What Obama Should Have Said About Veterans and Jobs

Dear Honorable Members of Congress,

I have a plan I believe to be a good sound logical start to deal with the number of illegal individuals in the United States as well as help deny future illegal individuals entrance into America. Please read and consider the opportunities.

Fact:

It is estimated there are currently 11 to 14 million illegal people living in the United States right now.

Fact:

These is no one person or political party that is to blame for having these illegal individuals in our country but it is the responsibility of our elected officials to address the current situation and set in motion laws and policies to prevent it from happening again.

Fact:

These individuals have violated a law of the United States by entering our county through illegal means.

Fact:

When a person violates a law of a country, there should be consequences for their actions.

Fact:

These people are coming to The United States, (In Large Part) for jobs that pay them more in one to two weeks than they can earn in five to six months in their own countries.

Choices:

1. Identify, detain and deport all illegal individuals. – Republican Supported

2. Let the illegal individuals stay in the United States as long as they have not committed a crime other than entering illegally and work on a plan that will eventually lead to citizenship. – Democratic Supported

3. A combination of both. – No one is supporting

Cost associated with removal

Cost to identify and remove 11 to 14 million people from the United States.

1. If we go with the lower number, (11,000,000) and the government were able to identify each person, and if we used police officers and other law enforcement agencies including the military to apprehend these people, the cost would be staggering. (example below).

a. 11,000,000 people (x) (let say it cost us on average $100 each to round up these people) 11,000,000 (x) 100 = $1,100,000,000

2. Once they are identified and rounded up, we must now feed and house each person until they can be deported. (example below)

a. 11,000,000 (x) cost to house, feed, guard, administer health care etc. / day = according to some government reports as low as $55 - $100/ day. Let’s use the lower number again so we can say we were very conservative in our number crunching all the way through this process.

i. 11,000,000 (x) $55 per day = 650,000,000 / day

ii. Per week cost would be = 4,235,000,000

iii. Per month cost = 18,150,000,000

iv. Per Year = 220,825,000,000

3. These numbers do not include the cost to build facilities to house these detainees or the legal cost that will be incurred when the class action lawsuits start to roll in. There is no real way to calculate what those cost would be but I think any normal thinking person would agree there will be cost and they will be substantial.

4. Cost to transport these people to their country of origin – 11,000,000 (X) $100 / person = 1,100,000,000

5. The total cost to build a fence at the border between Mexico and the United States to keep illegal individuals out. = _________?

6. History has shown fences do little to keep people in or out.

7. That would still leave the Canadian Border open not to mention the access by sea or air.

8. If illegal Mexicans represents 20 – 25% of the illegal individuals in the United States as some studies have suggested, that would mean we would have to deport between 2,200,000 and 2,750,000 individuals back to Mexico. I don’t think Mexico is prepared to take them back anytime soon.

9. That leaves us housing and feeding them for ????? years.

Solution:

First and foremost, any military analysts will tell you there is no such thing as a defensive perimeter that can not be breached. Second, as I stated earlier, history has shown us that fences do little to keep individuals out or in. And lastly, the cost to building a border fence on our southern border would be in the billions and would still leave the northern border with Canada as well as the seas and air available to those who would want to gain access to America. If the people we are trying to keep out are terrorist, they will most definitely find alternative means of entrance. If the individuals we are trying to keep out are not terrorist and are here for the work, address that issue.

We really can’t allow someone to violate our laws without some form of punishment for doing so.

We also can’t afford to go broke trying to enforce laws that for years, we as a nation have not addressed.

Simply put, we should not get bogged down in who is to blame or finger pointing. Instead, we should use our time and energy to get us out of the mess we currently find ourselves and create policies that are enforceable, cost effective and will have results that keep the situation we are currently facing from happening again.

Create a system that last two years and gives every person who has entered the United States illegally to come forward and be identified without fear of deportation, (unless they have been convicted of a crime other than a misdemeanor).

Next, require that for the next 10 years, these people, (if working) pay a penalty that would be equal to Double Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax as well as what it would cost a person earning $500 / week claiming single zero for their Federal Withholding Tax as a penalty. (example below)

Social Security 6.20 (X) 2 = 12.40 (X) 5 = $62.00

Medicare 1.45 (X) 2 = 2.90 (X) 5 = $14.50

Federal Withholding (Based on $500 single (0) $62.00

Total Penalty due each week out of paycheck $138.50

If they are not working, they must be sponsored by either a family member or entity or other person that will agree to pay this penalty for them every week.

Next, each person will be required to have minimum medical coverage that would cover Dr’s visits and prescriptions so they are not a drain on the economy and the hospital emergency rooms.

$62 each week would be allocated to the Social Security Administration.

11,000,000 (X) $62 = $683,000,000 per week will go into strengthening the SS Fund.

Over a ten year period, that would boost the Social Security Fund by $355,160,000,000.

$14.50 each week would be allocated to the Medicare Fund.

11,000,000 (X) 14.50 = $159,500,000 per week will help strengthen the Medicare Fund.

Over a ten year period, that would boost the Medicare Fund by $82,940,000,000

Use the other $62 per person per week to create and fund a system whereby the identification cards issued by the federal program would also be used by doctors and pharmacies to treat minor injuries and illness and supply prescription drugs for these people. If what the insurance industry has been telling consumers for years is true and that part of the cost of their premiums is due to hospital rates that have to include those the hospitals have to treat and do not pay for their services, then this should help reduce the number that use the emergency rooms as a client and also reduce the cost of medical insurance premiums paid by the average American for their medical insurance coverage.

Over that 10 year period each person would be required to learn English so they would be able to assimilate into society and would also have to pass the citizenship test at the end of the ten year period in order to gain citizenship status.

All money paid is to be considered a Fine / Penalty for entering our country illegally and will not be counted towards that person’s Social Security or Medicare benefits should they become a US Citizen after the ten years are complete.

Implementation

1. Congress will have to pass a law that requires every employer to e-verify every person seeking employment. This is really just the electronic equivalent to the Form I-9 that every person hired by any company in the United States already has to complete.

2. Each illegal that comes forward during the two year period will receive an identification card that will be used to identify him / her including a photo on the card. It will also be used for the medical coverage listed above regardless of if the person is employed or not so long as they are sponsored and someone has accepted responsibility for their penalty payments each week

3. Each company will establish a user name and password in the e-verify system and before the final act of hiring any employee, would be required to view the person’s card and compare it to the information and photo displayed on the computer monitor. (Note: For US Citizens, the social security card and driver’s license or other documents listed on the I-9 will be acceptable).

4. Once the company has done so, they are free to hire the person. If a company fails to do so, they should be fined substantially so as to prevent the hiring of a person they know to be or should have known to be an illegal.

5. Any illegal person not coming forward during the two (2) year period and identifying themselves will be deported immediately from the law enforcement agency that has apprehended them and that agency will be reimbursed by the Federal Government for the cost associated with the apprehension and deportation so as to avoid a financial burden on these agencies while enforcing This Federal Law. I believe there are many agencies that are currently not willing to enforce the Federal Law due to non-funding from the federal government and the financial burden it would place on the local tax payers.

6. Any person entering the United States after this two year period will not be given a card and will be deported immediately by whatever law enforcement agency catches them. The cost for the deportation will be reimbursed by the Federal Government so as to not financially over burden local and state law enforcement agencies or tax payers.

7. Any illegal that has identified him/herself that is convicted of a felony at any time during this ten year period will be deported immediately by the Federal Government and their status in the e-verify system will be marked as “Criminal – Do Not Hire”

I believe we could potential strengthen both the Social Security and Medicare Funds, cut down on the number of illegal individuals that are currently in the United States or will attempt to enter in the future and also help eliminate the over crowding and wrongfully used emergency rooms throughout the cities of United States as walk in clinics.

We would also send a message to people that the United States will enforce it’s laws and if they are violated, there will be stiff penalties.

Also, this would be the equivalent of adding 11,000,000 new tax payers without giving away a single job that isn’t already currently being performed by an illegal individual.

Please consider this plan as a starting point. Maybe from here members of both parties can find common ground.

I am just one citizen but maybe from my idea Congress can begin to find financially rewarding alternatives and turn traditional political lemons into lemonade.

Maybe instead of throwing money at every issue we face as a country, you as our leader should look for ways to generate revenues like this that will not cost the tax payers, or company owners or the United States money but will instead be to all our benefit and the benefit of the United States of America.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely,

Joseph C. Frank

Bonita Springs, FL

Joseph Frank of FL 8:47AM September 12, 2011