The Costs of Amnesty

NRO ^ | 30 Mar 06 | Jim Boulet Jr.

[rellimpank]

Given that Democratic Leader Harry Reid has threatened to filibuster any immigration bill that does not include amnesty for illegal aliens, someone should ask him a basic question: What happens to state budgets when twelve million illegal aliens become eligible for Medicaid and food stamps?

Right now, illegal aliens are largely ineligible for a whole panoply of federal programs simply because of their immigration status.

As the Pew Hispanic Center reported last year: "[A]bout a quarter of all drywall and ceiling tile installers in the United States are unauthorized migrants, as are about a quarter of all meat and poultry workers and a quarter of all dishwashers." Whatever the nobility of honest labor, hanging drywall and washing dishes has not exactly been the road to riches.

[rellimpank]

--I'll ask Dusty's phone answerer this AM--but it won't do any good--

[stopem]

"Given that Democratic Leader Harry Reid has threatened to filibuster any immigration bill that does not include amnesty for illegal aliens, someone should ask him a basic question: What happens to state budgets when twelve million illegal aliens become eligible for Medicaid and food stamps?

Really tired of hearing the liberal democrats threats!!And worse, Republicans who agree with Reid!

[frithguild]

So maybe we should raise the minimum wage and provide more regulatory protections for workers. THAT will will certainly help the illegal immigration problem. </sarcasm>

[P-40]

Illegal immigration is the one case of corporate welfare that the Democrats won't talk about.

[trubluolyguy]

One thing it will cost is the Repubs power. I think Harry knows this.

[CodeToad]

What really makes my blood boil is hearing our own President say, "Doing the jobs American won't do." He might as well say, "You stupid, fat, lazy Americans, if it weren't for Mexico you idiots would just let this country fall apart."

I find his remark to be insulting, unsupportive, and anti-American.

[CondorFlight]

It used to be that people in (legal) immigrant status were not allowed to apply for welfare in any form, as one condition of their coming here was that they not become a public charge.

Sometime in the 1960s that changed. Before that if you applied for welfare, you lost your immigrant status.

So, if we restore that qualification--that immigrants are not permitted to become a public charge--then an amnesty need not increase our welfare payouts.

[texassizednightcrawler]

There are a lot 8(a) contractors who higher illegals to work on government contracts. They are making big money.

[junta]

One well spoken govenor could torpedo the shamnesty debate by telling the aged rickety senators that their plan must be accompanied by increased medicaid monies.

[P-40]

So, if we restore that qualification

If we could do that, we could return to a time when illegal immigrants really were "undocumented workers" and it was a win/win deal for both us and Mexico.

[arthurus]

What happens to state budgets when twelve million illegal aliens become eligible for Medicaid and food stamps?

The answer to this is obvious and probably a major factor in his position. Taxes must be drastically raised. The government must take over a large part of the whole economy to ensure that everyone is treated "equally" and that all the new citizens are carefully assigned ALL possible welfare benefits.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Good psychiatric treatment might help the illustrous Liberal airhead from Nevada. What an embarrassment for the voters of Nevada!

[joesnuffy]

There will be anarchy...but the entrenched politicians will all scramble to increase their power...

You can take the illegal alien out of the Central America shi8thole...but you cant take the shi8hole out of the illegal alien..

And that is what they will turn America into...

We will end up with right wing death squads and left wing guerrillas....

The ship of state slowed down enough to pick up many of the worlds survivors escaping the sinking ships of their own nations and their own making...

They are coming here and now want to take over the ship..

Time to repel borders....they are not innocents in need of rescue any more but are a passive aggressive invasion force
and the enemy even brings along his wives and children in order to make himself even more at home and produce more enemies...and do it on our dollar...

Now that's some serious huevos......

[luvbach1]

Reid only sees Demonrat votes dancing before his eyes!

[hedgetrimmer]

What happens to state budgets when twelve million illegal aliens become eligible for Medicaid and food stamps?

If you bankrupt the states, regional governments (which are already in place) can take over for them. Since the unconstitutional regional governmental agencies are mostly appointed (meaning the members will do the bidding of the people who appoint them), and do not need the vote of the people to exist or function, they can be used to help push America into the hemispheric merger of nations called the FTAA. This is how the EU was created. Since Americans will not willingly give up their country, the country must be stolen out from underneath them.

[Dead Corpse]

29% of our Federal Inmates are ILLEGALS. It is costing California ALONE almost $9 BILLION a year to prosecute and incarcerate illegals for the other crimes they commit while in our country.

The hospital where my daughter was born in Austin, TX may be closing its doors soon as they are on the verge of going bankrupt. "Treatment of the uninsured" in this "Sanctuary City" is code for "paying fot illegal alien medical care in the ER".

All to save $50 on roofing a house or $.10 on a head of lettuce?

[rellimpank]

--yep--and I already know how much good it does me to call, email or write his office---

[TexasCajun]

It's time to fire the maid and fire the lawn men!

[sheana]

Yeah I just got off the phone....again....with DiFi and Barbara the Boxer's offices.

[clawrence3]

Perhaps fiscal conservatives are backing Reid on this because there is a net benefit to the country?

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14216433.htm