A solution to the immigration riddle ?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

We should allow illegal immigrants to become "guest workers" and document them and any and all non-working family members with Tax ID numbers. When they use any taxpayer funded public services like schools and emergency rooms, etc. - the government will create a bill for services which they will send back to the country of origin (often Mexico). This bill can then be used to offset trade imbalances or used as a credit against Mexican oil imports or just billed as a debt to the Mexican (or any other) government.

Additionally, the guest worker would be required to pay at least some portion of any existing service bill before being allowed to become a citizen. Any unpaid balances could be held as a debit against future Social Security payments and the like should the guest worker ever become a citizen.

This approach solves the problem of undocumented workers using social services without contributing. It makes their country of origin take some responsibility for their welfare. It makes them take some personal responsibility for their welfare. It helps to balance the books of the US.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Or, they could be given amnesty and pay regular taxes.

Much simpler.

[noahmijo]

2. I've said the solution on here a million times

It's not the only thing that needs to be done but the primary reason we have illegal immigrants is because of the demand for them. Who is the cause of the demand for them? well greedy business owners and YOU.

Greedy business owners like paying workers a buck an hour and the right to harass illegal employees as they are powerless while on the same front you like to buy fruits and vegetables and other services on the cheap.

By the way as far as illegal's cost to social services their contribution to the economy FAR exceeds that of what they take, secondly we more money in half a day in Iraq than the illegals could ever hope to pull out of America in a year's worth of "stealing social services"

[eleonora]

3. we don't get vegs for cheap

that's a lie. The savings don't pass over to the customer...the profits stop at the exec level. Go to Europe..vegs there are about the same price as here.

[noahmijo]

4. Think Vegs aren't cheap? wait till American hands are the ones doing the

labor and Execs defray the costs onto the consumer.

We DO get vegs on the cheap.

[Cleita]

6. The price of labor has nothing to do with the price of produce.

I keep posting this and hope it eventually sinks in. Produce is priced by demand. A bumper crops will get a cheaper price. A crop that is blighted will cost more because of the scarcity.

When Cesar Chavez unionized the farm workers and got them almost twice minimum wage, the prices of the produce did not go up. The efficiency of the workers did go up because they were happy with the better wages and benefits. This is documented historical fact if you care to look it up.

The only difference was in the margin of profit that the farm corporations received. Nothing came out of the consumer's pocket.

[Cleita]

5. Why is it that everyone wants to punish the poorest of the poor

by fining them, billing them and in general making them poorer?

I think you would find that they pay for most of the services they use and that they pay taxes as well like FICA and that they will never be able to access the Social Security and Medicare that those deductions pay for.

As for their children using public schools, if you ask the teachers in areas like mine with aging populations, they will telll you that the immigrant children are helping keep the schools open that ordinarily they would have to close for not having enough children. Then those children would have to travel further to go to school.

[RagingInMiami]

8. Because the poor are easy targets

People are cowards and don't have the balls to stand up to the real power structure, so they pick on the weak. Or whom they thought were the weak.

Judging by all the people on the streets, I think they seriously underestimated how "weak" they are.

[sandnsea]

7. Or we could demand employers pay their own labor costs

What the hell is wrong in a "free market" country when so many of the citizens don't get that "free market" means BUSINESS PAYS THE COST of its labor, NOT SOCIAL SERVICES. Geesh. Doesn't matter WHO works, they should earn enough to pay to see a doctor if they're sick.

How friggin' stupid are we in this country.

:banghead:

[radwriter0555]

9. Yes, but then republicans couldn't pay them slave wages & continue

with their profiteering...

You know, like the republican CEO run/owned Gulf Coast oil cos, the 2nd largest industry employing illegal workers in the USA.

It's all about cheap labor economics.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

10. Well, I did say it was a riddle and I did use a question mark

I am obviously not overly informed about this topic and probably should have refrained from posting anything at all. I actually thought the first paragraph was a pretty good idea. I agree my second paragraph is off the mark and willingly remove it.

I think the coverage I have seen does harp on the issue of social services that are used by non-taxpayers that are provided by tax-payers. I saw this mentioned over and over and this seemed to be the real thorn under the saddle of people who just wanted to deport all undocumented workers. I thought I tried to actually address that issue and not just pretend that it did not exist or had no value in the discussion.

No, I do not hate the poor and once was poor myself ($17.00 in checking, failing business, etc.etc.) I personally believe everyone in this country is one catastrophic illness away from joining their ranks at anytime. I don't consider myself as having an empathy deficit.

The real answer seems to lie obviously on the employer side of the equation. Don't know how I missed that.