Rant #8 - Illegal Benefits

Apparently millions of young, thriving, hard-working illegal immigrants are helping to shore up a system they don't understand, and apparently neither do we. Furthermore, we do not understand how to handle this illegal blessing. And it continues to grow by roughly 60% a year.

There are an estimated 16-22 million illegal immigrants in the United States, out of a total population of 290 million, roughly one out of every 14 people in America. 3 million or more made it across the borders this last year alone. It is estimated that each illegal worker contributes an average of $1600 a year to the solvency of the Social Security system past politicians believed in so strongly. What an awkward position to be in today, as an elected official. Without the nearly $8 billion a year in approximate subsidies, the program would most likely go broke much sooner than is anticipated. In fact, the subsidy stands to grow larger because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average Hispanic family is nearly 70% larger than the typical American clan. More kids equals more future workers, more workers have more children, etc. The exponential growth means that in less than 20 years, the current illegal population will have doubled, accounting for approximately 15-20% of the income for the entire Social Security system. Keep in mind that those dollars directly underwrite those receiving benefit checks from the government every month, essentially a free ride.

I call the contributions a "subsidy" because these individuals (the majority of them, anyway) are paying into the system which funds today's payments to seniors and the disabled, yet these same workers will never realize their current contributions when they retire, even if they become legitimate U.S. Citizens.

With My Own Eyes I See the Tragedy of Contradiction

I happened to be in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 25 when 500,000 protesters stormed the streets of downtown and shut down massive sections of the city to declare recent Congressional legislation unfair. It is fascinating to watch so many people come out to display their disgust with a system that is both broken and unfair, unafraid in a nation that both gives them the right to protest and simultaneously calls them criminal.

I do believe that there is a serious immigration problem that exists in America, and it begins with the bureaucracy that makes an émigré wait up to 9 years to process paperwork and be given either a yes or a no answer. I also believe there is a problem with our system when it denies local authorities the ability, funds or even jurisdiction to confront and arrest those that are here illegally.

What I find missing in this debate is a proposal to create an Ellis Island sort of assimilation program that would greet all those who wish to call America home, calling "Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses". New York used to beam these words of light into the distant hearts of desirous populations that heard and dreamed of the American Ideal. As one comic reasoned, instead of "Give me your huddled masses," Lady Liberty now is holding a bat saying "you want a piece of me?!"

I Truly Sympathize

I have a relative that is married and has a child by a man who immigrated here illegally, then later pursued legal affiliation. He is the hardest working man I know, and sends a huge portion of his paychecks back to his family in Mexico. Amazingly, he still manages to afford a relatively comfortable lifestyle here in suburban Milwaukee, WI.

Conversely, I have another relative that lives in rural Arizona, and faces a regular influx of vandalizing, criminal immigrants that care only for material gain, not familial security or societal benefit. (Sounds a little like Corporate America anyway, doesn't it?)

· I sympathize with the mothers that fear losing their husbands and having no security for their families already established here in America.
· I sympathize with borderline ranchers who fear for vandalism and drug-related crossings on their property.
· I sympathize with those that desire higher-wage jobs to support their families in America by working 70 hour weeks for minimum wage.
· I sympathize with both the local school districts that must educate everyone, despite the lack of proportionate tax base, and with the families that seek a better bi-lingual education for their children knowing that it is key to their future success.
· I sympathize with the medical industry that fears the costs of illegal immigration on its infrastructure, which costs taxpayers and consumers more money each year.
· I sympathize with the millions of individuals fearing a vicious, poverty-stricken cycle back home.
· I sympathize with politicians frustrated with Mexico's proliferate support of illegal immigration, and its effect on local services.
And yet... while I sympathize with each of these concerns, I recognize a need for change... quickly!

Cultural Division is Eminent

Before this gets much more ugly than it already has, we must find a reasonable compromise to halt our hurtling towards cultural discord and racial tension.

While very few of the illegal immigrants are true terrorist threats to national security, I do believe that we have created a problem for ourselves that allows for both those respecting law and order and drug-lords alike to become covert allies in their bid to better their lives through whatever means they possess; harmful or beneficial. And it's about time we do SOMETHING about it.

The Bill to Do Something

What started in July of 2005 as a vision to protect America's borders while preserving the dignity of freedom-loving immigrants has now become a well-hammered out set of push and shove, agreeable upon by both sides of the aisle. Illegal immigrants may file for 6 year green cards, stay here almost indefinitely while paying a $1,000 fine for their trespass, and local businesses and charities will be allowed to provide privacy to those in need while also being held accountable for systemic abuses. Families will not be broken apart, camps full of arrested hungry, half-naked immigrants will not rise out of the deserts, and America's heritage of open arms and upward lives can continue to flourish.

I support Senate Bill 2454, and the efforts of Senators and Representatives across the Border States for answering the call of their constituents to finally do something about a problem we not only created for ourselves, but have exacerbated through our neglect.

Hopefully through this bill we can secure our borders and our cities while still assuring the world that only freedom has open arms that can both embrace your in your need and let you free to pursue your ambitious dreams.

There's no place like home!