Instead of calling it illegal immigration, we should be calling it a foreign invasion, because the consequences of this invasion are as terminal to our freedoms and to our way of life as any act of terrorism ever perpetrated against us!
First, let's talk about numbers. Even though the Census Bureau (CB) estimates 11 million illegal aliens live in America, the real numbers are much higher. Even CB officials admit that many illegal aliens purposely avoid the census count. A more reliable count is provided by Bear Stern. It puts the number of illegal aliens at around 20 million. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, puts the number at over 18 million.
According to Tennesseans for Responsible Immigration Policies (TNRIP), 6,000 immigrants arrive in America EVERY DAY. That equates to more than 2 million EVERY YEAR. In many communities in the Southwest, including Los Angeles, California, and Houston, Texas, Hispanics now comprise a majority of the population. But numbers of illegal aliens are quickly beginning to mount in cities throughout the United States.
For example, TNRIP documents the fact that the Hispanic population grew in three Tennessee counties by more than 70% between 2000 and 2004. In one of those counties (Robertson) it grew over 95% during that time. In seven Tennessee counties, the Hispanic population grew by more than 40%. Now, Tennessee can hardly be considered a "border state." The fact is, what is happening in Tennessee is happening all over the United States. And lest you think this is all harmless, think again!
According to TNRIP, the financial cost of this foreign invasion to U.S. taxpayers is staggering! Here is a break down of the annual costs:
Education: $22.5 billion
Bi-lingual Education: $3.3 billion
AFDC: $2.4 billion
SSI: $2.9 billion
Social Security: $24.8 billion
Housing Assistance: $2.6 billion
Criminal Justice: $2.6 billion
Jobs Lost by Americans: $10.8 billion
Other Programs: $51.4 billion
Food Stamps: $7 billion
Health Care: $1.4 billion
The first study of the net cost of illegal immigration to American taxpayers was conducted in 1997 by Dr. Donald Huddle, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Rice University. That study concluded that from 1970 to 1997, illegal immigration had cost taxpayers over $69 billion. Obviously, the financial numbers have exploded since then.
Furthermore, during 1996 alone, more than 2.3 million American workers were displaced by (mostly) illegal aliens. Harvard Professor George Borjas estimates that today American workers lose $133 billion per year in wage depression and job loss.
TNRIP warns, "Net cumulative costs for the 1998-2007 decade are projected to reach $932 billion, an average of $93.2 billion per year, even with recent changes in welfare and immigration policies and a prosperous economy, if current mass immigration trends are allowed to continue."
Secondly, consider the potential for terrorism that this foreign invasion brings. How many of these foreign invaders already have criminal records? How many are wanted on criminal charges in other countries? How many are surreptitiously snuck into the country by foreign governments? No one knows, and that includes President Bush and Hillary Clinton!
What we do know is that already a significant percentage of our federal prisoners is comprised of illegal aliens. For some prison systems, the number is around 30%. According to TNRIP, when many illegal aliens "are involved in [automobile] accidents, they simply move and obtain another license or move out of state to avoid arrest or litigation."
You see, as TNRIP notes, "the Tennessee Legislature voted in 2001 to allow illegal immigrants to obtain valid Tennessee Drivers Licenses by omitting the requirement to present a valid Social Security Card upon application even though LEGAL citizens are required by law to have their SSN on file with the state upon applying for their licenses!"
So, where is the incentive for illegal aliens to obey the law? They broke the law to come here, and they routinely break the law to stay here. And because our federal and state governments have made it so unbelievably convenient for illegal aliens to live and work in this country, they routinely do so without adherence to the laws that the rest of us must submit to.
Therefore, not only do our federal and state governments tolerate illegal immigration, they actively promote it! Why? There are several reasons.
Without elaborating on this first answer, I will respond by saying that I am convinced that there are many people in the higher echelons of our government and business leadership that desire to replace a free and independent America with a globally and regionally dependent one. In my opinion, that is what NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and FTAA are all about. It's not about fair trade; it's about outsourcing American jobs and industry and insourcing foreign workers and products, which intrinsically brings with it commercial and political dependence.
Beyond that, let's not discount the individual motivations of the two major parties. Rhetoric to the contrary notwithstanding, both the Democratic and Republican parties in Washington, D.C., desire that illegal immigration continue unabated. When it comes to illegal immigration, President Bush and Hillary Clinton are allies not adversaries. (That's true about many issues, by the way.) There is only a handful of congressmen who truly desires to restrict illegal immigration.
For Democrats, the issue is votes. They see massive numbers of illegal aliens as potential voters for Democratic candidates. For Republicans, the issue is pleasing the business community. Numerous businesses take advantage of the cheap labor that illegal immigration provides. Instead of paying Americans a fair wage for their services, they deliberately choose to hire illegal aliens whom they know will work for half the price.
There is another reason both parties in Washington, D.C., like illegal immigration. Allowing thousands of American companies to hire cheap Mexican labor keeps prices low for the American consumer, so they will not feel the burden of high taxation as acutely as we otherwise would.
If American companies were forced to pay American wages to American workers, the cost of many products and services would be noticeably higher. Couple that with an already unconscionable tax burden that absconds 40%-50% of our income, and the true cost of doing business would probably put our country into a quick depression. Such an event would no doubt seriously restrict government's ability to tax. And what both parties totally agree on is ever-growing federal spending!
Therefore, in order to beguile the American people into believing that their dollars are going as far as they go (such as it is), they must continue to import cheap foreign products and cheap foreign labor. The independence-sacrificing "free trade" deals such as NAFTA, GATT, and FTAA take care of the cheap foreign products department, while illegal immigration furnishes the cheap foreign labor part of the equation.
Of course, a truly constitutional approach to commerce would put Americans back to work, would reward American productivity, not punish it, and would significantly restrict illegal immigration, foreign nation-serving trade deals, and burgeoning government spending. However, what we do not have in Washington, D.C., these days are constitutionalists.
So, when all is said and done, there will be nothing done to restrict illegal immigration into this country. Furthermore, don't be surprised, if the final law that Congress passes and Bush signs will actually further facilitate the influx of illegal aliens and will also further facilitate a speedy process by which illegal aliens already here can become U.S. citizens.
You should also know that there is considerable momentum within the Hispanic community that truly desires to create civil unrest in America. Such people not only desire to cripple American society, they desire to reclaim vast parts of America's Southwest for Mexico. The American people may not realize it, but these people have already declared war on us. (If you doubt this, go see for yourself: http://www.mayorno.com/WhoIsMecha.html.)
I say again, we are not discussing immigration; we are discussing invasion! It is time we admitted it and treated it as such!
© Chuck Baldwin
This column is archived as http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2006/cbarchive_20060404.html
*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:
Chuck Baldwin Live Donate Form
I also have many books and DVDs available for purchase online. Go here:
Chuck Baldwin Live Store
To subscribe to my weekly columns, click here:
Subscribe to Chuck's Column
Related
|