Border state

Arkansas Times ^ | 6-22-05 | Warwick Sabin

[bayourod]

[SNIP}...“When you hear illegal immigrants are accessing all sorts of public benefits, that’s just not true,” Gomez said. “Under law, people who are undocumented can only receive WIC [women, infants, and children] benefits — and that’s only because a child will be citizen when it’s born — and emergency care.

She also said “there are a lot of people paying into the system who can’t access the system,” because while taxes are deducted from the paychecks of undocumented workers, they are ineligible for the services those taxes fund.

People can only receive public benefits after working 40 qualifying periods, which is 10 years in a legal status.”...{SNIP}.,..

In Arkansas politics and media, illegal immigration and the state’s growing Latino population are provoking intense debates.

The recent legislative session illustrated two ends of the ideological spectrum. One side wanted to enlist the State Police in enforcing immigration laws and prevent immigrants from accessing state services. Other lawmakers tried to extend public college scholarship eligibility to the children of undocumented residents.

Despite these actions and the heated rhetoric, most Arkansas Latinos are oblivious to the tension they are causing.

“One word they use a lot is ‘tranquilo,’ which means ‘tranquil,’ ”

explains Carlos Cervantes. “The reason that they enjoy Arkansas is that they enjoy the small towns. They just feel real comfortable here.”

Cervantes is the owner of a recycling and technical equipment business who recently was elected Arkansas state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). He will take office next week, when LULAC holds its national convention in Little Rock.

That LULAC is bringing its most important annual gathering to Arkansas is an indication both of Latinos’ rising importance here and the attention that has attracted nationwide.

[FBD]

States with large illegal immigration populations also tend to have lower blue collar wages.

[Brad’s Gramma]

So far this fiscal year, the Tucson sector of the Border Patrol has reported 163 acts of assault against agents, compared to a total of 118 for the entire fiscal year of 2004.

National reports say vehicle rammings are up 188%, shootings are up 122% and cases of rock throwing are up 23%.

GREAT "family values" I read about all the time, huh? /SEVERE sarcasm

[Happy2BMe]

You will hear in the national and local media perhaps as much as 5% of the total crimes commited by illegal aliens on American citizens.

The numbers grow exponentially with the numbers coming across the border.

If the truth about the total damage, cost, and crimes committed by the illegal alien invasion all were released by the media at one time it would cause great havoc.

That is why you rarely see it in the media.

[Brad’s Gramma]

If the truth about the total damage, cost, and crimes committed by the illegal alien invasion all were released by the media at one time it would cause great havoc.

Yeppers.

[FBD]

>"The most important factor was the availability of workers with good attitudes."<

Yes, there is a reason many people in these states have what you call a: "good attitude"...

-Large corporations like to use as cheap labor as possible; after all, they have to answer to the stockholders, right?

And there is an over abundance of cheap labor with immigrants (both legal and illegal) in the states you mentioned, who will work for wages that are below what it costs to support a family in a middle class lifestyle.

---

Top 10 States with Highest Poverty Rate among it's citizens:

State, % People Below Poverty Level
1. Arkansas 18.5%
2. New Mexico 18.0%
3. Mississippi 17.9%
4. District of Columbia 17.3%
5. Louisiana 16.9%
6. West Virginia 16.9%
7. Texas 15.8%
8. Alabama 15.1%
9. Tennessee 14.3%
10. North Carolina 14.2%

U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, August 2004

---

Just having employees with a "good attitude" is not enough to create prosperity. Of course corporations want cheap labor, and consumers want cheap goods.

But employers also need buyers with enough discretionary income to buy their products, and consumers need jobs that pay enough to be able to have discretionary spending to buy the products.

An abundance of cheap guest worker/ immigrant workers will never bring about prosperity to the population as a whole.

[stevie_d_64]

This is very true...

And its a truth, that for some reason, keeps coming back to the front burner of my thought process more often these days...

[television is just wrong]

I agree. Apparently, it hasn't gotten bad enough yet. I don't know how much worse it needs to be.

[stevie_d_64]

Viva La Migre!!!

[bayourod]

"But employers also need buyers with enough discretionary income to buy their products, and consumers need jobs that pay enough to be able to have discretionary spending to buy the products. "

A person under the poverty rate in Texas may actually have more disposable income than a person over the poverty rate in New York because of the cost of living.

[bayourod]

But they actually have jobs.

[bayourod]

"If we didn't have so many people sucking on the State's teat, then our economy WOULD be booming"

Californians blame a lot of their problems on Washington when in facxyt it is their own state policies that cpntribute most to there problems.

[cartman90210]

I may disagree with about 99% of what you say, but I'll gladly admit that I agree with you on this one.

[FBD]

>"A person under the poverty rate in Texas may actually have more disposable income than a person over the poverty rate in New York because of the cost of living."<

-That's a good point, but I believe the chart I looked at factored in cost of living differentials between different states.

>"But they actually have jobs."<
(RE: blue collar workers who have lower incomes in high immigration states.)

Yes that's true. Another good point. But so do millions of teenage children in Chinese sweat shops...I guess they should all be equally grateful for those jobs...

This new global economy is going to be rough on the middle class. I'm not sure there is an overall solution, and trade tariffs and isolationism aren't the answer. But importing a bunch of (legal and illegal) *guest worker* immigrants to further drive down middle class wages isn't the answer, either.
Regards

[cartman90210]

Still waiting. Source, please.