Comments on: Simple Solutions: The Immigration Crisis

by: SG

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 23:38:56 +0000

Easy one first– Small Man asks why illegal immigrants who are paying taxes using fictitious SSANs can’t file tax returns using those numbers. The SSANs in question are not “fictitious” as such– they are valid numbers, and the Social Security Administration and IRS will accept payments using them (e.g. tax and FICA sent in by the employer) but they are not associated with real names and addresses, so a tax return would not be processed. In some cases the numbers are fully genuine, and associated with a real person who at some point was issued the number, so a return is not a real good idea. When payments are made only the name and number are reported. Employers will occasionally get a letter saying that a number is invalid, “please correct.” But of course they don’t actually have to do anything.

There is no question that we should be more hospitable to our neighbors, and correctly distributed aid can really help. It’s not just the money tied up in the Iraqi Adventure, it’s the underlying principles– we have no hesitation in actually supporting corrupt and tyrannical regimes in some countries (countries where there is a big market for our products, or which can provide cheap labor for our industries) but don’t hesitate to invade Iraq to “save” its people. You’re certainly right when you suggest that the US can’t use simple solutions, but hopefully the word never is an overstatement. The problem is in the definition of “US” which in this context means the current administration. Why initiate a simple solution when you can make a whole bunch of money with a partial, complex solution to a problem you have invented yourself. It all comes down to the voters, ultimately, and the one thing that is certain in all this is that they can’t make the right decisions, and certainly can’t mandate the simple solutions, if they don’t understand the problem to start with or have been lied to about it. Wait! Just thought of another solution to the Mexican problem. Let’s invade Mexico, save it from itself, and then… let’s give it to Canada!

by: Small man in a big world

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 23:36:58 +0000

I like the solutions you have provided for the so-called “Immigration Crisis” of Mexicans entering the US illegally. The simple solutions are just that, “simple”, therefore the US will never be able to use these solutions. I wonder if SG could further provide solutions to “change things so that they (Mexicans) don’t want or need to come here to find work” in the US. What things can be changed? Shouldn’t we be more hospitable to our neighbors and help enrich their country and lives, instead of spending billions liberating Iraq? Could SG also explain further why illegal immigrants cannot use their fictitious social security number to file a tax return?

by: SG

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 23:35:27 +0000

UPDATE…

In discussions about our “immigration problem” the Mexican government has been criticized for insisting that any immigration “accord” with the US must recognize the contribution that Mexican immigrants make to the US economy. According to Ruben Navarette, Jr., writing in the Dallas News, Mexicans in the US contributed $14 BILLION to the MEXICAN economy (money sent home). This is in the context of the Mexican goverment making it difficult for US resident Mexicans to vote in Mexican elections. There is no indication of what percentage of that $14 billion is sent by illegal immigrants, and we can only guess that it is substantial. The other “argument” that has been raised in the press recently is that a substantial proportion of illegal immigrants are contributing nothing in the way of taxes because they are in the “underground cash economy.” That underground cash economy is real, and legal immigrants and even citizens participate in it.