single possibility makes it completely unethical.

Whose to say they are avoiding a far more dangerous life within Mexico? You think these people run over here risking their lives for fun? Heck no.. Still yet again, what people are suggesitng is immoral to a point that minors with no control of their situation will be harmed.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] How is that inhumane? They can still get drinking water. They just can't do it in the convenience of their home. l4dak47

.. Its considered condemned and unfit for children, are you willing for the state services collecting them and taking care of them?

Even though it may cost a huge amount of tax dollars?

[QUOTE="l4dak47"]Interesting. This should be fun to watch the arguments in this thread. Btw, I support this.Pixel-Pirate

If they know they're illegal, why don't they contact authorities instead of keeping them there without power?

This is the correct solution, IMO.

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

Well, then either change that policy, or don't cut off their water. That's simply inhumane.

SgtKevali

If you're going to let them live here, don't ban them from having decent living conditions. It's absurd to expect people to be able to constantly buy drinking water? How do you live without electricity in the modern age? Cooking?Telephones?

Of course, if you don't want them here, just change the policy and deport them.

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

.. Its considered condemned and unfit for children, are you willing for the state services collecting them and taking care of them?

sSubZerOo

Even though it may cost a huge amount of tax dollars?

[QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

[QUOTE="l4dak47"] How is that inhumane? They can still get drinking water. They just can't do it in the convenience of their home. l4dak47

If you're going to let them live here, don't ban them from having decent living conditions. It's absurd to expect people to be able to constantly buy drinking water? How do you live without electricity in the modern age? Cooking?Telephones?

Of course, if you don't want them here, just change the policy and deport them.

You realize how desperate some people are? This is just too inhumane for me to support. Either allow for decent living conditions, or deport them (change the policy).

[QUOTE="l4dak47"][QUOTE="SgtKevali"]

If you're going to let them live here, don't ban them from having decent living conditions. It's absurd to expect people to be able to constantly buy drinking water? How do you live without electricity in the modern age? Cooking?Telephones?

Of course, if you don't want them here, just change the policy and deport them.

SgtKevali

You realize how desperate some people are? This is just too inhumane for me to support. Either allow for decent living conditions, or deport them (change the policy).

These Arizona lawmakers really will cut off their nose to spite their face. Do they think the primary result of this is going to be a significant reduction in illegal immigration? Don't they suppose that maybe there is a reason people are desperate to get out of Mexico? They really are clueless.

This will just create more problems, which they will then turn around and blame the illegals for, even though they brought it on themselves.

I just want to start out by saying that I don't like the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants in the US. I don't approve of mankind being split up into separate nations.. but if you are going to be split up, it needs to be done right... if for no reason other than to show how futile our system is.

Anyhow..

Here are some factors to consider:

Although some illegal immigrants are paid "under the table," tax-free, many are not. Those that work in factories and manufacturing plants have generally provided forged employment documents to their employers. What this means is that taxes ARE being taken out of their paychecks and given to the government, but the illegals never get a cent of that back.. because if they filed for one, the IRS would expose them as illegal. Basically they provide a TON of tax income that the goverment never has to pay back.

Many of the jobs that illegal immigrants do in this country are jobs that most legal citizens (I'm going to single out white people, since I am one), would not be willing to do. Hard manual labor for low wages, manufacturing jobs, etc.. So while some people will point to the unemployment rate and say "see, if those illegals didn't take all those jobs, we could have them," that isn't realistic. The fact is that many of the people who are unemployed now were in office jobs, sales jobs, or other occupations that pay far more than the menial work done by most illegal immigrants. If all of the illegals were instantly deported, our economy would collapse. Those people who were making $40-60,000 a year and lost their jobs won't willingly just jump into those $8-$10 an hour jobs that were vacated. There will be nobody doing those jobs, period.

Just some food for thought..

I'm going to say the same thing that has already been said: if they find out that someone is here illegally, then why not, um, alert the authorities rather than cutting off their utilities?

I just want to start out by saying that I don't like the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants in the US. I don't approve of mankind being split up into separate nations.. but if you are going to be split up, it needs to be done right... if for no reason other than to show how futile our system is.

Anyhow..

Here are some factors to consider:

Although some illegal immigrants are paid "under the table," tax-free, many are not. Those that work in factories and manufacturing plants have generally provided forged employment documents to their employers. What this means is that taxes ARE being taken out of their paychecks and given to the government, but the illegals never get a cent of that back.. because if they filed for one, the IRS would expose them as illegal. Basically they provide a TON of tax income that the goverment never has to pay back.

Many of the jobs that illegal immigrants do in this country are jobs that most legal citizens (I'm going to single out white people, since I am one), would not be willing to do. Hard manual labor for low wages, manufacturing jobs, etc.. So while some people will point to the unemployment rate and say "see, if those illegals didn't take all those jobs, we could have them," that isn't realistic. The fact is that many of the people who are unemployed now were in office jobs, sales jobs, or other occupations that pay far more than the menial work done by most illegal immigrants. If all of the illegals were instantly deported, our economy would collapse. Those people who were making $40-60,000 a year and lost their jobs won't willingly just jump into those $8-$10 an hour jobs that were vacated. There will be nobody doing those jobs, period.

Just some food for thought..

hartsickdiscipl

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

I'm going to say the same thing that has already been said: if they find out that someone is here illegally, then why not, um, alert the authorities rather than cutting off their utilities?

MathMattS

Do that, too. Of course, in this day and age, the Arizona authorities are the only authorities that seem to want to do anything about illegal immigration...but hey, alert the authorities AND cut off utilities for good measure.

These Arizona lawmakers really will cut off their nose to spite their face. Do they think the primary result of this is going to be a significant reduction in illegal immigration? Don't they suppose that maybe there is a reason people are desperate to get out of Mexico? They really are clueless.

This will just create more problems, which they will then turn around and blame the illegals for, even though they brought it on themselves.

StopThePresses

I certainly could understand if Mexico was Somalia, but Mexico is not so far lost that its people can make a difference and turn things around. I can't imagine such a massive loss of its citizens fleeing is good for Mexico.

Have you seen the Population numbers for Mexico and how many have left and is projected to leave in the future? A country losing so many of its citizens.... :?

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

I just want to start out by saying that I don't like the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants in the US. I don't approve of mankind being split up into separate nations.. but if you are going to be split up, it needs to be done right... if for no reason other than to show how futile our system is.

Anyhow..

Here are some factors to consider:

Although some illegal immigrants are paid "under the table," tax-free, many are not. Those that work in factories and manufacturing plants have generally provided forged employment documents to their employers. What this means is that taxes ARE being taken out of their paychecks and given to the government, but the illegals never get a cent of that back.. because if they filed for one, the IRS would expose them as illegal. Basically they provide a TON of tax income that the goverment never has to pay back.

Many of the jobs that illegal immigrants do in this country are jobs that most legal citizens (I'm going to single out white people, since I am one), would not be willing to do. Hard manual labor for low wages, manufacturing jobs, etc.. So while some people will point to the unemployment rate and say "see, if those illegals didn't take all those jobs, we could have them," that isn't realistic. The fact is that many of the people who are unemployed now were in office jobs, sales jobs, or other occupations that pay far more than the menial work done by most illegal immigrants. If all of the illegals were instantly deported, our economy would collapse. Those people who were making $40-60,000 a year and lost their jobs won't willingly just jump into those $8-$10 an hour jobs that were vacated. There will be nobody doing those jobs, period.

Just some food for thought..

l4dak47

If the world was black and white, I would agree with you. Unfortunately, it's not. Let's not act like our country would be perfect without illegal immigrants. It just isn't reality.

Whose to say they are avoiding a far more dangerous life within Mexico? You think these people run over here risking their lives for fun? Heck no.. Still yet again, what people are suggesitng is immoral to a point that minors with no control of their situation will be harmed.sSubZerOo

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

These Arizona lawmakers really will cut off their nose to spite their face. Do they think the primary result of this is going to be a significant reduction in illegal immigration? Don't they suppose that maybe there is a reason people are desperate to get out of Mexico? They really are clueless.

This will just create more problems, which they will then turn around and blame the illegals for, even though they brought it on themselves.

majwill24

I certainly could understand if Mexico was Somalia, but Mexico is not so far lost that its people can make a difference and turn things around. I can't imagine such a massive loss of its citizens fleeing is good for Mexico.

Have you seen the Population numbers for Mexico and how many have left and is projected to leave in the future? A country losing so many of its citizens.... :?

That's what happens when your police and politicians are corrupt, and you let drug cartels run rampant. I don't even know what the exact percentage is, but so many of the police in Mexico are on the take that you really can't trust anyone. They sell out American tourists to criminals all the time.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]Whose to say they are avoiding a far more dangerous life within Mexico? You think these people run over here risking their lives for fun? Heck no.. Still yet again, what people are suggesitng is immoral to a point that minors with no control of their situation will be harmed.Osaka-06

If they arn't supposed to be here, why arn't they deporting them when they find out?

Unless this is being used only to harm people legally here that Arizona doesn't want. Which I'm pretty sure would be illegal.

[QUOTE="majwill24"]

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

These Arizona lawmakers really will cut off their nose to spite their face. Do they think the primary result of this is going to be a significant reduction in illegal immigration? Don't they suppose that maybe there is a reason people are desperate to get out of Mexico? They really are clueless.

This will just create more problems, which they will then turn around and blame the illegals for, even though they brought it on themselves.

hartsickdiscipl

I certainly could understand if Mexico was Somalia, but Mexico is not so far lost that its people can make a difference and turn things around. I can't imagine such a massive loss of its citizens fleeing is good for Mexico.

Have you seen the Population numbers for Mexico and how many have left and is projected to leave in the future? A country losing so many of its citizens.... :?

That's what happens when your police and politicians are corrupt, and you let drug cartels run rampant. I don't even know what the exact percentage is, but so many of the police in Mexico are on the take that you really can't trust anyone. They sell out American tourists to criminals all the time.