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Border state
Arkansas Times ^
| 6-22-05
| Warwick Sabin
Posted on 06/22/2005 3:57:12 PM PDT by bayourod
[SNIP}...When you hear illegal immigrants are accessing all sorts of public benefits, thats just not true, Gomez said. Under law, people who are undocumented can only receive WIC [women, infants, and children] benefits and thats only because a child will be citizen when its born and emergency care.
She also said there are a lot of people paying into the system who cant 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 states 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at arktimes.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas
KEYWORDS: aliens; immigrantlist
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To: bayourod
States with large illegal immigration populations also tend to have lower blue collar wages.
101
posted on
06/23/2005 11:30:05 AM PDT
by
FBD
( "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." ~Bertrand de Jouvenel)
To: Happy2BMe
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
102
posted on
06/23/2005 12:08:56 PM PDT
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Yo! Cowboy! I'm praying for a LoganMiracle! It CAN happen!!!!)
To: Brad's Gramma
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.
103
posted on
06/23/2005 12:13:00 PM PDT
by
Happy2BMe
("Viva La Migra" - LONG LIVE THE BORDER PATROL!)
To: Happy2BMe
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.
104
posted on
06/23/2005 12:15:30 PM PDT
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Yo! Cowboy! I'm praying for a LoganMiracle! It CAN happen!!!!)
To: bayourod
>"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.
105
posted on
06/23/2005 11:16:25 PM PDT
by
FBD
( "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." ~Bertrand de Jouvenel)
To: humblegunner; HiJinx; Eaker; Flyer; eastforker; TexasCowboy
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...
106
posted on
06/24/2005 5:53:49 AM PDT
by
stevie_d_64
(Houston Area Texans)
To: A CA Guy
I agree. Apparently, it hasn't gotten bad enough yet. I don't know how much worse it needs to be.
107
posted on
06/24/2005 5:56:10 AM PDT
by
television is just wrong
(http://hehttp://print.google.com/print/doc?articleidisblogs.blogspot.com/ (visit blogs, visit ads).)
To: Flyer; bayourod; HiJinx; Eaker; humblegunner; eastforker; TexasCowboy
108
posted on
06/24/2005 5:56:16 AM PDT
by
stevie_d_64
(Houston Area Texans)
To: FBD
"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.
109
posted on
06/24/2005 6:39:18 PM PDT
by
bayourod
(Unless we get 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2008, President Hillary will take all your guns away.)
To: FBD
But they actually have jobs.
110
posted on
06/24/2005 6:49:55 PM PDT
by
bayourod
(Unless we get 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2008, President Hillary will take all your guns away.)
To: KittyKares
"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.
111
posted on
06/24/2005 6:53:31 PM PDT
by
bayourod
(Unless we get 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2008, President Hillary will take all your guns away.)
To: bayourod
I may disagree with about 99% of what you say, but I'll gladly admit that I agree with you on this one.
112
posted on
06/24/2005 11:45:13 PM PDT
by
cartman90210
("Sorry kids, those people from the future will do the same job for 25 cents!")
To: bayourod
>"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
113
posted on
06/25/2005 6:00:52 PM PDT
by
FBD
( "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." ~Bertrand de Jouvenel)
To: bayourod
Still waiting. Source, please.
114
posted on
07/04/2005 12:46:54 AM PDT
by
cartman90210
("Sorry kids, those people from the future will do the same job for 25 cents!")
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