Illinois, California, and Wisconsin end free Medicare for immigrants in the US illegally.

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Photo above - Dances with undocumented migrants. John Dumb-Bear admits he is reluctant to tell Kicking Bird what will happen when all those Irish and Norwegian immigrants head west.

The idea of providing free healthcare to undocumented workers and welfare recipients probably seemed like a winner when someone first dreamed it up. These newly arrived gentlemen and ladies probably have relatives in the USA who are already citizens/voters. Win-win . . . those with dangerous diseases will get free medical care, and governors will get the votes of those grateful relatives. (see link below).

Then someone with a calculator showed up.

California is expected to lose $6 billion this year alone on immigrant healthcare . . . if nobody else arrives. Governor Newsom, who is required by law to have a balanced state budget, admits this is “unsustainable”. Who was hiding the calculator when the bill was passed, though?

Illinois also has a governor apparently running for president - JB Pritzker. His family founded the Hyatt Hotel chain, proving not all rich politicians are republicans. You’d think a billionaire would have some business associates who were good at accounting. Illinois got blinded sided: their hilariously bad estimate of Medicaid for migrants $100 million. It was off by $800 million. Pritzker pulled the plug. Wisconsin Governor Tim Walz was badgered into ending his state’s migrant healthcare program as the only possible way to balance the state budget.

Darn those state budget laws! Political wise guys are probably kicking the wall and asking “Why can’t we just borrow unlimited money like the federal government, with its $37 trillion in accumulated debt?”

Here’s a thought experiment: suppose California could borrow unlimited money, and never have to balance its budget. How long would it take the state to have its own $37 trillion in accumulated debt? Remember, this is the place where a “water department commissioner” with no prior experience can earn $750,000 a year. (Yes’s she still on the job, a year after she drained the Los Angeles reservoir just before last year’s $15 billion fire.)

At least 2 of the 3 governors named above are on the short list of 2025 presidential candidates. Who knows . . . Walz may even assume he now has name recognition. And that those photo-ops of him brandishing a Remington 11/87 shotgun while quail hunting will somehow resonate with disaffected democrat male voters.

I don’t want to turn on CNN and watch clips of immigrant kids who are beset by all sorts of abominable diseases. But the present situation was created by brain dead politicians of both parties who don’t understand a basic aspect of human behavior: "if you give it away for free, they will come".

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Democratic States Expanded Medicaid to Immigrants. Now They’re Rolling It Back.