Ok I just got done watching the news & the whole Elian Gonzolaes Thing Cost Taxpayers 2 Millon Dollars!!! Why Did We Waste So Much Money On This When We Could Have Given It Out To Schools Or Given Some Of It To The Police So They Can Get Improvments In There Squad Cars or if there in LA make em flame retardent... But we spent 2 millon on a kid who didn't live hear and now once again doesn't live hear. Not to mention we could have put it to work at Los Almos maybe they could have gotten a security system out of it!!!!
But my feeling is/was that it was a waste of money & my parents don't go to work for those things or those forest fires that were caused by the US Forest Service Because they 2 are underpaid. I'd just like to see your feeling on this post, and no I'm not racist I just think there was way to much money for such a small event like that!

I just don't understand why they made such a big damn deal about it all. They shoulda just made up thier mind, i really didn't care which way he went, but to see how much money it costs the tax payers, is a bit disturbing.

>-camille-<

The U.S. government should bill the hardline exile community in Little Havana.

BTW, end the embargo, now!

KEEP THE EMBARGO!!!!! They are communists! They are killers!

Personally I wouldn't even watch the news a month ago cuz I was so damn sick and tried of hearing about that little kid. They should have put him back in a raft and shoved him off in the direction of Cuba! Why should we (USA) support any person who wants to come to the US, or lands on our shores? We dont let the Mexican people cross the boarder into our country, if they do come over her illigaly, then we ship them back. That IS what we should have done with "Little Elian." Why was he any excaption anyways? Cuz his mom died on the raft and she wanted him in the US? No that is no excuse to let him stay here and fly some of his school mates and his teacher up here so he has someone to play with (YES they really did do that!!). Dang, I have firneds in Austria, will ol' Billy fly them here for me for free?? His DAD for heavans sake wanted him back, why would we not give him that? He didn't even know his realatives in Little Havana (Miami). AUGH!!! This whole subject just makes me P.O.ed!!! Why should they have got a privite jet to fly back to Cuba? They hsould have shoved them on a Cubana flight and let em go!!! Finally its over, and NO it wasn't worth it. We should have only spent a few hundred dollars to fly his little ass back to cuba the next day, not months and millions of dollars later!!

They should have flown back in a Russian aircraft so they had a better chance of it crashing in the ocean and then we would have all this info on the wreckage for a week then never hear about him again!!!!!

First off, I am glad to see that Elian Gonzalez is back home in Cuba, with his father, and the rest of his family. This whole issue should never have been about Communism, Castro, the embargo against Cuba, or any other reason. This was an issue concerning a father's right to be with his son, and to raise his son in the manner he sees most fit.
Secondly, I believe $2 million was an extravegent waste of money, and as said earlier, could have been put to much better use. In my opinion, the U.S. government should have tried to contact Elian's father, instead of relatives in Miami, then the whole ordeal might not have happened.
Thirdly, I blame two things for making the whole ordeal go out of proportion. They are the media, and the relatives in Miami. I could not believe the selfishness of the Miami relatives. The way they warped the poor boy's mind by showering him with gifts, taking him to Disney World, was appaling. Then some of the people in the Cuban community in Miami also made the situation much worse. (I say some because, contrary to popular belief, not all Cubans wanted Elian to stay in the United States. Many infact, thought he should belong with his father.) But some said that Castro would make him a political pawn, and that he would live a deplorable, miserable life. How do they know that? Many of them have never even been to Cuba. In addition to that, the country has changed over the 40-some years since the United States stopped friendly relations with Cuba. They have no idea what it is like. Their constant protesting and picketing did nothing more than tarnish the view of the American people towards the Cuban, and possibly even the rest of the Hispanic community. Then the media, always seeking an audience no matter what, capitalized on this, by overfeeding the American population of news concerning Elian. It got to the point that I did not want to watch the news becuase all they would show were the things that happened to Elian that day. Then the media threw more controversy in by adding Castro, communism, and American relations with Cuba into the issue. The media was a large contributing factor to this ordeal.
Fourth, I was somewhat confused by some posts made earlier. One states that the embargo should be kept, becuase Cuba is a communist country, and are "killers." If the embargo should continue becuase the country in communist, doesn't that mean we should have an embargo against China too, instead of continuosly improving relations with them? I personally, am glad to see trade growing between our two nations, and hope ties with China can be strengthened even more. So, why not the same with Cuba? And also, how exactly are they killers?
Another post said why should the U.S. support any person that comes here? This country was based on immigration. I guess that means all the Europeans that entered the U.S. in the early 1900's should have automatically been sent back to the countries they came from. Also, the U.S. has a policy granting assylum to those fleeing political injustice, which is the reason many Cubans flee to the United States.
But on the whole, I am just glad that the whole thing is over, and that Elian is finally back with his father.

I wouldn't care if people from where ever came over here and got jobs and supported themselves. But more likly they get government assistance, which in turn costs tax payers money. And for another instance my mom has a friend who came over here from Vietnam, and htey dont have to pay taxes for seven years. But guess what? they have three VERY new, very exspensive cars, one is a BMW and one is a Benz, and the other is a Honda Passport. And she just bought a 2000 dollar Gucci diamond braclet. Now that is what I have a problem with! We have to pay taxes, why should they? I have problems with people reguardless of where thy come from weather they were born in the US or in another country that live off of the government! That was my point.

Hello-

I too think we wasted money on him, we should have just shipped him back to Cuba. Its not fair. But, when you think about it, $2 million isn't that much. Figuring the USA has about 120,000,000, it directly costs each taxpayer $.02! Big deal! I throw pennies in the garbage, non-the-less bitch about them on a forum like this.