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| 2009-05-03 register | login | ||
Relates to: Dupnik needs to step downassumptionI don't think that 'undocumented immigrants drain our system immensely' is an accurate assumption, even though it seems to be widely held. Undocumented immigrants usually are working, buying groceries (so paying sales taxes), renting apartments (so contributing towards property taxes) and often having taxes deducted from their paychecks which they will never benefit from, as they are denied most government benefits such as social security. Not to mention the profit the businesses that hire them make from the result of their labor. How does a working resident of our city 'drain the system' so much just because they lack paperwork? Actually with our aging population, the undocumented immigrants are probably contributing an above-average percentage into the system.The problem is not that they are draining the system, the problem is that because of the lack of documentation hospitals may have trouble being reimbursed as they are not covered by health insurance. This is a problem of lack of equal protection under the law, not one of taking advantage. Generally only strong capable persons are able to make the difficult trek across the border, and they do so in search of work, not services. A simple solution to the 'drain the system' issue would be to just legalize the large worker population and create a legal channel for more workers to come here, perhaps with the requirement that they prepurchase health insurance before arriving, and maybe pay a one time fee into the public school system if they bring children. This would be less onorous than the current non-system, and less dangerous for all involved. As to the issue of competition for jobs, I'd like to see the government provide small business grants to citizens and long time residents so that they could profit from the influx of cheap labor rather than competing with it. Alternatively, additional grants for continuing education in affected populations would provide another channel for self-improvement for any workers who feel they are impacted by competition. All the problems can be solved with mutual respect and some creativity. There is no need to attack entire parts of our community. " |
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