| Immigration: The New Third Rail |  |
FrontPageMagazine.com | November 9, 2004
Posted on 11/09/2004 3:44:38 AM PST by ovrtaxt
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It was the elephant in the living room and during the election nobody wanted to admit it was there, even though it represents one of the most serious threats to the future of America as we know it.
During the campaigns both parties shied away from even mentioning illegal immigration, despite the fact that it was uppermost in the minds of millions of Americans now paying the price for our government’s failure to get a grip on the scandal.
With an estimated 8 million illegal aliens now already here, thousands more are flocking across our southern borders and nobody in authority seems to have the vaguest notion of what to do about this onrushing flood inundating America’s border states.
This is an out-of-control problem which is bankrupting our infrastructure and our hospitals. In California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas, states are being bankrupted and we have to get tough on illegal immigration which is undermining the infrastructure that was erected to take care of the citizens of the United States.
Thanks to the flood of illegal aliens and the burden they are placing on this nation, American citizens are being increasingly denied the health care and the schooling they need because we are spending too much money on the illegals who, in a fit of political correctness, we are now expected to refer to with the less harsh description of "undocumented aliens."
According to a study issued in August, the Center for Immigration Studies - one of the first to estimate the impact of illegal immigration on the federal budget, based on Census Bureau data - households headed by illegal aliens used $10 billion more in government services than they paid in taxes in 2002. These figures are only for the federal government; costs at the state and local level are also likely to be significant.
The study also finds that if illegals were given amnesty, the fiscal burden at the federal level would grow to nearly $29 billion.
Among the findings:
• Illegal alien households are estimated to use $2,700 a year more in services than they pay in taxes, creating a total fiscal burden of nearly $10.4 billion on the federal budget in 2002.
• Among the largest federal costs: Medicaid ($2.5 billion); medical treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion).
• If illegal aliens were “legalized” and began to pay taxes and use services like legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual fiscal deficit at the federal level would increase from $2,700 per household to nearly $7,700, for a total federal deficit of $29 billion.
• With nearly two-thirds of illegals lacking a high school diploma, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments — not their legal status or their unwillingness to work.
• Because many of the costs are due to their U.S.-born children, who are awarded U.S. citizenship at birth, barring illegals themselves from federal programs will not significantly reduce costs.
The election is over and it’s now time to tackle the problem and get it under control before it controls us. We have emergency rooms closing every day in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas where they are being forced to take care of people who have absolutely no right to be here, instead of taking care of American citizens.
Our school systems and our hospitals are being bankrupted because of the increasing presence of illegal aliens swarming across our border. Over the next four years the president is going to have to get this disaster under control or those Republicans who voted for him in droves while holding their nose on the illegal immigration issue will not hold their noses two and four years from now.
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Created: Tuesday, November 09, 2004, at 17:21:42 EST
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You are correct. Down here on the border the first to crumble would be H.E.B. the giant food chain in Texas. They probably would take a huge loss without the food stamps, WIC, ect. cards from the illegals. You taxpayers pump in over a billion a year down here. More than 75% of ALL the health care is paid for by the government. One of our hospitals advertise that there are 8,000 babies a year born at that hospital. The OB floor is only 32 beds. Guess who pays for all of this.
Thanks for the link. I didn't read any of the articles as they make me sick.
Parts of San Diego County has a "real" barrier as part of "Project Gatekeeper" but once you get into the high desert area, it ends and that's where they cross and the "coyote" smugglers leave their migrants to die. We've got water stations, we pay for billboards in Mexico but the "Latino community" still blames us for these deaths which happen each year to do exposure either freezing to death or dehydrating in the heat.
¡Gracias, señor por el ping-o! Voté para mantener América libre de los ilegales.
Do you agree with Secretary of State Colin Powell that millions of illegal aliens in the United States should be given legal status?
Yes 11% 517 votes
No 89% 4030 votes
Total: 4547 votes
Nope, it was and is an article of faith with almost all labor unions that unfettered immigration is bad for the American labor movement because it will depress jobs.
The farm workers union wasn't even formed back then. But by the time Chanvez came along, they were too close to the immigrants to take a stand against them.
"Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that President Bush will place a high priority in his second term on granting legal status to millions of migrants who live illegally in the United States.
Powell spoke at the inaugural session of the U.S.-Mexican Bi-National Commission, which annually brings together top officials from both sides to discuss a range of cross-border issues. Powell was joined here by five other members of Bush's Cabinet.
"The president is committed to comprehensive immigration reform as a high priority in his second term, and he will work closely with our Congress to achieve this goal," Powell said, with delegations from both sides in attendance at a Foreign Ministry auditorium. " (Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/11/09/international1147EST0542.DTL )
And some people wonder why many of us were loathe to vote for Bush!
DONE
The labor unions came about after massive immigration in the mid 1800's. Before that time, Americans weren't much attracted to labor unions. Even now we aren't --- union membership is about 10% of the labor force compared with Mexico's union membership of over 70%.
Chavez was against the bracero program and the UFW even went to the border to stop Mexicans from coming over.
The only ones benefitting from very cheap labor are the owner --- but the taxpayers suffer most of all because we have to subsisdize this cheap labor with free health care, education, housing subsidies and a lot more.
That's what I was just saying last night. "Immigration, the new third rail."
And what REALLY pisses me off is the politicians who are are so short sighted that they simply REFUSE to deal with the problem!
Thanks for the ping!
Since Fox has the ear of George, and George is of like mind he does have a far greater say than the American People...of course you already know this.
In his eyes the average American is just as pathetic as the average Mexican he wishes to rid his country of.
Hard to fault Fox here in a way. He sees how easy it is to lead our own politicians around by the nose and notices that we the people keep on reelecting them no matter how much they sell us out and rightfully concludes We are Weak. And within Mexico's culture of corruption the weak are to be stomped into the ground.
This all is a far cry from the days prior to 1970 when Mexico trembled in fear of its northern ultra super power neighbor and would never dream of attempting to meddle in OUR AFFAIRS. In those days Mexico very much respected America.
Today Mexico's politicos swarm all over America setting up Consular Offices (read Trojan Horses), lobbying our politicians, joining Open Border PACs, infiltrating our media etc. etc. etc. All this to influence our political process to the benefit of Mexico and its thoroughly rotten political class. In word and deed they have nothing but contempt for us.
It's no secret. America is the World's Biggest Sucker.
Bush acts like he is Fox's bitch. Sorry to be so blunt but that is how I see it.
Ever wonder why around 80% of the country wants something done about this issue yet neither party will even discuss it?
If the FTAA passes in January as planned, then God help us!
Oh in that case the Ruling Fed/Gov would most certainly find everyone of the 10 million PO'd non-paying taxpayers, arrest them, fine them, jail them, asset seizure them until every penny plus penalites are paid. Priorities you know.......
Oh in that case the Ruling Fed/Gov would most certainly find everyone of the 10 million PO'd non-paying taxpayers, arrest them, fine them, jail them, asset seizure them until every penny plus penalites are paid. Priorities you know.......
It's not part of the Beltway Party Agenda. The leadership of both Beltway Parties want Open Borders, One Way Crony Trade deals and near Unlimited Immigration. Any aspiring candidate that wants to be on the "inside" and have a future in their party must embrace this treason or become irrelevent. Corruption rules the roost in DC these days.
Tonk, I'm so glad to see you campaigning on these threads.
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