Overcoming the costs of the welfare state is the biggest challenge faced by proponents of immigration reform. The perception that immigrants use and abuse the welfare state is prevalent just about anywhere you look. Many voters and politicians believe that immigrants drain the welfare state. So the thinking goes, any increase in immigration will increase the number of people on welfare which will increase taxes for Americans. Very few people would want to pay more taxes in that scenario, so most people are skeptical of immigration.
Even Milton Friedman once famously said, "It's just obvious you can't have free immigration and a welfare state." Unfortunately, many people have seized on that observation to conclude that we need to restrict immigration to keep the welfare state from collapsing. They ought to look at what else he went on to say about immigration:
"It's a good thing for the illegal immigrants. It's a good thing for the United States. It's a good thing for the citizens of the country. But, it's only good so long as it's illegal . . . Because as long as it's illegal the people who come in do not qualify for welfare, they don't qualify for Social Security, they don't qualify for the other myriad of benefits that we pour out from our left pocket to our right pocket."
However, Friedman need not have worried. The American welfare state is designed to aid the elderly, female, and sick. Immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, are young, male, and healthy. Therefore, undocumented immigrants account for a much smaller share of welfare spending than their population size would suggest. All immigrants are less likely to move to states with large welfare programs in recent years.
A 2006 RAND Corporation study, published in Health Affairs, found that in Los Angeles County immigrants, especially the undocumented, were about half as likely as natives to have chronic health conditions. Furthermore, while immigrants were almost half of L.A. County's population, they accounted for only one third of the region's total health care spending. A 2007 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants had many fewer doctor and hospital visits on average than native-born Americans. Another 2007 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that low-income immigrants primarily relied upon clinics and health centers for care and used emergency rooms less often than American citizens.
The 1996 welfare reform law cut back welfare access for legal immigrants and virtually ended it for all undocumented immigrants with some exceptions for emergency care. Yet even among eligible immigrants, consumption of welfare services is lower than among citizens. More recently, 57 percent of citizens eligible for Medicaid had enrolled in the program, compared to only 30 percent of eligible immigrants.
And, contrary to the fear-mongering claims of "welfare rights" activists, these cutbacks have not harmed immigrants. On the contrary, child poverty rates decreased for immigrants relative to natives after the 1996 welfare reform. That may have had a lot to do with the growing economy, but it demonstrates that limiting immigrant welfare use does not necessarily increase poverty. It turns out that a growing or shrinking economy has more to do with poverty than the welfare state.
That also presents a simple solution to the immigration impasse: Build a wall around the welfare state. Short of the preferable goal of eliminating the American welfare state, further restricting its use by immigrants, making them wait longer before they can access it, or making sure that immigrants pay a certain amount in taxes before using it, would go a long way toward convincing Americans that immigration benefits them, as well as the newcomers.
Liberals who actually care about immigration should sacrifice the welfare state, or at least immigrant access to it, as the price for allowing more immigration. That will go a long way toward convincing American voters to allow more legal immigration.
Politically, our welfare state is incompatible with increased legal immigration. The welfare state is supposed to decrease poverty, but all too often fails to do so. The average immigrant can expect a five-fold increase in his or her wages just by moving here. If liberals are concerned about poverty, and not just the relative "poverty" that exists in America, they should realize that free emigration is the best anti-poverty tool for the world's poor.
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There lies the truth about what's behind the open-border agenda - ameliorating the lives of the "world's poor." These utopian crypto-communists don't believe in America's greatness or even in the basic principles of national sovereignty or property rights. They just want to flood the developed world with billions of clamoring clawing, ravenous people until we all drown in the mire of their excess. Sounds like a real party - sign me up!
Every since we stopped investigating and controlling the make-up of households on public assistance, which happened decades ago, a very common household pattern is a female with a child or children living off rent, utility, transportation, food and medical care assistance, with allegedly unattached males living off the taxpayers through her and/or her or their children.
This is how all those "unattached males" are actually welfare recipients. And if you don't address this, you're simply puffing hot air.
Who are you folks, and what, precisely, is your real agenda? Because this is utter nonsense.
Taking into account laws, without taking into account U.S. gov involvement, like NAFTA, and Americas war on drugs being fought in the countries these migrants are forced to flee from because of Americans insaciable desire for illegal drugs, is DISHONIST, UNIFORMED, MISINFORMED BALONEY.
Yet above those remarks you spoke of the, "hundreds of thousands of illegals that drive our roads with no insurance, prosititutes and the risk of disease, and crime.
I left out your comment about 'open borders' because it is FACT that our Northern border is wide open with only 1% being secure. I also left out your remark about drug trafficers, because everyone is aware that they wouldent exist if it werent for Americans insaciable craving for illegal drugs. It's only fair to apply blame on those responsable for the existance of drug trafficers.
You also added other remarks:
1. "Many of these same individuals left their own native country to "impose" upon America."
2. "Opportuntiy or not, their earnings are as undocumented as they themselves and much of their money goes back across the border where it benefits their relatives and native country, not America."
3. "Neighborhoods largely populated with illegals exhibit higher crime demanding the attention of law enforcement (aka taxpayer-funded attention).
If it is as you state, "impossible to quote any accurate statistics on their behavior," why are you making these accusations based on opinions?
There ARE accurate statistices from credible sources on every one of your false statements, you probably just dont like them.
They get it at about a 70% rate for their anchors. To think the illegal parents don't benefit from the housing, food stamps, medical, etc for the anchors is false thinking.
Then we have many states that openly give it out to illegals. Here in my state of WA DSHS workers (state employees administrating the federal programs) are forbidden from inquiring status. Coupled with their ability to get drivers licenses here and in NM means they only need to have a false SSN to get anything from many other states too.
Why do you think the same open borders groups and politicians fight strict ID requirements for all welfare programs?
"Politically, our welfare state is incompatible with increased legal immigration."
Yet
"It turns out that a growing or shrinking economy has more to do with poverty than the welfare state."
In practical terms, America should limit immigration, since we cannot employ the people that are already here. Importing more people will worsen that situation for our people, regardless of the welfare state.
http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm
http://jimcgreevy.com/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/chart-bush-policies-dominant-cause-of-debt.php
Before Congress Dumped Immigration Reform at the Bad Advice of Extremist Groups for The January 2008 start of "Attrition", and Deportations?
Before Hundreds of Thousands of Vacated Immigrants Homes triggered the "Foreclosure Crisis?
Before entire States were largely vacated causing Construction. and Growth to Halt, costing Millions of Americans their jobs, and leaving States with massive excesses of Total Government, not just Teachers?
Before America Attacked "Hard Labor", and became a "Welfare State"?
Before Crops rotted in Fields, and Food Costs Sky Rocketed?
Before Over Five Thousand Hispanic Children were in Foster Care?
Before Thirteen Thousand Hispanic Immigrants were Incarcerated for years with out even being charged?
Before over one Hundred Non Charged, Non Criminal Immigrants Died in Custody.
Before Over Forty-two Thousand Hispanic "Human Beings" Died at the Harsh U.S. Mexico Border where I.C.E. has Deported Hundreds of Thousands into a known "Drug War", with nothing, not even water, to be killed or to Die of exposure?
Before Humanitarians in Arizona were actually Prosecuted for leaving water in the Desert for the Dying?
When America was the Home of "Good, and Brotherhood, from Sea to shining Sea?
The 2007 economy was built on false banking and a false housing bubble.
Both had nowhere to go but down and both are only applicable in an environment of massive population growth.
The economic uptick we had was destined to fail for many reasons but foremost is it was based on a ponzi scheme where the only way for it to survive was through a ever increasing population boom.
That can never occur because we are already facing shortages of just about everything we MUST have to continue any quality of life. Water, every energy product, good land, etc are all in short supply. On the other side our infrastructure can't possibly keep up. We have no places for landfills, sewage treatment plants, etc. We are paving over farmland at an alarming rate - soon we will also need to be a food importer.
Go visit china or india - let us know how you like mass humanity and how those countries deal with their poor? I would hope you would want better for our poor. Since we can't possibly even care for those we have, why do you hate them so much that you want them to have to share what little they get with millions more poor from other countries?
Our Economy has Crashed as a Direct Result of our January 2008 "Attrition" Attack on Hard Labor.
Fact: For Every Good Hard Working Immigrant we have Deported, or Incarcerated America has lost over Four times as many American Jobs!
Every Stimulus, Bail Out, Cash for Clunkers, Jobs Bill, Mortgage Program, ect. has occurred by two Presidents thus far at the Bad Advice of "academic Superstars", and it has only been Treating the Symptoms of the Deportation/"Attrition" Damage to our Economy.
This Great Nation of Immigrants was built on Far Better Principles, and Values than to rip apart Good, Christian Families, and Deport Parent away from their legal Citizen Children or Families.
Give these Children ,Our own Citizen Children a Fair Chance to become Academic Superstars!
They can hardly do worse than those who's "Attrition" has Crashed, and Divided our Country.
"Attrition", and I.C.E. Put the car in the Ditch.
To: Good, and Brotherhood, from Sea to shining Sea.
Before the Recession?
Before our New wonderful Deficit?
Before our now Welfare State?
Before Hundreds of Thousands of Homes were vacated, and before the "Foreclosure Crisis"?
Before over Five Thousand legal Hispanic Children were placed in Foster Care?
Before Thirteen Thousand Hispanics were Incarcerated for years with out charges?
Before Over One Hundred Hispanic Immigrants Died in Custody?
Before Over Forty-two Thousand Hispanic "Human Beings" Died at the Harsh U.S. Mexico Border where I.C.E. has Deported/Dumped Hundreds of Thousands of "Human's" with nothing, not even water into a known "Drug War", to be killed, or to Die of the Elements?
Before Humanitarians in Arizona were actually Prosecuted for leaving water in the Harsh Desert for the Dying?
Remember Good?
"Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall Obtain Mercy."
To: God Blessing America.
January 2008 was the start of "The Worst Recession in U.S. History", our New Wonderful Deficit, and Yes the Welfare State formerly known as the Greatest Nation on Earth.
Before the Deportations, Incarcerations, and "Attrition" of America's Hardest, Most Devoted workers, who's crime was to have a "Dream" to one day be able to be one of us, an "American."
"America is great because it is good, when it ceases to be good, it ceases to be great."
Alex De Tocqueville
Ripping apart Good, Hard Working Families, and Deporting Good Christian Parents away from their legal Citizen Children, or Families, Is Not GOOD!
"Attrition", and I.C.E. Put the Car in the Ditch.
This Great Nation of Immigrants was Built on Far Better Principles, and Values than "Attrition"!
We must Remember what made us be the Country that People are willing to risk all, including their very lives to be a part of!
To: Good/Prosperity? They go Hand in Hand!