Every once in awhile I get someone who comes along spreading uneducated nonsense that they just came up with on their own. Today was one of those "once in awhiles". In the comments of this entry commenter rtaycher1987 has this to say:
I disagree if anything the goverment should pay for more of illegal immigrants healthcare costs. Illegal immigrants are among the worst losers in taxpayer-spending distrubution. Contrary to popular ideas illegal immigrants don't largely don't recieve many benefits recieved by the poor not only because of bieng ineligible but also due to bieng afraid to pursue benifits due to thier illegal status. Frankly not giving them benifits has many bad consequences such as (denying access to public shools ensuring) their children are more likely to become part of a poor underclass, and in this case (healthcare) driving up medical costs due to emergency room visits. The problem is that besides sales taxes the ill. aliens mostly pay payroll taxes which go to the federal goverment (and of course this helps tax revenues greatly as they don't consume social security or medicare). The solution is for the fedaral goverment to refund some of that revenue to the states as they are the ones largely responsible for providing ill. aliens with benifits (I am not wholy sure of this point).
Now I'm not going to sit idly by and let this totally unresearched comment go by without replying. I just can't do it. So here is my full response and point-by-point corrections to this commenters post.
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I'm not going to let this comment go without the truth being told.
Contrary to popular ideas illegal immigrants don't largely don't recieve many benefits recieved by the poor not only because of bieng ineligible but also due to bieng afraid to pursue benifits due to thier illegal status
This is totally wrong. It is currently illegal in most states for welfare services to ask someones status in this country. On top of that, those with children born in the US automatically qualify. Then on top of that their children -- who aren't suppose to be here either -- get special services in schools for English as a second language, a program that is suppose to be for citizens and those here legally not for some freeloading illegal alien lawbreaker.
The problem is that besides sales taxes the ill. aliens mostly pay payroll taxes which go to the federal goverment
You're not paying payroll taxes when you work under the table -- and neither does the employer. Your naivete of the tax system pretty much discounts everything you say above regarding taxes.
Payroll taxes are only withheld when you actually fill out a W-4, which these illegal aliens don't do because they don't have a social security number because they're here illegally!. I bet you didn't know that on average an employer kicks in an additional 30% on top of what your paycheck is to the government as their form of payroll taxes did you?
When you get paid $10 bucks an hour your taxes are withheld, but the employer is actually paying $3-$4 dollars an hour to the government on your behalf as well. This is the reason employers hire illegal aliens. They can pay them $6 an hour and they don't have to pay the extra in payroll taxes because the employee isn't on the books. The illegal alien isn't going to say anything because they're getting near what they would get if taxes were taken out anyway and because they're illegal.
As far as your opinions on the health care system, they are bunk. Illegal aliens routinely use the emergency room for any ailment they have, whether it is their child having a cold or a skinned knee. Because they're not insured and can't pay and because, by law, emergency rooms have to service pretty much anyone, they're stealing hundreds of dollars per visit from tax payers and those with health insurance.
All of this on top of the fact that they're not even suppose to be here
Frankly not giving them benifits has many bad consequences such as (denying access to public shools ensuring) their children are more likely to become part of a poor underclass...
They're not suppose to be here and therefore we should not have to bear the burden to support them.
The solution is for the fedaral goverment to refund some of that revenue to the states as they are the ones largely responsible for providing ill. aliens with benifits (I am not wholy sure of this point).
You finally got one point right. The states bear the entire burden of illegal aliens. The federal government, under current law, is suppose to be keep them out though. Rather than allowing the problem to continue and subsidizing illegal aliens by reimbursing states for their costs the federal government should do their job and keep the illegal aliens out of here in the first place. They shouldn't give up as you suggest above.
Do a little more research on the true costs of illegal aliens. You can start in the immigration archives, where you can quickly find that it costs billions and billions just in California alone to deal with these friendly, freeloading lawbreakers from the south.
Barb, unfortunately there's not a lot you can do. Until the laws are actually enforced this problem will continue.
Currently reporting an illegal alien to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office seems to do little, as they don't act on the information and it seems to go straight into a garbage bin.
The only thing you can truly do is to become active. I'm not talking about taking to the streets, I'm talking about following who is up for election and what they're going to do about illegal aliens. Are they going to continue the status quo of continuing social services and taxpayer fund to illegal aliens or are they really going to get things done.
You can also visit places like NumbersUSA where you can sign up and send free faxes to your congressional representatives, the president and others. They track the issues and legislation heading through congress and notify you of things going on with occasional emails.
Unless more of us stand up and actually speak out rather than complaining, but doing nothing, things will remain as they are. Polls show that the majority of Americans want this problem solved...and now... but I'm guessing the majority haven't actually DONE anything other than complain.
Take a few minutes of your time to go send a few faxes. It costs nothing other than a little time.
Posted by: Digger on August 17, 2006 10:07 AM
i think all u biased people need to open your minds up and actually learn all facts, but actually there really are no for sure facts that even says how many illegal immigrants enter the states, or how much money they are supposedly "free loading", i think they come here to support there poor fammalies back home and do jobs americans wont. they are hard workers who deserve what they earn, now those who come here to do nothing to help america are here for the wrong reasons and they should be deported, but i know alot work for what they got and i respect those that do, america and dumb ass BUSH spends more money on trying to keep them out than to just keep them here, this wall is rediculous, whats it costing tax payers? billions, thats what every tax payer is crying about right? the money illegal immigrants take up from tax payers, how about how much money the government takes up from tax payers? those who work and dont do wrong i support, illegal or not, and if they have kids out here i think they deserve education why not, they had no say in where they should have been born in. i think those who oppose should look back into their family tree and see who here is actually a legal immigrant, if you say those illegals who have kids in the states should not be considered citizens. there is no set race for america, its a free country, a country for those who want change for the better in there life and those who want freedom, that is why everyone came out here and that is why they will continue to come, that is what we where taught to believe as americans if you dont like it blame our forefathers.
Posted by: dont even trip on November 3, 2006 04:02 AM
