Posted on 05/18/2005 8:18:12 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Undocumented workers who pay Social Security taxes would be eligible for homeownership and housing rehab assistance from the city, under a proposal endorsed by the Board of Estimates. (Madison, WI)
The City Council will consider the measure next Tuesday.
In an interview, Barb Constans, grants administrator for the Community Development Block Grant Commission, said the commission took five months to come up with underwriting criteria to mitigate some of the risks the city would face in loaning funds to undocumented residents.
Under the proposal, for instance, undocumented residents would have to come up with at least a 5 percent down payment.
Constans said the city's debt-to-income ratios are also more stringent than what many lenders' require.
The proposal aims to help an "underserved population" in the city, she said. "These are individuals working in the U.S., earning money and paying taxes."
Undocumented workers without Social Security numbers often are required to obtain ITIN numbers (individual tax identification number) from the federal government through which they pay taxes they will likely never see back in the form of Social Security retirement benefits.
Ald. Zach Brandon queried Constans and Peter Munoz, director of Centro Hispano, on the justification for the measure, but little opposition was expressed at the Board of Estimates meeting Monday and it passed easily.
Ald. Austin King, a member of the Community Development Block Grant Commission, said in an interview he could not support the proposal as is because it creates a two-tier system.
Only undocumented workers have to come up with a 5 percent down payment from another source, he said.
"If you are documented you can get 100 percent loan to value," said King.
But King said he supports the main aim of the proposal and will try to amend it when it is considered by the full City Council.
"On the whole, this is a great step forward for Madison," he said. "It really brings us into the 21st century in terms of our practices as a lender. This is the direction the entire country is heading in."
"What do they offer to native born American citizens?"
Not a d@mn thing. It's a Done Deal. It's been approved. Another victory for the Moonbats:
Non-citizens approved for city loans
By Judith Davidoff
May 18, 2005
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories//index.php?ntid=40460&ntpid=2
Workers who lack citizenship papers but pay federal taxes are now eligible for homeownership and housing rehab assistance from the city.
The City Council approved a proposal Tuesday night providing access to these programs to Madison residents who have an ITIN number (individual tax identification number) from the federal government.
Workers who obtain an ITIN number usually do not have a Social Security number.
City Council members amended the proposal to make the underwriting criteria for the city's home loan programs the same for all applicants. The original proposal would have required non-citizens to come up with a higher down payment for home loans than other applicants.
"Eligible homebuyers should be held to the same standards," said Ald. Jed Sanborn, District 1.
Sanborn, nevertheless, joined Alds. Judy Compton, Cindy Thomas and Paul Skidmore in voting against the main proposal.
Thomas said the city should not support people who are in the country illegally because it might take services away from legal citizens. She said it would also set a bad precedent for arbitrarily breaking laws.
"I don't believe we should be making those decisions," she said.
But others argued that immigrants in the Madison community work hard, often in jobs no one else wants, and pay Social Security taxes -- even though they will likely never receive Social Security retirement benefits.
"In a very real sense, this is a civil rights issue," Ald. Austin King said. "We really do have two Americas, and there's no better example than in lending practices."
"But others argued that immigrants in the Madison community work hard, OFTEN IN JOBS NO ONE ELSE WANTS, and pay Social Security taxes -- even though they will likely never receive Social Security retirement benefits.
"In a very real sense, this is a CIVIL RIGHTS issue," Ald. Austin King said. "We really do have TWO AMERICAS, and there's no better example than in lending practices."
TOTAL Democratic talking points! "Jobs no one else wants," "Two Americas..." This Austin King is simply amazing! Why should ILLEGALS reap ANY future benefits from SS? They're here ILLEGALLY!
AAARRRGGHHH!!!! These people are so incredibly stupid!! I'm to the point where I have REFUSED to WORK for pay inside of the Madison City Limits. I am going to limit my purchases to a few stores where I have a relationship with the owners for now, until the Business Owners wise up and get out their pitchforks and torches.
Yeah, we have TWO Americas. One of them is called Mexico. It's supposed to be where Mexican citizens live.
This is a sizable amount of money and is the reason that the SS solvency date has been pushed out.
Some would say that this is one of the major reasons that Congress has been tardy in dealing with immigration reform. They haven't wanted to give up that money that the illegals would never have claimed.
Higher taxes to pay for illegal social sevices.
What a farce!
Here in California, Sacramento is full of them...
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