‘ “There Are Known Unknowns” ‘
Apr 11th, 2008 | By Michel Marizco | Category: General News, Immigration, Organized Crime, Politics
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THE BORDER REPORT
The phrase is usually reserved for the Iraq War; but these days it fits quite nicely into illegal immigration (should I start capitalizing illegal immigration? Like so: Illegal Immigration? Like War on Terror, or War on Drugs. Something snazzier maybe? War on Mojados? Thoughts?)
The New York Times has noticed that with tax day coming, there are millions of people in the U.S. who won’t be getting a return even though they had taxes withheld because they’re afraid to file their returns for fear of deportation.
I propose there’s a more practical reason why the poor bastards are going to get jacked out of hundreds of dollars – the Social Security numbers they use belong to other people, usually dead ones.
Follow me.
From age 14 to 30, I worked every blue collar gig you can think of; bussing tables, pouring drinks, mopping floors, mowing lawns, digging ditches, slinging ice (no, not that kind; relax guys) and cleaning horseshit; in no particular order.
I cannot tell you how many illegal migrants I worked with in those 16 years. Dozens, for sure, maybe more. But nearly every one had “papers,” usually a Social Security card drawn off some presumably dead taxpayer (I can recall entire debates standing around in a hot kitchen, protesting that Felipe looked more like a Marcos so he and Marcos should trade out SSNs). I say presumably dead because I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone filing a complaint with the IRS about an extra $22,000 that appear on their income filings and while I suppose it’s possible, I’m betting that most of those tax return recipients were long past caring.
It leads me to wonder a few things:
How much are illegal immigrants propping up the Social Security Fund?
And, putting on my tinfoil hat again, if the Feds were indeed serious about controlling illegal immigration, does it not stand to reason that this is an easy way to do so? How hard could it be to run a quick process of elimination between SSNs and death certificates?
Unless of course, it’s simply easier to ignore the problem because it’s not perceived as a problem at all.
The Times’ story puts the amount of money illegal immigrants pay into the federal pot at $9 billion. I have my doubts. If that number is based off the Census Bureaus’ rough-rough-rough estimation of 7 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country, it’s gotta be much higher.
I contend the Feds, and by extension, the rest of us, find it convenient to jack these people out of their federal tax returns and simply ignore the entire fiasco.
tell me about it.
[Reply]
Michel: I agree with you. Soc Sec, which is borrowed from daily by the fed gov, does not want any of us to know that that billions of $$ yearly are being contributed by los illegales. That huge slush fund is so needed by Tio Sam. Not to mention, the fed and state taxes never refunded. But still, over all, the health, education & welfare cost of the illegals is greater that they contribute.
[Reply]
you’re not talking about all the ilegals, are you?
[Reply]
ilegal: No, I can’t be talking about all illegals, because, as the referenced New York Times article points out, some illegals, like the guy in Tennessee, voluntarily, (if you can believe the article), pays his tax each year.
[Reply]
Richard writes: “But still, over all, the health, education & welfare cost of the illegals is greater that they contribute.”
Where do you find information that backs this statement up?
Illegals, if that’s the noun we’re using here, do not receive welfare nor food stamps. As far as education, we’ve already established that they pay a share of both Federal and State taxes which most do not get back because they don’t file returns. Even if they are not paying property tax directly, they contribute to those taxes through any rent they pay. And as for medical, I believe they only receive that in an emergency. If anything those Ilegals who are law abiding (other than their alien status), work and raise families here are less a drain on public welfare coffers than lower income citizens.
[Reply]
Gail: You’re forgetting about the “anchor babies” whose mom’s get all the benefits for their U. S. born children. Your forgetting about the “undocumented persons” who go to the emergency room for everything, then don’t pay. Hospitals are closing because of this. States are passing new laws to halt this. Duh! That’s my info to back it up. There’s much more info than this.
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Anchor babies? United States citizens born of foreign parents? And what marvelous benefits they bring to their mother! We’ve turned over all our taxes and wealth to the very rich both directly and indirectly and put our country in hock for generations and then waste our time directing our resentment towards the poor and complain about every little scrap those in need may get.
You probably also believed in the welfare queen driving around in her black caddy. Duh!
Our emergency room health care model is certainly a problem and you are correct that it has helped break the system but illegal immigration is not the cause of the US health care problems, it is just one of the causes. If all non-paying non citizens disappeared from the system overnight we would still have a tremendous health care problem Duh!
[Reply]
Get real, will you, please, Mr. Richard Hudson!
There ain’t no such thingys under current US Immigration Laws.
But if they were, I’d be among the first to cuddle them.
Wouldn’t you?
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