LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Editor,

The death of Ted Kennedy's amnesty bill does not deserve to be mourned. By this action, U.S. taxpayers have saved billions of dollars.

How long can Washington and the national media continue to use 12 million as the number of illegal aliens in the United States? According to the Wall Street financial giant, Bear Stearns, in a report titled, "The Underground Labor Force is Rising to the Surface," there are more than 20 million illegal aliens in our nation. Bear Sterns also reported that at least five million illegals work for cash and pay no taxes except sales taxes.

The Lone Star Foundation, an Austin think-tank, issued a report titled, "The Economics of U.S. Immigration," stating that Texans are paying $3.5 billion per year to support 1.5 million illegal aliens in our state.

There are two major cost factors. First, Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires our medical community to provide free healthcare to illegal aliens. Second, a federal judge ruled we must provide a free education for illegal aliens. Considering these two benefits, the federal government has saddled the sates with the largest unfunded mandate in the history of our nation. I have middleincome constituents who have fewer benefits than illegal aliens, yet, must pay to support those who are here unlawfully.

There are simplistic solutions to this problem; seal the border and stop all free benefits to illegal aliens. If these actions were enforced, we could expect a large move south of the border.

Leo Berman District 6 Texas Representative