Cast of Characters:



Karen
Enkidu (AKA Slim)
Beowolf (AKA Wolfie)
Blaze (AKA Blaze)

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

On illegal immigrants and social security

I recently got this in an email forwarded to me by my parents, forwarded to them from my uncle:

>> Subject: Social Security Changes--- Important ! ! ! ! ! !
>> SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES
>>
>>
>>
>> It does not matter if you personally like or dislike Bush. You need to
>> sign this petition and flood his e-mail box with e-mails that tell him
>> that, even if the House passes this bill, he needs to veto it. It is
>> already impossible to live on Social Security alone. If the government
>> gives benefits to 'illegal' aliens who have never contributed, where does
>> that leave those of us who have paid into Social Security all our working
>> lives?
>> As stated below, the Senate voted this week to allow 'illegal' aliens
>> access to Social Security benefits.
>> Attached is an opportunity to sign a petition that requires citizenship
>> for eligibility to that social service.
>>
>> Instructions are below. If you don't forward the petition and just stop
>> it, we will lose all these names.
>>
>> If you do not want to sign it, please just forward it to everyone you
>> know.
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> To add your name, click on 'forward'. Address it to all of your email
>> correspondents, add your name to the list and send it on.
>>
>> When the petition hits 1,000, send it to comment@whitehouse.gov
>>
>> PETITION for President Bush:
>>
>> Dear Mr President:
>> We, the undersigned, protest the bill that the Senate voted on recently
>> which would allow illegal aliens to access our Social Security. We
>> demand that you and all Congressional representatives require citizenship
>> as a pre-requisite for social services in the United States .
>>
>> We further demand that there not be any amnesty given to illegals, NO
>> free services, no funding, no payments to and for illegal immigrants.
>>
>> We are fed up with the lack of action about this matter and are tired of
>> paying for services to illegals.

[944 signatures]


This sort of attitude bugs me.

Actually, many illegal aliens are paying into the system every day. If they work at Burger King, for example, they have either a legit Tax ID number or an illegally acquired social security number. Either way, money is taken out of every paycheck for social security. Many of these same illegal immigrants don't realize how many services are in fact available to them or are afraid of being turned into the ICE, so they often don't take advantage of social services.

These same illegal immigrants are also paying into the economy. Regardless of how they acquire their money, they are purchasing groceries, clothing and other goods just like everyone else. They pay the same sales tax as everyone else.

So, whether you like the idea of illegal immigrants or not, it's important to realize that they, as a group, are not just leeches on our society (though there are certainly those who abuse the system, just like there are many natural born Americans who do so).

And frankly, they are human beings too. It's not their fault that they were born on the wrong side of the border. Also they aren't coming with guns to systematically murder the current inhabitants as most Americans' ancestors did! I think I prefer the current pattern of immigration to that of the Europeans of the first century and a half of this country!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Karen, unfortunately, most of the illegal aliens may not come here to be leeches, but our social system funds, hospital emergency room funds, pregancy and birth costs, and many criminals coming here illegally are costing us billions in California alone. I know I would try to come if I were in their shoes, but we do need to push back and not encourage them to come.

Anonymous said...

Old (2006) misinformed/misleading news reborn. (BTW, the so called petition closed in September 2007.)

http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/socialsecurity.asp
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/petition.asp
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/313990403

Karen said...

Integrate the good people into society and send the violent offenders back where they came from. Who are we as the children of unrestricted immigration to challenge the immigration of others who are just looking for a better life for themselves and their families?

Anonymous said...

Yes, they are humans and they can be humans in their own country. When an illegal immigrant "steals" a social security number to obtain a job they ARE committing fraud and hurting the SSN owners credit and jeopardizing the owners ability to collect SS benefits. To say they are helping sustain our SS system is naive and shortsighted.

Unknown said...

I only have a problem with those who steal someone elses birth certificate or social security card identification. we found out when my son went to get a loan to start a business that there was more than one person other than him using his ID, there were medical bills over ten thousand dollars ran up and not paid for in another state and that was only the start. He is a hard worker, honest, with a young family and he cant buy a house, car, or get a credit card. Okay come in droves if you want, work and get paid under the table if that is what you have to do but dont ruin the American dream for someone else by running up bills and debt on someone elses dime. step up and pay your bills. How many illegals even apply the legal way to get into the usa before running across the border or paying some criminal to steal the american dream away from someone else to give it to them. Just my thoughts.

Karen said...

Annie,

I agree with you. The immigrants should be able to pursue a better life, but they shouldn't be stealing other people's identities!

Anonymous said...

Illegal immigrants are JUST THAT ILLEGAL!
Get it , got it, good!
Many of them don't LOVE this Country.. THEY USE it!
Get your heads out of your asses and WAKE up!
The REASON YOU don't have money for health care for YOUR children is because THEY are eating all of it up with their anchor4 babies.. THIS country struggled to get where we are!
Let the ILLEGALS do it in their OWN! Get the hell out of MY country and if you WANT to be a citizen here, then do it LEGALLY like the rest of our ancestors did!

Anonymous said...

and to Karen.. they are ALL criminals.. do you understand that??? They BROKE the LAW! WE have LAWS in this Country ,if YOU broke a law you would go to jail!
If you feel so damn sorry for them than you should go live in THEIR country and give them OUR paycheck evey week!
Some people in this Country are so dam foolish that it is scary!

Karen said...

Anonymous (from October 13),

Thank you for that highly intellectual comment.


St. Augustine: "An unjust law is no law at all."