Posted on 11/19/2007 5:26:47 PM PST by MindBender26
A group of former network-level broadcasters, most of us of the Conservative bent, were sitting around in New York this weekend, conducting an intellectual discussion on want ails the Nation and the best remedies therefore . In other words, it was a bunch of reasonably educated, well-experienced grumpy old men sitting around having a bull session.
A former NBC Radio newscaster (one of the great Golden Throat voices of all times) brought up a write-piece (article for print, not air) he is doing for a major magazine. The subject was illegal immigration. In the research for this article he interviewed an economist.
Now please understand; in predicting what is going to happen in the future, economists have a track record that makes hurricane forecasters and horoscope writers look good by comparison. However, in looking back and describing why something has happened in the past, economists are excellent. In many ways, its sort of an academic extension of the old Follow the money, follow the crime truism.
The larger concept is that you can improve anything if you can first measure it. And to measure it, you first must be able to assign numbers to it. Its as if you say you want to raise the American standard of living a lot. How can you really measure to see if you have succeeded? A lot has different meanings to everyone. On the other hand, if one was to say I want to raise the American standard of living 20%, thats easy to measure, because we have assigned a specific number, the 20% increase, as our goal.
But, I digress.
The economist was interested in problem of illegal immigration and its impact on Americans, so he began to work his little spreadsheet ju ju and came up with an incredible but entirely valid conclusion. Illegal immigration is directly tied to generational welfare payments in the United States. Illegal immigration began to flourish when welfare became an expected way of life for some Americans. Its not just the parents getting welfare. Illegal immigration flourishes when children are raised in welfare homes, where having the government take care of you becomes a way of life. In fact, it becomes more than a way of life, welfare becomes an assumed entitlement.
Regarding illegal immigration, the immigrants do not come here for welfare. As we all know, they come here for jobs. These are the jobs we continually hear Americans wont take. And why wont Americans take these low paying and perhaps socially demeaning jobs? Because welfare pays them not to work!
For example, a landscape worker might make $10 to $14 an hour to bend over and lay sod all day. Thats hard work. For the Mexican or Guatemalan here illegally, that $14 an hour is a huge wage, and the work no harder that he is accustomed to at home.
But if an American welfare class young man takes that job, in reality, he is only getting paid about $4 an hour, not $14. Why? Because he receives the equivalent of $10 (or much more) for not working! When you add up all the welfare benefits of free healthcare (Medicaid) free food, free shelter and many other benefits, they are benefits a worker would have to pay at least $20,000 a year to receive, and $20,000 a year is $10 an hour.
Thank about it. The American taxpayer is paying people $10 an hour (and much more in some states) to not work!
Why get a job laying sod for $14 an hour, when the real benefit to the welfare class is $4 an hour. In some states with generous welfare programs, its even less. In California and New York, someone earning $14 an hour and giving up welfare to do so is losing money, between $3 and $12 an hour, not gaining real income at all! Not working in California pays $22 an hour!
So why would a welfare class person take that $14 an hour job? They dont, but those who cant get welfare (or at least not as much welfare) do. The real difference between American welfare class (non) workers and illegal immigrant workers is not the citizenship status. Its whether they have to work to eat.
The solution to the illegal immigration problem is very simple. In simple proven economic terms, stop welfare for healthy people capable of work, and you stop illegal immigration! If you make the jobs Americans wont take into jobs Americans take so they can eat, you have removed any reason for the illegals to come here. No jobs, no illegal immigration.
Everyone is talking about paying lots of money to design programs to catch employers hiring illlegals. The answer is much simpler. Stop paying Americans not to work and the illegal immigrants will stay home, south of the border.
That costs us nothing
and saves a lot of money on welfare payments!
L98Fiero,If some of us complaint about illegal aliens then we’re called racist.But the facts are that illegal aliens do come here illegally and get jobs with stolen Social Security numbers.They then sent 25 billion dollars a year back to Mexico, at the same time holding out their hand for public assistance. It costs the American tax payer around 45 billion dollars a year to pay for their Free medical care,Rent assistance,Food stamps,WIC, Translators for their children in our public schools and Free lunches.All free because their Anchor babies are American citizens! American cities along the border provide free emergency medical care for Mexican citizens, and what do the pregnant Mexican women do in return? They come across the border to have those Anchor babies ( American Citizens)!How about Elvira Arellano and her child,she was deported came back,had the child and return to work with a stolen Social Security number,she also had been in our country for 10 years,but had to have a translator at her news conference! Earlier this year illegal aliens demonstrated in the streets of our cities demanding amnesty by flying the American flag upside down below the Mexican flag and carrying signs saying “this land is ours Gringo” I would ask the supporters of illegal aliens what do you tell the millions of immigrants waiting in other countries that want to come here legally? Just because we share a common border that they can wade across to get here,does not give them the automatic right to American Citizenship Its worth more than that! “
Earth to Publius6961
Earth to Publius6961
Yes there are many criminals and leeches from south of the border, but a majority of the illegals don’t come here to receive welfare, but to work off the books for less then minimum wage.
This Libertarian open-borders think tank is NOT concerned about stopping the magnet to come here (jobs), only demagoguery. You would find this Libertarian, open-borders, free-trade group opposing any effort to build a fence, opposing any effort to fine employers who hire illegals, and lobbying for a billion guestworkers if given the chance.
A group of former network-level broadcasters, most of us of the Conservative bent, were sitting around in New York this weekend, conducting an intellectual discussion on want ails the Nation and the best remedies therefore .
There aren't any network-level broadcaster of the conservative bent in New York City. And if there were, the last thing we would want anyone in entertainment doing is forming social policy on their own.
“The question is, Who would you rather have cook your lunch a needle using junkie or an illegal alien? Who would you rather do maid service to your hotel room, a crankster or an illegal alien?”
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I have a better question: Would you rather split the Republican vote between the Elitist-Libertarians and the paleoconservatives? Or do you really want to fix the magnet for illegal immigration.
Your choice. Personally I don’t care if Hillary becomes queen bitch of the Universe, I refuse to vote for another globalist traitor giving trillions of dollars of wealth away to foreigners.
In fact, if another globalist wins nomination I HOPE queen Hillary becomes president, then next time around you free-traders will come crawling on your knees to us Paleoconservatives. The true Republicans.
“Hmmm ... so if an employer chooses to have pay someone $20 per hour instead of $80 an hour for some high tech work, that’s evil GREED, huh?”
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No, its called, “Gifting Democrats millions of voters because of retarded free-trader Libertarians who have infiltrated the Republican party.”
I'm not wishing for hyperinflation but if it comes a lot of our immigration problems could be solved (of course new ones will be created).
It won’t work because it can’t be accomplished politically. We have had welfare reform, which reduced the rolls. But I doubt that there is the political will to force “healthy” people off of the rolls, many of whom are single mothers.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/08/15/hoffa.mexico.trucks/
(2001) unresolved.
The free-traders are making heroes out of Democrats and teamsters.
Democrats had Congress in a straight string from 1933-1994. Their may have been a lapse or two in there, but 60 years takes root.
Hopefully, 06 was just a glitch on the pendulum swing, and we can start moving this country back to what the states envisioned when they ratified that Constitution.
Impeaching a judge for using “foreign law” or substituting his opinion for the plain intent of the Constitution would be a huge step in the right direction.
We have to reduce the incentive to BE a single mother.
Sure, no woman WANTS to be a single mother, but it doesn’t happen by accident, it’s a result of choices.
Knowing that the hammock won’t keep them in food and gov’t housing forever would be a good incentive to be a little more choosy about whom you make the twobacked beast with.
And what do you do with the children? Should free abortions be offered?
Neither. I can do both myself if it comes to that!!
Abolish welfare, let the junkies get clean and the drunkards get sober.
Your rationale taken to its extreme would approve the re-institution of slavery (which illegal immigration employment comes close to). That is the ideal free-market, global competitiveness scenario. In fact, it is just about what is being practiced in China. That’s why you can’t buy anything now that does not say “Made in China”. Maybe you should move there and live in a world of economic purity.
Here’s a revelation for you, and the other Libertarians, and the Treasury Secretary and George Bush - the “Free Market” doesn’t exist. All those countries we are competing with do not practice free markets or allow America into their markets. Lots of corporations are making lots of money by abandoning the nation that provides them security and stability and exploiting “globalism”.
It is a scheme with only a disastrous ending.
“And what do you do with the children?”
I assume that since you mention abortion, you’re referring to the children yet to be, not the children that are.
Now, time to check YOUR assumptions. Are you, like liberals do, assuming that indiscriminate procreating activity is a given and not a variable subject to incentive?
“We have to reduce the incentive to BE a single mother.
Sure, no woman WANTS to be a single mother, but it doesnt happen by accident, its a result of choices.
Knowing that the hammock wont keep them in food and govt housing forever would be a good incentive to be a little more choosy about whom you make the twobacked beast with.”
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My sister is a single mother, a full fledged nurse, and not an immigrant. What does welfare have to do with stopping the magnet for illegals?
Personally i’m glad she’s a single mother, the dad of her 2 great kids is a moocher, snake in the grass.
“Hey can I borrow $100?”
“Hey can I borrow some money?”
“Hey buddy got 50 bucks?”
It’s too bad that people make the assumption that women will invariably choose bad fathers for their children.
From an “incentive” viewpoint, it would rational for women to be more choosy if the consequences weren’t alleviated by the welfare state.
LOL. Yes, I am not advocating infanticide.
Now, time to check YOUR assumptions. Are you, like liberals do, assuming that indiscriminate procreating activity is a given and not a variable subject to incentive?
No, I am a realist. The liberals are the ones who want to create the nanny state and offer "incentives" to change people's behaviors like raising the taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking [and raising revenue], increasing taxes on gasoline to conserve fuel, or hatch up a scheme of cap and trade and carbon credits to fight against global warming.
One person's "incentive" is another person's club. Whether you or I like it or not, we are going to have unwed mothers. 68% of all black children and 45% of all Hispanic children are born out of wedlock. Half of all children in America today between the ages 0-5 are minorities. Those are the stubborn facts we must deal with along with the Dems who control both houses of Congress and may get the WH in 2008.
Young men are secretly living with the welfare queens. Where did you think all of those babies were coming from?
Yes, within the present system. But check the trends before and after AFDC was implemented.
Out of wedlock births were declining among blacks, family units were stronger, then the libs destroyed this trend.
Libs do a lot of things that follow this pattern:
1) A very small minority are in need of some program (11 yr olds needing birth control?) that will alleviate the consequences for their choices.
2) Libs institute a program that resolves these consequences, removing the negative incentive to not make those choices.
3) Libs are "surprised" at the increase in occurence of this behavior, and think that the problem was more widespread than it was.
4) Libs demand expansion of the program.
See the builtin assumptions? The problem is a given, and not caused by the "alleviating program"?
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