Storms said, “…if we begin to extend health care to non-citizens we would have a very difficult time providing healthcare for non-US Citizens [and] that we would have a very difficult time providing healthcare for citizens.”  When she was told that care for legal alien residents was being provided under the indigent healthcare plan she gripes, “I can’t tell you. And I won’t – I won’t express what I really think about that, but I will just suffice it to say I was banging on pots and pans around and slamming cupboard doors thinking that we would have that policy extended….  Now we are extending indigent healthcare to people who are not citizens and we cannot even afford to provide healthcare to those people who are U. S. Citizens…. My opinion.  The taxpayers of Hillsborough County would be very, very offended if they knew that.” 

What Storms forgets is that legal alien residents pay taxes to cover their portion of public healthcare.  They pay the ˝ cent sales tax just like all other residents of Hillsborough County and they should not be singled out.  Her position is a flashback to the time when England would tax the Colonists without representation.  And her district is particularly heavy with legal alien immigrants who work the fields picking strawberries, oranges, tomatoes and other types of work that citizens refuse to do.  She is clearly taking advantage of her position to tax people who do not have a voice in the democratic process.

The CEO of Cast Crete, Ralph Hughes, who is intent on seeing that legal alien residents are denied access to public healthcare, augments this situation.  In a presentation to the County Commissioners Mr. Hughes said, “Why in the world would we offer free healthcare and general assistance to legal aliens?”

He goes on to say, “Some people say people should pay taxes to get this covered.  I say hogwash! These people cannot vote but still have to obey the laws put in place by elected officials voted into office.”  What Hughes forgets is that taxation without representation was one of the many reasons the United States was established.  The colonists were tired of being taxed, as are thousands of legal immigrants who work, pay taxes but are denied the right to vote.  And are denied the right to representation.  Simply they both perpetuate the lie that taxation without representation is the status quo of a democratic republic like ours.

In an impassioned speech given by Mauricio Rosas, volunteer of Voice of Freedom, he said, “If Ronda Storms’ suggestion is accepted, almost 2000 legal alien residents would be left without the aide of the public clinics…. Ronda Storms says she has a heart and compassion but her actions show that she is a woman without ethics and without morals.”

“We have taken a position that if Ronda Storms and the County Commissioners move to deny legal alien residents access to indigent healthcare, we will take every political and legal action necessary to stop this draconian action.” 

“Simply put, Storms and Hughes are protagonists of intolerance and prejudice,” Rosas.