Political ads: Fear and loathing on immigration

[pampango]

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/28/west.immigration/?hpt=Sbin

These and other appeals (from Angle and O'Donnell) heard on the campaign trail this year are inflammatory and move the immigration issue in the wrong direction. They are based on erroneous assumptions and misguided arguments. These claims play to popular fears and emotions rather than reasoned debate over the controversy.

In terms of the drain on government resources, skeptics fail to understand that many illegal immigrants actually pay taxes. They incur sales taxes on purchases, property taxes when they rent or buy homes, income taxes when they are employed, and Social Security payments for jobs. A study by the Social Security Administration, for example, found that undocumented immigrants have contributed an estimated $120 billion to $240 billion to the Social Security trust fund, even though they are ineligible to receive Social Security benefits.

It is time for candidates and political leaders to tell the real story about immigration. Even though illegal immigrants enrage many Americans, it would be prohibitively expensive to deport 11 million people. As a vivid illustration of this point, the Center for American Progress found that mass deportations would cost $285 billion over five years, or an average of $900 for every American.

If people actually are worried about government cost, they should support the creation of a pathway to citizenship based on paying back taxes, learning English and collection of a serious fine for illegal entry. Experts say that a full path to legalization would add $1.5 trillion to the American economy over the next decade. It would be cheaper to legalize illegal immigrants than keep them underground and outside the mainstream economy.

[damntexdem]

1. Undocumented workers subsidize the Social Security Trust Fund.

Using another's SS number, or a fake number, results in paying FICA taxes, with no possibility of receiving any benefits -- thus significantly subsidizing the Trust Fund, to the tune of billions of dollars a year.

[Edweird]

2. How is that better than a citizen doing the same job for a higher wage (and higher contribution)?

It's not.

[blondeatlast]

3. Many of us have known this for years. I fully support amnesty and streamlined

citizenship.

k/r for a great find.