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.

[nina0113]

"...statistics on the "bad" effects of illegal immigrations are likewise suspect."

Not all of them.

http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters0b9c

[brytlea]

I can't figure out what these people believe/understand/know. This is a big mystery to me.

susie

[george wythe]

"I'm ready."

LOL! I love your silver suit. Judging by the way the thread is going, you will need the suit and the calm, rational attitude that goes with it.

[adam_az]

" Perhaps you're unaware that it's a historical reference to an anti-immigration political movement of the 1850s."

That was the anti LEGAL immigration movement.

We are the anti ILLEGAL immigration movement.

Confuse the two and face our wrath.

[kesg]

Great news but totally irrelevant to the central discussion which is that our immigration laws are not being enforced.

The speeding laws are not being strictly enforced either. Do you favor increasing the number of traffic cops on the highways?

[brytlea]

Yeah, lately more and more people who I have respected have disappointed me on this issue. I feel like I've fallen down the rabbit hole, or into the Twilight Zone....
susie

[r9etb]

Beat me to the point about the proportion of the prison population. That's a known quantity.

Sure -- but if the number of illegals is not accurately known, then one doesn't know if illegals are statistically more or less likely than, say, blacks or Hispanic citizens to be in prison.

[Dog Gone]

Me neither. I'm just a little disappointed in that this is unlike Tony. He's usually very civil to his opponents. I don't know why he must resort to name-calling here.

Columnists typically have no control over the article headline. It's a problem here because it's difficult to determine whether or not the column has been previously posted.

[antceecee]

What a crock of cr@p! This needs a barf alert.

[brytlea]

Let me get this on the record. You see illegally crossing the border of the United States AND illegally working in the country without the proper documents to be the same thing as speeding? Yes or no?
susie

[george wythe]

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

Even for illegals who pretend to be legal, do you think they are honest about the number of dependents when they fill out their w-2's?

Payroll taxes are not dependent on dependents.

Furthermore, people using a fake SS number will seldom file a tax return. That money just accumulates there, and nobody claims it.

[Sir Gawain]

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

Nah, idiots just like to use strawmen arguments.

[brytlea]

I suppose because when they pick you up and toss you in prison they check your status.....
You're welcome.
susie

[CodeToad]

"10 percent send kids to public schools."


Only if he re-defines who is an illegal. Anchor babies must not be included in this.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

It seems contradictory to me.

Do they really think the 12 million, i.e. 20+ million, aliens that are about to be given citizenship are going to go and enlist in the Club For Growth?

Are they that delusional?

[inquest]

Your post doesn't address the question that was raised. All you've shown is that there's a way that illegals can pay taxes. It still doesn't shed any light on how many of them actually do.

[brytlea]

I doubt it. But for some reason they want US to believe it. Seems to be working on some people...
susie

[r9etb]

He's usually very civil to his opponents. I don't know why he must resort to name-calling here.

I don't see it as name-calling -- it's just a convenient and fairly accurate comparison to the similar concerns of a historical group. If the comparison hurts, too bad: the context of his use of the term is appropriate.

[kesg]

That lie gets constantly trotted out by the Open Borders Lobby, and there's never anything to back it up. How did Prop 187 pass if it was so unpopular?

What happened in California afterwards? The GOP used to own that state. Now look at it. In Texas, we handled the issue differently. And we are still solidly GOP, even though we have a large Hispanic population. See the difference?

Do you want f&*&*ng Hillary Clinton as President, Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and Harry Reid as majority leader? That's straight where this political Buchananite anti-immigration trainwreck is leading. President Bush understands this. But he was merely a former two-term Governor of Texas. What the heck does he know?

[stainlessbanner]

Forgot this one Luis. Didn't fit your agenda I suppose:

"illegal immigrants in 2004 accounted for 95 percent of all outstanding homicide warrants in Los Angeles and two-thirds of unserved felony warrants."