Keyport right to have rejected 'unjust and immoral law'

I would like to publicly thank Keyport's mayor and council for rejecting the recent proposal by Councilman Joseph Wedick making it a requirement to have hardworking residents prove their legal status in this country before they could reside in our town.

Absentee and greedy landlords are one of the biggest problems Keyport faces today. Overcrowded apartments are the result of our town officials not enforcing the laws we currently have. If we simply bring those landlords in line by using the ordinances we already have on the books, then the problems that Councilman Wedick became so suddenly concerned about could be solved.

Keyport did not need a new law with an ulterior motive that would have alienated and driven a wedge between large percentages of our residents. We don't need an unjust and immoral law that will be challenged in the courts, forcing residents to spend needed taxpayer dollars defending it.

Nearly 50 percent of Keyport residents rent and they all contribute to property taxes through their landlord's rental income. Like all of us, undocumented workers pay taxes every time they purchase something. Even the state and federal governments make hundreds of millions each year from taxes paid by undocumented workers using false papers that would normally be due a tax return if it were not for their status. They contribute to our economy far more then the cost of educating or giving emergency health care to their children. Let's not kid ourselves, the federal government and big business know this and have in a way encouraged illegal immigration for many years by simply looking the other way.

As a civically active resident of 24 years, I take pride in saying that Keyport is a working man's town. My mother always taught me that to succeed you have to work hard and speak up for what you believe. Those are principles that this country is founded on, yet I find myself defending residents of our town who want the opportunity to do nothing less than what we expect of all Americans.

Undocumented workers in our town are brutalized and taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers and landlords. We as a town should not add to the misery and fear they are force to endure because of their status in our nation.

All of us deserve to live in dignity and self-respect, and that includes proper and affordable housing. If Keyport is to be a first-class community, we must not have second-class residents. I feel the council took the proper step in rejecting an ordinance which had an ulterior motive and is against the moral principles of our heritage. I hope residents of Keyport search your hearts and souls and ignore the few misguided in our town which chose to turn their backs on the less fortunate among us. We need to show compassion to these hard-working residents and work with our town officials to help better their living conditions by forcing their landlords to comply with the laws we already have.

Al DeGracia

Keyport