Immigration has been a heated debate for the past five years, and with all of the stuff happening down in Juarez I'm sure most of you have a chosen a side, so to say. Well state Rep. Leo Berman says that the state pays too much to provide services to undocumented immigrants and their children. So Berman filed a proposal that would deny state services to undocumented children and their American-born children.
Now, is this the right thing to do? Deny services, basically to children? Honestly, I'm on the fence with this proposal. No, because children who can't be taken care of because their parents can't take care of them for some reason or another needs help. But that's kind of where my sympathy stops.
Look, I'm all for people, no matter where they are from, coming to America to make a better lives for themselves, but for god sakes, do it legally! Don't come to America to work, get paid under the table, not pay taxes, send your money back to Mexico, and not contribute a single thing to society! But most of all learn at least some English! At least enough to get by. If you are not going to do that, then good riddance! You or your children don't need to be taken care of! Leave the money for the people who do contribute.
So to Mr. Breman, I think your proposal is a risky one, but I agree with what you are trying to do. No matter how harsh it sounds.
http://www.texastribune.org/topics/immigration/
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Texas’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers more than $4.7 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to more than $3.7 billion per year. The annual fiscal burden amounts to about $725 per Texas household headed by a native-born resident.
ReplyDeleteI see that this data looks at the costs to the state for education, health care and incarceration resulting from illegal immigration. These three are the largest cost areas, and they are the same three areas analyzed in a 1994 study conducted by the Urban Institute, which provides a useful baseline for comparison ten years later. Other studies have been conducted in the interim, showing trends that support the conclusions of this report.
Other significant costs associated with illegal immigration exist, and these too should be taken into account by federal and state officials. Even without accounting for all of the numerous areas in which costs associated with illegal immigration are being incurred by Texas taxpayers, the program areas analyzed in this study indicate that the burden is substantial and that the costs are rapidly increasing.
The fiscal costs of illegal immigration do not end with these three major cost areas. The total costs of illegal immigration to the state’s taxpayers would be considerably higher if other cost areas such as special English instruction, welfare programs used by the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, or welfare benefits for American workers displaced by illegal alien workers were also calculated.
Texas has also voluntarily adopted insane policies that add to the cost burdens of illegal immigration. While all states are compelled under a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision to provide a free K-12 education to all children, irrespective of their immigration status, they are under no obligation to subsidize education beyond that point. Nevertheless, the Texas legislature and Governor Perry have decided to grant in-state tuition benefits at public colleges and universities to illegal aliens.
It is unreasonable for a state to expect federal assistance to compensate for the fiscal burden of illegal immigration if it is pursuing policies that encourage illegal aliens to come and remain in the state.
I believe Mr. Breman's proposal is on target
http://www.texastribune.org/topics/immigration/
The blog “Immigration” by jasonhol24 written on Tuesday April 13, 2010 discuss the controversial issue of immigration in America. Jasonhol24 writes his blog about an immigration article written by the Texas Tribune. I completely respect jasonhol23’s point of view, however I feel that this blog is not well researched and that some of the opinions expressed are not what it means to be an American.
ReplyDeleteTo begin lets look at the history of the United States and of Texas. It wasn’t long ago that Texas belonged to Mexico, and Americans were immigrants to Mexico. Furthermore, we don’t live in the Republic of Texas but in the United States of America which was built on immigration. As an American I proudly believe in the inscription on the Statue of Liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Who are we to claim immigration as legal or illegal after the way Americans slaughtered and took this land away from Native Americans?
Focusing directly on Jasonhol24’s blog he states, “Don't come to America to work, get paid under the table, not pay taxes, send your money back to Mexico, and not contribute a single thing to society!” I agree that everyone should pay taxes, but instead of proposing to deny state services to undocumented workers and their AMERICAN-BORN (as in LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS) why not offer work visas. The people are already here. Hunting them down and sending them back only adds to our tax burden. The statement “and not contribute a single thing to society!” is something I strongly disagree with because illegal immigrants pay rent, buy food, purchase cars, and they pay sales taxes on everything they buy (maybe another reason to consider a fair tax system). Unlike outsourcing where the jobs and money goes directly to another country. I understand that providing services to undocumented works cost tax payers money, but no one gives accurate numbers. According to the article “Study: Illegal immigrants’ care costs state $677 million” some argue that reports are inflated and others argue that with sales tax contributions the services pay for themselves. I must say that spending $677 million a year for the health care of illegal immigrants who put money back into the American economy and do the jobs most people aren’t willing to do is nothing compared to how much we spend on the war which contributes nothing to U.S. economy not even oil.
Lastly, I don’t understand why speaking English has anything to do with providing state services to undocumented children. I must agree that the language of the United States is English and that as such everyone should make an attempt to learn English. However, denying services because you don’t know how to speak English is ridiculous. In several Texas cities there are entire neighborhoods with street signs written in Chinese. Once again the U.S. is built on immigration and was built as free country where people have the freedom of speech. Not freedom of speech in the English Language!