By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Brian Walker, Republican candidate for state representative of District 11, addressed about two dozen veterans Tuesday night at the American Legion post in Rusk.

Walker fielded questions from a variety of topics, including the Trans-Texas Corridor and Lake Fastrill — both of which he opposes — and the second amendment —which he strongly supports — but most of the night centered around border security and illegal immigration.

“We spend $4.7 billion a year in the state of Texas alone on healthcare and education for illegal immigrants, and the law-abiding, legal citizens of America are footing the bill for that. There are 10,000 illegal immigrants in this sate with felony convictions,” Walker said. “We need people in Austin who are willing to fight this battle with aggressiveness.”

According to Walker, the answer to the nation’s problem with illegal aliens is as simple as removing their incentive to come here.

“The problem is simple, find out why they are coming and then turn it off. And it’s not rocket science — the magnet that is drawing them here is the jobs. They are not coming to be Americans, first and foremost, they are here for the economic opportunity,” he said. “We will continue to get more and more of the same until we start to heavily penalize the employers who knowingly and illegally hire illegal aliens. That is the way it has got to be done.”

Walker said immigration and welfare reform must be done together if either is going to work. He said he frequently hears the argument that the nation needs an illegal immigrant workforce because Americans won’t do the jobs the foreigners are currently doing.

While he said there is some legitimacy to that viewpoint, he argues Americans would work just as diligently as illegal immigrants if handouts weren’t so easily obtained.

“Why do they typically work harder than Americans? Because in their country, if they don’t have a job, they starve to death. And guess what folks? That is the same exact way it should be here. If you have two healthy hands and two healthy feet, you better get a job,” Walker said. “Welfare and immigration reform must go hand-in-hand. As soon as we start enforcing our immigration laws and stop giving people free rides, we will have plenty of people who will fill those jobs and work with just as much fervor and zeal.”

The Oklahoma state legislature passed what Walker called a “robust” illegal immigration package last year which resulted in a mass exodus of illegal aliens from that state. Walker said the same bill should be passed here in Texas. State Rep. Leo Berman of Tyler has acquired the Oklahoma bill and has given it to the Texas Legislative Council for the purpose of making it applicable to Texas.

“The Oklahoma legislation was great. Not only did it take away Healthcare benefits, but it took away jobs and all the rights that illegal immigrants are currently getting which are undeserved,” Walker said. “I told him that the first thing I will do when I get elected is to help him get this package passed. When it passed in Oklahoma, the illegal aliens left and went to other states, including Texas. If we do it in Texas, the same thing is going to happen; they are going to leave. If we pass it here, it will be like night-and-day in Texas.”

Walker said we neglect our borders at our own peril.

“Who would have thought, after Sept. 11, 2001, that we would still be doing nothing about the border? That we would still be this lackadaisical about who is coming into our country? It is just a matter of time before there is another Sept. 11, because we don’t know who is coming across our borders,” he said.

According to Walker, the average District 11 voter would be “totally disappointed” to learn the details of Chuck Hopson’s voting record. While he said he hates negative politics, Walker said he believes representatives should be held accountable to their legislative voting records.

“Chuck Hopson was here a few months ago and he talked about being tough on illegal immigration, but he probably didn’t tell you that he voted to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants so they can attend public colleges and universities in 2001,” Walker said. “He also probably failed to mention that three times in the past legislative session he voted against a voter identification measure which was designed to prevent illegal aliens from voting in our elections. It was a party-line vote, and he voted with the other Democrats.”

A social and fiscal conservative, Walker said he is running for office in order to make “the best state in the best nation in the world” a little better place. He said he is humbled to be a part of the democratic process, and is proud to share a ballot with presidential candidate John McCain. If elected, he promises to be “bold, aggressive and audacious” in his representation of the district.

“We elect too many people who just do the bare minimum; they do just enough to get re-elected. We need people who realize their purpose in Austin isn’t to go and make friends; their purpose is to represent East Texas. And sometimes that means turning over some tables down in Austin,” he said.

Incumbent Rep. Chuck Hopson addressed the Rusk American Legion in July. The story from that meeting, in which Hopson also discussed illegal immigration, can be found on the Jacksonville Daily Progress Web site, www.jacksonvilleprogress.com.