Immigration is not the pox neo-Know Nothings make it out to be

The Jewish World Review ^ | 4/31/2006 | Tony Snow

[Luis Gonzalez]

Princeton University sociologist Douglas S. Massey reports that 62 percent of illegal immigrants pay income taxes (via withholding) and 66 percent contribute to Social Security. Forbes magazine notes that Mexican illegals aren't clogging up the social-services system: only 5 percent receive food stamps or unemployment assistance; 10 percent send kids to public schools.

~~~~snip~~~~

Economist Larry Kudlow praises Hispanic entrepreneurship: "According to 2002 Census Bureau data, Hispanics are opening businesses at a rate three times faster than the national average. In addition, there were almost 1.6 million Hispanic-owned businesses generating $222 billion in revenue in 2002."

~~~~snip~~~~

Total crime and property crime in California are half what they were in 1980; violent crime has fallen more than a third. The state's Hispanic population during that time has increased 120 percent.

[satchmodog9]

More Bush boot licking from Snow.

[r9etb]

Name calling right in the title

Actually, it's a reference to an old political movement, the Know-Nothings: "The Know-Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1850s. It grew up as a popular reaction to fears that corruption was overcoming the major cities because of the political activity of Irish Catholic immigrants."

Snow's use of the term is appropriate in context.

[aimhigh]

10 percent send kids to public schools.

My grandkids attend a grade school in Washington, where HALF the children speak Spanish. The extra costs of providing a bi-lingual education are not offset by immigrant tax payments.

[jmc813]

On the Tony Snow Show thread yesterday, Travis McGee made a good point about Tony belonging to the Council on Foreign Relations who promote the "North American Community". I enjoy Tony's show, but when it comes to topics such as immigration, I am a bit skeptical of anyone involved in that sort of group.

[brytlea]

Beats me. When I was teaching it was don't ask, don't tell...
susie

[dennisw]

They believe that only statistics that support the anti-immigrant side should be posted. No rational debate should be allowed.

We are discussing illegal immigrants so please don't call them "immigrants", thus equating them with people who come here legally

[brytlea]

Any rational person understands the difference between immigrants and illegal aliens. Into which column do you fall?
susie

[ZULU]

The entire article is subject to question as they refer to these invaders as "immigrants".

These are invaders and criminals, NOT immigrants.

How on earth can you compute the size of the underground market? How can you determine how many people are working and not paying taxes and social security?

In addition, these criminal invaders frequently work for low-wage exploiters who provide no medical coverage.

OUR insurance premiums cover THEIR inability to provide for their own medical coverage.

This entire subject isn't about immigration. I support immigration and immigrants. The overwhelming number of us either are immigrants or descendants of immigrants.

Its about illegal invaders, criminal border jumpers, and those criminals in our society who conspire to aid and exploit them.

Referring the position I and most Americans take on this subject as "Know-Nothingism" is a base canard and typical of liberal double-speak.

[Marine Inspector]

Immigration is not the pox neo-Know Nothings make it out to be…..10 percent send kids to public schools.

BS.

The title starts out calling names and the article has dubious stats.

Your batting a thousand Luis!

[Tammy8]

Since no one really knows how many illegals are here, or how many total illegal workers there are that pay taxes or don't, there is no way his numbers could possibly be accurate. The author's numbers must be made up, or his best guess- not a good way at arriving at a meaningful number. I'm calling BS on this.

I would also like to say, illegals who are paying Federal, State and FICA must be using false documents or committing identity theft, both serious crimes that need to be addressed.

Many illegals that claim to pay taxes are referring to sales tax on products they buy here. I don't consider that to mean "paying taxes" in the usual sense of the phrase.

[monkeywrench]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1597063/posts Remember this one? I'm sure alot of the obl have "benefitted" from the flood.

[jmc813]

Before someone razes Lady Liberty and decides to erect a wall to "protect" America from the world, shouldn't we at least spend a little time trying to get our facts straight?

Here's another thing. People on Tony's side claim that they are interested in securing the borders as well as establishing a guest worker program. I've suspected the talk of securing the border was not truly a goal of theirs and that they were paying conservativers lip service in order to enact their worker program. Comments like this reinforce those beliefs.

[samcgwire]

Did Diane Feinstein, Harry Reid, John McCain, Ted Kennedy or Dick Durbin right this pabble?

[r9etb]

The title starts out calling names....

Perhaps you're unaware that it's a historical reference to an anti-immigration political movement of the 1850s.

[inquest]

No rational debate should be allowed.

Rational debate doesn't begin with ad homs right in the title. That and the fact that the article can't distinguish between Hispanics and illegal aliens make the article worthy only of derision.

[jmc813]

Snow's use of the term is appropriate in context.

The Know-Nothings were against legal immigration. Freepers are against illegal immigration. Big difference.

[brytlea]

Anti-immigration and anti-illegal-immigration are two very different things. Apparently this concept is extremely difficult to understand....
susie

[brytlea]

I'm convinced the people who don't seem to know the difference do indeed understand, but it doesn't suit their purposes, so they ignore it.
susie

[r9etb]

Since no one really knows how many illegals are here, or how many total illegal workers there are that pay taxes or don't, there is no way his numbers could possibly be accurate. The author's numbers must be made up, or his best guess- not a good way at arriving at a meaningful number. I'm calling BS on this.

Perhaps you're right. OTOH, that cuts both ways, since statistics on the "bad" effects of illegal immigrations are likewise suspect.

[TheLion]

"Get ready for the usual hyperbolic anti-immigrant knee jerkers."

I'm proud to be pro anti-illegal-immigrant....we all want legal immigration.