Why Illegal Immigration Isn't to Blame for the State Budget Crisis

Los Angeles Times: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the process of crafting a budget for the coming fiscal year that must close a nearly $21 billion gap between expected revenue and required spending, so a little lashing out is understandable. But he's seen enough disastrous budget years now to know how readily – and wrongly – many people blame the state's problem on illegal immigration. Even without the costs attributed to the undocumented population, we couldn't pay for the programs we consistently list as priorities, including first-rate education, transportation and public safety.