The Myths and 2012 Politics of Immigration Reform

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"When you do your calculations you might want to consider that most undocumented people do not have any children. So they are paying school taxes yet receive nothing in return. Basically they are subsidizing other people's kids."
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Where is your proof that "most undocumented people do not have any children?" They have quite a lot of them in California--more than a 100K a year, with the taxpayer picking up the full tag for maternity care and delivery fees. And where's your proof that they are paying school taxes in the first place?
They do not pay property taxes at anywhere near the rate of native-born, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens. Cramming 10 people into a two bedroom apartment and saying that the $30 a month that each of them pays in rent is "paying school taxes" is absurd.
It's more than absurd: it's deeply insulting to those of us who pay full freight. And by full freight, I'm talking full taxes on a single family home with a normal family size, paying full state, local and federal income taxes, paying full Social Security and Medicare taxes, and paying full sales taxes as well.
I just signed our 2011 tax forms; full freight for my family was 18K federal, 5K state, 8K property, 9K Medicare and Social Security. So 40K in "full freight" taxes, for a family of three, with one minor child in the public school system. (I don't know how much we paid in sales taxes, but say maybe another 3 or 4K.)
Please do not insult me by putting "the undocumented's" five dollars a week in sales taxes in the same pot as my 40K+ in annual taxes and calling it "even."

Maria of CA 8:12PM April 13, 2011

Every State that doesn't invest in the constraint of illegal immigration enforcement, is going to be invaded across their state borders. In the frontier state of Arizona that is battling the Dept of InJustice, the Liberal Court system, the open border crackpots as they try save the State from economic collapse, because foreign nationals stealing jobs, stealing entitlement and literary paying nothing into the State coffers. It been proven beyond the shadow of doubt, that other than the TEA PARTY caucus, politicians feel they have no responsibility to slam shut our borders. This is an accurate assessment when president Obama's Leftist backing allows drug and people smuggling allow Mexican trucks go into operation throughout our nation. All free Trade markets agreements are completely unfair to the American people. Our president promised to straighten these unfair treaties, so we have a level playing field; this still hasn't happened.
WAKE UP AMERICA! DON'T LET THE ARROGANT POLITICIANS RAISE THE $14 TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT CEILING. DON'T LET THE US TREASURY PRINT MORE MONEY? WE NEED A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT; OTHERWISE RADICAL LIBERALS WILL HAVE US BORROWING EVEN MORE FROM FOREIGN NATIONS AND INVESTORS.
Like most promises of politicians, they are full of hot air. Even before Obama came to power with his Leftist progressive Czars, previous administrations have ignored the invasions from foreign countries. If they had been serious about stopping illegal aliens flooding this country, they would have made it a felony to enter? They would have constructed the--REAL--double fencing at the border and deploying the Nation Guard. The TEA PARTY will enact a bill to build the double border fence and push hard to enforce a permanent E-Verify, for every American worker; all long time employees or new hire. Nobody in the jurisdiction of United States will be exempt, with the full force of the law coming down on dirty business.

Brittanicus of IN 4:49PM April 13, 2011

Every State that doesn't invest in the constraint of illegal immigration enforcement, is going to be invaded across their state borders. In the frontier state of Arizona that is battling the Dept of InJustice, the Liberal Court system, the open border crackpots as they try save the State from economic collapse, because foreign nationals stealing jobs, stealing entitlement and literary paying nothing into the State coffers. It been proven beyond the shadow of doubt, that other than the TEA PARTY caucus, politicians feel they have no responsibility to slam shut our borders. This is an accurate assessment when president Obama's Leftist backing allows drug and people smuggling allow Mexican trucks go into operation throughout our nation. All free Trade markets agreements are completely unfair to the American people. Our president promised to straighten these unfair treaties, so we have a level playing field; this still hasn't happened.
WAKE UP AMERICA! DON'T LET THE ARROGANT POLITICIANS RAISE THE $14 TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT CEILING. DON'T LET THE US TREASURY PRINT MORE MONEY? WE NEED A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT; OTHERWISE RADICAL LIBERALS WILL HAVE US BORROWING EVEN MORE FROM FOREIGN NATIONS AND INVESTORS.
Like most promises of politicians, they are full of hot air. Even before Obama came to power with his Leftist progressive Czars, previous administrations have ignored the invasions from foreign countries. If they had been serious about stopping illegal aliens flooding this country, they would have made it a felony to enter? They would have constructed the--REAL--double fencing at the border and deploying the Nation Guard. The TEA PARTY will enact a bill to build the double border fence and push hard to enforce a permanent E-Verify, for every American worker; all long time employees or new hire. Nobody in the jurisdiction of United States will be exempt, with the full force of the law coming down on dirty business.

Brittanicus of IN 4:47PM April 13, 2011

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) has introduced a bill (H.R.1274) titled "Keeping the Pledge on Immigration Act of 2011" that would increase border security and strengthen interior enforcement. Among the bill’s provisions this legislation would: 1. Will provide up to 4,000 additional national guard troops patrolling the southern border; 2. Will reaffirm language mandating “operational control” of the border as defined in the 2006 Secure Fence Act; 3. Will provide double and even triple layer fencing by September 30, 2014; 4. Will provide additional visa security screening for high risk visas including in-person interviews and data sharing. America is importing poverty at an accelerating rate and billions of dollars are being bled from every American State.
In the report, Ed Rubenstein, president of ESR Research and a former director of research at the Hudson Institute, reveals that the IRS knowingly allows illegal aliens to defraud taxpayers by getting cash through EITC payments of up to $5,750 for a family of five. The IRS also refuses to implement recommendations from its own Inspector General’s office that could stop massive EITC fraud that costs taxpayers as much as $13 billion a year. Read the complete report at
http://www.thesocialcontract.com/
This is another reason all--AMERICANS, NATURALIZED CITIZENS AND LEGAL RESIDENTS SHOULD LOCATE AND JOIN THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF TEA PARTY ACTIVISTS IN THIS GATHERING STORM AGAINST LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES, OPEN BORDER LOBBYISTS. GAIN MORE FACTS AT NumbersUSA, JUDICIAL WATCH FIGHTING FOR LESSER GOVERNMENT; SECURE BORDERS, REMOVAL OF CORRUPT POLITICIANS TO SAVE OUR NATION.
DONALD TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT! HE ISN"T GOING TO ROB US BLIND LIKE OTHER POLITICIANS! UNLIKE OBAMA AND GOP THIS POTENTIAL LEADER WILL RENEGOTIATE ALL SO-CALLED FREE TRADE TREATIES, SPECIFICALLY WITH CHINA AND MEXICO.

Brittanicus of IN 4:46PM April 13, 2011

So you are basing your argument on vague stereotypes?
When you do your calculations you might want to consider that most undocumented people do not have any children. So they are paying school taxes yet receive nothing in return. Basically they are subsidizing other people's kids.
I wish we did base the school taxes on the number of children in a household. I pay more than $14,400 in property and school taxes each year and do not have any kids. My next door neighbor pays about the same, but has four kids. Is that fair? Not really, but that is just the way it has always been.
You are blaming undocumented people for circumstances that have existed since long before they arrived.

Memo From Turner of NY 4:42PM April 13, 2011

We can’t afford the expense of illegals anymore.
Lots of illegals work for cash.
Law was broken for them to be here. Don't feel sorry for law breakers. Feel sorry for victims. US, who must pay.
AZ not federal government is working on problem of companies hiring illegals. Other States have joined AZ...

Bill Hedges of MO 3:59PM April 13, 2011

Why does the media, while advocating for illegal aliens, always avoid discussing an immigration policy that permits 8 million illegals to keep their jobs and continues each month to issue 125,000 work permits to foreign workers while 22 million citizens and legal residents can't find full-time employment?
Are the foreign-born, especially illegal aliens, now the only people here that are entitled to search for a better life?
And just because Latinos are the "fasting growing" minority group, are we supposed to suspend enforcement of our immigration laws created to protect American workers because it might "offend" them? Those who have a problem with our rights as a sovereign people should pack their bags and find the quickest out of this country.
Dave Gorak
Executive director
Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration
La Valle, WI

Dave Gorak of WI 3:50PM April 13, 2011

Who are the ignorant ones? The ones who speak with actual fact (aka: Melanie of CA) or those who just state general statements that have no basis in fact (aka: Christian).
There is NO question about the amount of resources that are used by the illegals that come here. They use far more American support than they return via their "under-paid" jobs that knowingly hire them because they work for too little to support their family. It is because of this low pay that they need the extra support.

The UrbanSpaceman of AZ 2:59PM April 13, 2011

Eliminate the income tax, replace it with a national sales tax, provide rebate cards for the LEGAL needy, and the illegal immigration problem may well fix itself.
No way they would stay in the shadows paying 50% sales tax on everything they buy. They'd go home or get legal for the rebate card.

Rich of CO 2:50PM April 13, 2011

Dear New York, this once again is facile misdirection. In California, most illegal aliens share housing and overcrowd to what is probably an unhealthy level. Lets assume that a family of 5 shares a 1 bedroom apartment (rent $1200/mo) in California paying $500 dollars a month (This is common- a family rents space and sublets to single men and/or relatives). So lets assume that of their annual rent ($6000.00)- all goes to education (not even close). If they have 3 kids, that does not even come close to paying the annual education cost for 1 child.
Now lets look at an American citizen in that 1 bedroom apartment. They do not sublet and pay $14,400 a year in rent. Assuming that all of their rent goes to education (once again not even close), that person would cover the cost of one child for one year. Only because of demographics and culture, the odds are that that person does not have children.
Now, in really extreme cases like the city of Los Angeles where at least 50% of the children are illegal aliens you have to go beyond the annual cost per child and look at capital expenses. There is no reason for many schools to exist except that they are full of the children of illegal aliens. In some schools, there are no children who are not the product of immigration.
It is nice of you to say that illegal aliens pay their share, but it is not the truth.

Melanie of CA 2:05PM April 13, 2011