Spinning the Real Costs of Illegals(Great Read!)

Real Clear Politics ^ | June 27, 2007 | Robert Rector

[kellynla]

Monday's column from the Administration's Karl Zinsmeister and Edward Lazear ("Lead Weight or Gold Mine: What are the True Costs of Immigration?" June 25, RCP) is a study in misdirection and misstatement. Since they devote much of their piece to attacking my research, I'd like to set the record straight.

Let's start with a brief review of what my research into the fiscal cost of low-skill households has actually found:

* Low-skill individuals (i.e., those without a high school degree) receive far more in benefits and services than they pay in taxes.

* The net fiscal cost of the families headed by low-skill immigrants is not markedly different from the cost of families headed by low-skill non-immigrants.

* Low-skill immigrants receive, on average, three dollars in government benefits for each dollar of taxes paid. This imbalance generates a net cost of $89 billion per year on U.S. taxpayers. Over a lifetime the typical low-skill immigrant household costs taxpayers $1.2 million dollars.

* Immigrants are disproportionately low-skilled. One-third of all immigrants and more than half (50 to 60 percent) of illegal immigrants lack a high school degree.

* In contrast to low- and moderate-skill immigrants, immigrants with college education will pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits.

My conclusion: Immigration policy should seek to increase the number of high-skill immigrants entering the country and sharply decrease the number of low-skill, fiscally dependent immigrants.

[kellynla]

Robert Rector is a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

[kellynla]

ping

[Diogenesis]

[zeugma]

Excellent article. Rector seems to have his head on straight.

[Sgt_Schultze]

If illegals are made legal, their perceived “value” will evaporate. They will have to recieve minimum wage and associated benefits. Business which derive their profits by hiring illegals will still require illegals. The new legal, illegals will be as expensive as real Americans.

[B4Ranch]

Right now we need at least 20 million foreign language speaking people who automatically qualify for welfare. I hope the Senate will do the right thing to help these people who have such fine work ethics, family values and no desire to become American citizens.

[EagleUSA]

If ever there was a modern-day example of PANDORA’S BOX that is just about to be opened, THIS IS IT.

GOD HELP AMERICA.

[Do Be]

Great post.

Excellent home page.

Glad to know you're out there.

[corlorde]

Hi

Is there a story that goes with the patches found at the border?

[Vinnie]

The new legal, illegals will be as expensive as real Americans.

Exactly.

Not only that. Illegals do the 'jobs Americans won't do' because they are afraid of being deported.
Relieve that threat and they will tell the boss to 'stick it' when asked to do a nasty job.
They will demand higher wages, organize, etc.

[NTHockey]

If I read the bill correctly (and I’m NOT a lawyer)- illegal aliens will be covered by Davis-Bacon. That will require employers to pay the new immigrants the “prevailing wage”, not minimum wage. BTW, you and I are not privileged enough to be covered.

[B4Ranch]

We should have adequate housing to give to them.

>>Lombard Street’s warning comes as fresh data from the US National Association of Realtors shows that the glut of unsold homes reached a record of 8.9 months supply in May.<<

You know, free or low cost housing is such a small sign of appreciation that we can extend to these people for abandoning their homeland, hiking across the treacherous desert to fill the jobs of those Americans who don't appreciate the changing times.

They are truly such fine people, doing everything they can to keep the social services costs at a minimum. I don't know how to express my gratitude to the parents who encourage their children to drop out of the education system in the 8th or 9th grade. That alone represents a savings of $28k to $40k for us taxpayers.

[Vinnie]

BTW, you and I are not privileged enough to be covered.

I'll change my name and brush up on my Spanish.
Think I can fake it. ;)

[gubamyster]

ping

[Do Be]

We should have adequate housing to give to them. >>Lombard Street’s warning comes as fresh data from the US National Association of Realtors shows that the glut of unsold homes reached a record of 8.9 months supply in May.<< You know, free or low cost housing is such a small sign of appreciation that we can extend to these people for abandoning their homeland, hiking across the treacherous desert to fill the jobs of those Americans who don't appreciate the changing times. They are truly such fine people, doing everything they can to keep the social services costs at a minimum. I don't know how to express my gratitude to the parents who encourage their children to drop out of the education system in the 8th or 9th grade. That alone represents a savings of $28k to $40k for us taxpayers.

I've got the sneaky suspicion that you meant to reply to someone else. In either case, my response is:

What are you talking about?

[B4Ranch]

satire and sarcasm

[Brad’s Gramma]

I could just cry reading that post.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Toll free to the US Senate:

1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
1-800-417-7666. (English number)

Courtesy of a pro-amnesty group, no less!!