Compare & Contrast

Hokay,

Today we're going to take a look at some of the odd cognitive dissonance that seems to attach to the illegal immigration issue.

Michael Hiltzik wrote an LA times piece on Dec. 15th entitled "The Truth About Illegal Immigrants". Mr. Hiltzik s one of these big business pro-illegal immigration asshats I am so particularly fond of. He tries to strike a dispassionate tone in this article but his love of slaves leaks out toward the end of the piece... (read more tripe here)

Implicitly, this calls for a realistic immigration policy — not necessarily a full amnesty for those who came here illegally, but some recognition that their presence sets the groundwork for a fuller contribution to the economy, such as a guest worker program with the promise of a green card under certain circumstances — very like the Bush administration's proposed temporary worker program, but perhaps more generous.

In the long run, won't that be more profitable than trying to corral them all and ship them home, only to wonder once they're gone how to fill the jobs they were doing while they were here?

I don't think it's possible to be more generous than President Bush when it comes to ILLEGAL immigration. I find it interesting that these big biz folks always see this as predominantly a profit driven issue. As terry Anderson once asked me "do we have an economy or a culture?"

Mr. Hiltzik says this earlier in the piece...

What's important about the report is that by deflating numerous myths about illegal immigration it underscores the genuine issues and points us toward the best policies to address them. Chief among its findings is this: Immigration, legal or illegal, while imposing net fiscal costs on this state, produces a net economic benefit for the country.

As we say in deep dish pizza country, hokay-then. Mr. Miztlpik (oh wait, that's a supervillian) Mr. Hiltzik makes a wildly general statement here, I see no hard or concrete figures. Just some drivel about how ILLEGAL immigrants cost the state a boatload of dough but mysteriously make the Fed even more money somehow.

Coincidence, ain't it a bitch?

So I click over to Newsmax and what should I see? An article detailing the costs to the state and counties in sunny California.

Shhh, let's listen in...

A study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated that in 2004 the annual uncompensated cost of medical care for illegal immigrants in California was $1.4 billion. Total uncompensated educational, health care and incarceration costs were estimated to be 10.5 billion.

For 12 states, the government pays hospitals for providing emergency services to illegal aliens. In 2005, the state of California got $70 million to help with dismal shortfalls. California's San Diego County was about $100 million in the red and Los Angeles County about $140 million.

Many California hospitals cannot afford to absorb costs and many are forced to close
due to financial mandates for treating illegal immigrants. As recently reported, 84 California hospitals are closing their doors forever. Hospital closure degrades health care to all in the community and results in job losses.

Federal laws provide states incentives to provide Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants. All state Medicaid programs offer an endless list of services, with some states, such as Florida, literally including the kitchen sink if home repairs and maintenance are needed. Only four states check for citizenship before awarding Medicaid. California escalated – in one year – from 450,000 illegal aliens on Medi-Cal (California's version of Medicaid) in 2002 to 750,000 in 2003.

Medi-Cal covers well-baby maternity care, delivery expenses and long-term care that are incurred for children born to illegal immigrants. Thus "anchor babies" become medical insurance policies.

Interesting, these costs that Mr. Hitzlik so cavalierly waves aside look like quite a pile of loot to me, but I'm just a blue collar guy, I probably don't know what the hell I'm taking about.

But I'll take a stab. 11.9 billion with a B, is what illegals are costing California. Remind me, what's the current deficit in sunny Ca? And of course that's just California, though they lead in total numbers of illegals Chicago is no slouch with an estimated 500,000, each and every one of whom my governor will cheerfully throw me over for.

84 hospitals are closing due to the unrecouped costs of illegals, so people in those communities find their quality of life diminished due to the presence of illegals. What price does one place on that? More travel time to hospitals means more people die on the way. Hard to put a dollar figure on these things, but to the guy dying in the back of an ambulance it's probably priceless.

How many people are employed at the average hopital? A couple of hundred easy and these are good paying jobs. Don't you worry though, I'm sure the laid off employees can find work in the burgeoning corrections field as ILLEGAL immigrants account for slightly more than 2/3 of all prisoners in California's massively overcrowded prisons.

And of course the free health care. How many citizens could be helped with that money? each dollar spent is stolen from a citizen that paid in to the system and should receive these benefits, not the person here illegally, who doesn't pay into the system, and they don't folks, I've run businesses with high illegal counts, most are off the books, kinda hard to pay taxes when you don't get a check, hokay?

They didn't even mention an enormous cost associated with illegal immigration. Edumacation. Of course piles of money are spent, of which every dollar spent is a dollar taken away from the child of a citizen. But there are other costs, the children of illegal immigrants are often unprepared for school and thusly more demanding of the teachers time. Every minute spent is a minute taken away from a citizen's child who actually pays for the service.

The media in their finite wisdom would have us believe that ILLEGAL immigration is an unalloyed good, which is ridiculous on it's face. All you have to do is open your paper or flip on the news to put the lie to that statement. But in their little liberal fantasy world, since you cannot have absolutes or pass judgement on anything with the notable exception of Conservatives, they cannot ever admit that they have led us down a primrose path, and where that path leads no one knows.

Unfortunately Conservatives and republicans are no better. They would have you believe that America cannot survive without slaves. That this amazing, creative country can do no better than importing slaves and chattels to further enrich the wealthiest among us.

But hey, that's just me.

What say you?

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