Immigration reform to save the economy?

[LilOlLady]

WE NEED IMMIGRATION REFORM TO SAVE THE ECONOMY?

Fareed Zakaria and other amnesty advocates claim we need undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens) to save the economy. That’s fuzzy math. Put the 22 million unemployed\underemployed Americans to work and make higher education more affordable and we will save our economy, social security and Medicare.

Low wage earning undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens) pay very little in taxes if any and collect billions in tax credits and is more of a liability then an asset on the economy. A many as 20 million undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens) in the country and our economy, social security and Medicare has been in trouble for years which proves that undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens) DO NOT contribute to the economy. No matter how often and loud you say it, it is not true.

 

[dblack]

Another immigration wave could be just what we need. Ultimately, I don't think economic performance should be a priority when forming state policy, but a sudden influx of eager immigrants would spur the economy far more, and far more legitimately, than any phony 'stimulus package'.

 

[LilOlLady]

The Treasury Department’s Inspector General determined that $4.2 billion was paid in 2010, up from less than $1 billion in 2005
FactCheck.org : Tax Credits for Illegal Immigrants

 

[jasonnfree]

I'm guessing that corporate America is for immigration reform, meaning more immigrants from wherever. More cheap labor to compete for the dwindling jobs means lower wages. Also, a new supply of consumers to boost retail sales. The big corporate stores like Walmart don't care where their new immigrant customers get their money to buy stuff. Either from their jobs, or government aid, or both. Also, since we're not too choosy anymore about who comes to this country, more crime. Now that prisons and jails are becoming more and more privatized, more customers (detainees and prisoners). Quite a few muslims will also come here which means more bombings. This will greatly increase the security state industry. All in all more economic activity and profit. My opinion anyway.

 

[Kondor3]

"Immigration Reform" is Code-Speak for Shamnesty.

The Gub'mint can put all the lipstick they want on that pig, but it's still a pig, and it stinks to high heaven.

Republican politicans want cheap labor to replace higher-paid American workers.

Democrat politicians want millions of grateful, loyal new voters as these 12,000,000 assimilate.

Both parties have long-since abandoned any pretense at defending our borders and our sovereignty and in defending America and its workers and its pocketbook against these millions of Invaders.

And now these elected Surrender-Monkeys are trying to pitch their loathsome behaviors in a cloak of economic benefits and promises that we will afterwards secure our borders properly and streamline our admission-vetting system and do a better job of things.

Pull the other one.

Ya'll can sit back and enjoy the Gub'mint Kool-Aid like good little Sheeple if ya like.

I'll pass.

 

[Kondor3]

Another immigration wave could be just what we need. Ultimately, I don't think economic performance should be a priority when forming state policy, but a sudden influx of eager immigrants would spur the economy far more, and far more legitimately, than any phony 'stimulus package'.

Disagree.

Not about macro economics but in-the-main, mindful of the economic and social impact upon our existing countrymen and their families.

We are already a nation of 310,000,000 and there is no more room at the inn.

We're full-up, coast to coast, physically and metaphorically, and with respect to education and housing and employment and welfare and other pooled resources and benefits.

We no longer require waves of immigrants to populate empty grasslands and to build new cities and rail lines and the like.

Those times are now largely behind us and we are the first generations of Americans beginning to recognize and confront this new truth and changed state of affairs.

It is probably safe and fair to speculate we are (metaphorically) living in the past, with respect to immigration, and our attitudes and preferences and actions in that context.

Some of us are sooooo caught up and (very understandably) in love with the idea of greeting immigrants with open arms, that they've lost sight of the size of our population and our eroding ability to provide and maintain a desirable standard of living for our existing fellow countrymen.

The welcoming of newcomers gives us a case of the warm-and-fuzzies... it makes us feel good... and some of us want to continue feeling good about that, even in their current millions, even after they've trespassed, even during very difficult times.

Taking-up a contrary (anti-Illegal Aliens / anti-Shamnesty) position is not xenophobic nor hateful nor an exercise in blaming Illegals for our present ills; it is a logical and common-sense acknowledgement of the present state of affairs and a willingness to suspend our active encouragement of immigration for a while (some years, a couple of decades, whatever) until we can put our house in order again and until we are once again in a position of economic and societal strength and have time and luxury for this sort of thing.

We have a grand and loving tradition of welcoming immigrants on a large scale, but we're so gallantly committed to that lovely tradition that we have become blind to the fact that sustaining that tradition is beginning to press too heavily upon our fellow countrymen - that it is costing our people too much - in lowered wages and diminished opportunities and still further erosion of our standard of living - to be considered practicable or worthwhile or even wise or safe, especially given that we're still hip-deep in a Hyper-Recession (a.k.a. Major Depression).

We need another 12,000,000 workers swamping the employment marketplace like we need a hole in the head - from the perspective of American workers, anyway.

Personally, I stand with my fellow countrymen, and their well-being, and their long-term prospects, and not with some unproven and unlikely ethereal economic benefit, and not with some 12,000,000 uninvited and unwelcome trespassers or invaders, and certainly not with our elected frauds who are attempting to perpetrate this outrage upon our country and our countrymen, while hiding in plain sight.

< climbs off soap-box, throws 'rant' switch to 'off' position >