anastrophe wrote: i'd say the biggest reason they won't address it is because they *can't* address it - not without a disaster for the US economy.
without the migrant farm workers, we'd be paying $10 for a carrot. $20 for a box of strawberries. $30 for a carton of mushrooms.
you get the picture. seal our borders, and our economy will collapse, period.
that's the view from this consiberal libservative.
I'll have to disagree with you about collapsing the economy due to expensive vegetables. If you want to talk about real costs look at these laws all signed into law:
1. Authorizing Full Federal Reimbursement to States for the Cost of Incarcerating Illegal Alien Felons (Amendment by Congressman Gallegly)
An amendment to H.R. 667, the Violent Criminals Incarceration Act of 1995, authorized $500 million appropriated in FY 1996, and $650 million from FY 1997 to FY 2000, for federal reimbursement to states for the cost of incarcerating illegal alien felons. California incurs over $350 million a year in such expenses. This authorization language was incorporated by the House into H.R. 2076, the FY 1996 Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Act, which was vetoed by President Clinton. It was later included in H.R. 3019, the FY 1996 Omnibus Appropriation Act, which was signed into law on April 26, 1996.
2. Tripled Funding to States for Incarcerating Illegal Immigrant Felons
H.R. 2076, the FY 1996 Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Act provided $500 million to reimburse states for the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrant felons, a $375 million increase over the previous year. Although H.R. 2076 was vetoed, Congress included full funding for prison reimbursement in H.R. 3019, the Omnibus Appropriation Act. H.R. 3610, the FY 1997 Omnibus Appropriations Act, maintains the $500 million level achieved for FY 1996, as well as providing California with the flexibility to use other federal prison-building grants to cover the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrant felons.
3. Increased Funding for Border Enforcement Operations
H.R. 2076, the FY 1996 Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Act, increased funding for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) by $300 million, providing for 1,000 additional INS agents to be hired, trained and based on the border in 1996. In addition, 300 additional INS inspectors were funded in the bill. Although H.R. 2076 was vetoed by President Clinton, Congress included border control funding in H.R. 3019, the Omnibus Appropriation Act. H.R. 3610, the FY 1997 Omnibus Appropriations Act, further increases INS funding by $443 million, funds 1,100 new border patrol agents (400 more than requested by the President), targets $114 million to deport illegal aliens, adds 2,700 more detention beds to hold illegals until deportation, and targets $405 million to detain illegal immigrants that smuggle drugs.
Now, let's look at laws either vetoed by Clinton or killed by the Senate:
1. Establishing Federal Government Policy that Illegal Immigrants Do Not Qualify for Medicaid Health Care Benefits
The conference report on H.R. 2491, the Balanced Budget Act of 1995, included a provision specifically prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid health care benefits. States were given the flexibility to permit such immigrants, who would qualify for Medicaid benefits in the state, to receive emergency health care benefits under the program. A special $3.5 billion Medicaid fund would be established to reimburse hosptials for these health care services.
2. Allowing States to Decide Whether to Provide Free Public Education to Illegal Immigrants (Amendment by Congressman Gallegly)
As passed by the House, H.R. 2202, the Immigration in the National Interest Act, included a provision to reverse the Supreme Court’s Plyler v. Doe decision making free public education an entitlement for illegal immigrants. The Plyler decision led District Court Judge Pfaelzer to strike down Proposition 187's bar on free education for illegal immigrants, which costs California $1.7 billion each year. After President Clinton threatened to veto any provision granting California the right to address this unfunded mandate, the provision was dropped.
3. Federal Reimbursement to States for the Cost of Health Care to Illegal Immigrants
The conference report on H.R. 2491, the Balanced Budget Act of 1995, was amended by the House to provide $3.5 billion over 5 years to states hit hard by emergency health care costs for illegal immigrants. California hospitals were expected to receive $1.7 billion of these illegal immigrant health care reimbursement funds. This funding, championed in the House Commerce Committee by Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Imperial Beach), represents the first time that Congress provided any special assistance to the states for illegal immigrant health care costs.
So, American taxpayers - you are taking it in the shorts. Let's not even talk about these snippets:
Hot on the heels of the controversial new law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, California lawmakers have sent two more bills to Governor Davis that aim to increase government benefits for illegals.
New data show that a large part of California's budget deficit can be attributed to the negative fiscal impact of immigration.
One of the bills would waive community college tuition fees for between 1,500 and 2,000 illegal immigrants. In other words, illegals get a free two-year college education courtesy of the California taxpayer, while citizens are forced to pay their own way. The other bill would allow illegal immigrants to use Mexican consular identification cards to gain access to various local government programs. Democratic State Senator Gilbert Cedillo, a strong proponent of the bills, says that the measures represent a "watershed year for California democracy."
He failed to acknowledge, however, that immigration is also partially responsible for the waterfall of red ink that is drowning the state.
Writing on VDARE.com, Ed Rubenstein, president of ESR Research Economic Consultants and a noted public policy statistician, has calculated the net cost of immigrants, both illegal and legal, on the California budget. According to Rubenstein, based on the array of state subsidy and spending programs, immigrants in California receive about $9.3 billion more in state expenditures than they pay in state taxes. He concludes that "nearly one-quarter (24.5 percent) of California's current $38 billion state budget deficit stems directly from immigration." Rubenstein's aggregate figures seem plausible when one considers the cost of immigration to specific government programs.
The illegal immigrant prison population in California is growing. From
1999-00 to 2002-03, the prison population of illegals in the state, based on inmate days in prison, grew by 31 percent. This increase resulted in a more than half-billion-dollar hit to the state budget in 2002-03.
Like the state, local governments are facing immigration-related fiscal nightmares. In May, the Los Angeles county health department estimated that it spends $340 million annually to treat illegal immigrants who seek emergency or follow-up care in county hospitals. Because of severe budget shortfalls, the county is cutting services and planning to close hospitals.
County supervisor Mike Antonovich warns, "With our health-care delivery system on the verge of collapse . . . the issue of illegal immigrants impacts our ability to balance our budget." The Legislative Analyst's Office estimates that more than half a billion dollars in state General Fund money went to pay for illegal-immigrant health-care costs in 2002-03.
Need I say more?
