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, it’s 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. It’s 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%, that’s 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. It’s 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 won’t take.” And why won’t 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. That’s 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, it’s 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 don’t, but those who can’t 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. It’s 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 won’t 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!
“Maybe you mean something different than I do by “globalization”. That, or one of us is big time wrong.”
****************
“Globalization” is a term designed to browbeat anyone who opposes legal or illegal immigration, and offshoring to low cost labor markets. Other then that, it doesn’t really mean anything. (See also: protectionism)
you have freepmail
For one thing even though food stamps and medical benefits add to the value of welfare you can't pay bills with them. Someone's medical benefits might be worth $10,000 but they don't pay the rent.
Secondly not everyone on welfare gets all the benefits. In PA, singles with no children cannot get cash or medical unless they have a doctor's statement saying they can't work. Food stamps are available (about $140/month). Section 8 housing has strict requirements and there's always a waiting list even if eligible. To get housing you need to have kids or be seriously disabled.
Even if they can get cash benefits(unlikely) a single person with no kids is only going to get $205/month. That's month, not week.
The only ones making out well on welfare are the ones who have a cash job on the side.
Welfare reform won't solve the immigration problem.
For a typical family of four per year
Mecicaid: $3600 year
Food Stamps $4000 year
Free school lunches $1500 year
Free school breakfasts $1500 year
Section 8 housing $9600 year
Free legal services $2000 year
Free transportation $1800 year
Cash $4000 year
That’s $28,000 before you begin adding in the multitude of other “entitlements” available!
With 2000 work hours per year, that’s $14 per hour. Now, add in the taxes a real wage earner would have to pay, and you are up over $18 per hour!
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