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Posted on 05/15/2010 8:13:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
* The the drawbacks of illegal immigration are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9 percent between 1980 and 2000. Not surprisingly, surveys show that those without a high-school diploma tend to oppose illegal immigration most fervently.
* Many undocumented workers pay money to the federal government, in the form of Social Security contributions and income taxes, and take less in return, says Gordon Hanson, an economist at the University of California, San Diego. At the state and local level, however, it's a different story. There, illegal immigrants also make contributions, through property and sales taxes, but on balance, they use more in public services, such as schools, health benefits, and welfare assistance. As a result, says Hanson, the federal government ends up with a net gain in its coffers, while "states get stuck with the bill."
* Among low-skilled workers, opposition to immigration stemmed mainly from the competitive threat posed by the newcomers. Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the fiscal burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that fiscal burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants' access to certain benefits.
* For all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal (about a one tenth of 1 percent gain in gross domestic product, according to Hanson). Even for those most acutely affected—say, low-skilled workers, or California residents—the impact isn't all that dramatic. But when all those factors are put together and the economists crunch the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one. Too bad most people don't realize it.
[David Card, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley...]
Now, who read any farther?
Economically, probably reasonably accurate.
Ignores the social costs, though.
Also dismissive in its portrayal of those who object to massive illegal immigration. Just assumes they are either ignorant or ill-intentioned. Makes no attempt to understand why they object or show why their beliefs are wrong.
Plays the easy liberal card of blaming everything on the evil businessmen, while ignoring the massive numbers of illegals employed by the liberal upper middle classes as servants. To the extent that for the first time since the Civil War America is developing a true servant class.
“states get stuck with the bill.”
The author says it all.
I read your post. Is that far enough?
Basically, everyone who hires an illegal is being subsidized by taxpayers. While it might be “cheap” to hire them, it costs the community as a whole — schooling, medical, jobs, etc.
Seek and ye shall find. Try the Heritage Foundation.
Why don’t we ask California? Fully a quarter of the workforce is paid in cash, meaning they don’t pay taxes, UEI, or workman’s comp insurance to the state, yet can still draw from it if hurt on the job. LA County alone says they give out over $1 BILLION in benefits to children (anchor babies) of illegals, and that doesn’t include education. And when the tax base leaves in droves, I’m sure the illegals will more than make up for that lost revenue...
I do not see where the author addresses the negative economic impact of drug activities and violence contributed by illegal immigrants.
Racist Newsweek supports policies which sustain slave wages for legal immigrants.
A “net positive” my azzzz...but you watch...the new sick-twisted mantra will be that amnesty is needed in order to help in our economic recovery!...Illegal immigration has destroyed California’s economy. And, any illegal alien who’s employer is withholding Social Security and income tax is more than likely using fraudulent or stolen identification. Wonder what the annual cost per year is due to stolen identities? And, IMO, bipartisan catering to the illegal aliens...giving them bank privileges, auto loan, and mortgages was a huge factor in causing our financial meltdown. Who the heck gives out a mortgage to the unemployed with a Section 8 housing voucher? That’s right, Bush did.
NewsWeak is broke and CA & AZ are broke thanks to illegals.
Screw you Newsweak!!!!!!!
He makes a great case for legal immigration, but ILLEGAL immigration is not controlled by economists, government agencies or anyone else. Many of them do come here to work, but many others cross the border for other reasons. If we don’t know who these people are, how can we protect ourselves? What kind of society would ever knowingly allow this?
A brief bio on the Newsweek site indicates that this author went to Berkeley. I think he’s very very liberal..........
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