The illegal alien apologists of the NY Times? -
As the debate over Social Security heats up, the estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year. While it has been evident for years that illegal immigrants pay a variety of taxes, the extent of their contributions to Social Security is striking: the money added up to about 10 percent of last year's surplus - the difference between what the system currently receives in payroll taxes and what it doles out in pension benefits. Moreover, the money paid by illegal workers and their employers is factored into all the Social Security Administration's projections.
First off, according to new research from the Pew Hispanic Center there are now 10.3 million illegals here (and I find even that number low), not the 7 million the Times states. Why would the Times use a low figure if the higher figure would generate even more money into the SS trust fund? Maybe, clues can be found in this paragraph? -
Most immigration helps Social Security's finances, because new immigrants tend to be of working age and contribute more than they take from the system. A simulation by Social Security's actuaries found that if net immigration ran at 1.3 million a year instead of the 900,000 in their central assumption, the system's 75-year funding gap would narrow to 1.67 percent of total payroll, from 1.92 percent - savings that come out to half a trillion dollars, valued in today's money.
See? The Times states that if we increase immigration (which is happening) then we can shore up Social Security even more. If only us damn racist conservatives would just quit making it difficult for the compesinos to be left alone. But the Times is way off in its assumptions. A new study by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) states that in Texas alone the cost of illegal immigration costs $4.65 billion -
Mass illegal immigration is costing Texas more than $4.65 billion a year finds a new report released today by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Texans, examines the fiscal costs being borne by the state to provide education, health care and incarceration for an illegal alien population now estimated to exceed 1.5 million.
Using a 1994 study published by the Urban Institute as a baseline, The Cost of Illegal Immigration to Texans looks at Census Bureau and other data to estimate the explosive growth in the size and cost of illegal immigration in the nation's second most populous state. In 2004, the annual fiscal burden of illegal immigration amounted to about $725 per Texas household headed by a native-born resident.
Let's extrapolate further and see how much it costs the US taxpayer for rampant illegal immigration versus the NY Times rosy assumptions. Let's use a FAIR study published in 2004 to get some nation-wide numbers-
1996 Costs Table from the Huddle Study 1
Programs (billions)
Public Education K-12 $5.85
Public Higher Education $0.71
ESL and Bilingual Education $1.22
Food Stamps $0.85
AFDC $0.50
Housing $0.61
Social Security $3.61
Earned Income Tax Credit $0.68
Medicaid $3.12
Medicare A and B $0.58
Criminal Justice and Corrections $0.76
Local Government $5.00
Other Programs $9.25
Total Costs $32.74
Less Taxes Paid $12.59
Net Costs of Direct Services $20.16
Displacement Costs $4.28
All Net Costs $24.44
So, $24 billion in costs minus $7 billion in increased Social Security taxes leaves us with a net cost of $17 billion to the US taxpayer. Hey, that's a pretty good investment and I don't have to pay my gardener and house-cleaner squat. Boy, I sure feel better and why should I care what these poor slobs pay to the federal government; I'm getting my money's worth. And the Times gets two shills in for the price of one: illegal immigration is a net benefit and we really don't need to reform SSI.
Comments