Immigration is a tough issue to take on. A sacred right it seems that no one, most especially any one single member of Congress, is willing to address. Yet its impact on the United States is staggering. From employment, to the environment, to infrastructure, education…you name it, immigration takes its toll. To be sure, there are many positive benefits to a rigid immigration system that allows for individuals to come to the United Sates and bring with them desperately needed skills. Today however we have programs like the “Diversity Lottery” that allow 55,000 individuals from two dozen nations to get priority access to a “green card” or permanent residency based not on skills but on ethnicity and national origin. This program fulfills an imaginary need for more unskilled labor from Taiwan or North Korea. It is predicated on the false claim that America needs more diversity. It does not. We need to manage the diversity we have already, better helping immigrants to assimilate and contribute to the common good.
America desperately needs an immigration time-out. Here are five reasons why immigration to the US must be temporarily halted immediately.
1. With 14 million unemployed Americans in the worst recession since the great depression we cannot afford the luxury of adding 1.5 million new workers and their families each year. Until the US stabilizes its economy and finds work for the existing citizens and permanent residents, it has no business allowing more immigrants to settle here.
2. According to the 2008 US Census Bureau projections America will grow from 308 million people to 400 million people in 2040. That is a 33% increase in population in just 30 years and per a Pew Research study, 82% of it comes from immigration and births to immigrants. That is a number equivalent to the entire population of the western US today, added in just 30 years. The drain on infrastructure and impact on education is enormous particularly in California where we must construct a new school every single day in perpetuity just to handle the influx of children to legal and illegal immigrants.
3. It is not just infrastructure that is impacted but the environment also takes a big hit. In a world gone mad over Global Warming the last thing we should be doing is increasing everyone’s carbon footprint. Right? Yet according to a study conducted by Californians for Population Stabilization, immigrants to the US quickly become Americanized and their carbon emissions skyrocket (see video below). The result is a quadrupling of immigrants' carbon footprint compared to the amount of carbon emissions they produced in their home countries. California is quickly becoming an environmental nightmare and while immigrants should not be blamed entirely for this, every bit of impact needs to be reviewed and analyzed before more people are added.
4. Economics is another area for review. Are immigrants, both legal and illegal a net gain or a net drain on the economy? Statistics seem to suggest that immigrants, at least initially, are indeed an expense to the taxpayer. At one time, immigrants needed to prove they had a job and a means to support themselves and their families. We need a return to those policies.
5. Stabilizing the population of the United States and in particular states like California needs to be a primary concern for all Americans. This state is broke. It got here by taxing the daylights out of its working citizens and giving the money to people whom either shouldn’t be here or should be paying their own way. Unchecked population growth is not only irresponsible it is downright dangerous to those who live and work here.
Immigration to the United States is not a right, though it seems there are many who believe it is. Their political motivations couldn’t be more clear. Every immigrant that comes into the country, legal or illegal, will one day vote for the politicians and the party that brought them here or gives them the most free stuff. How else can you explain the outright unwillingness by members of Congress to address this issue? You have to answer the question: Who Benefits? Those who are paying for the goodies will continue to lose.
The answer is an immigration “time-out” for two to five years so we can analyze who is here, what they are contributing to or taking from the taxpayer and what having them here does for this once great nation before it too falls into the third world abyss of poverty, overpopulation and crime. I am all for a rigid immigration process that allows for a careful replacement of the roughly 200,000 Americans we lose each year (net births over deaths). A process that is not based on race or ethnicity but on the long-term survival of the greatest nation this world has ever known for without this, its days are numbered.
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Comments
The environment is taken a beating clear across America. Millions of lbs of waste left just laying around our country side. In our favorite San Diego Canyon we were taken photo's of soap being dumped right into a natural water way. We have just one country and I call on each and every person out there to keep it THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. Report all crimes against your country, and defend her til DEATH DO YOU PART. THIS IS YOUR COUNTRY and mine. The only way to keep her is to fight for her. Report any signs illegal activity, any where in HER
Great article! Sometimes the best thing a person can do in his/her life is stop, re-evaluate their circumstances, and then make necessary changes even if it is difficult. If the Government would think and act like a smart person, we would all be better off.
anybody with ideas how to fix this broke system? shuld be not bring ANYONE here? or should be bring the best? how do we know he/she is the best? Majority of people are from India and China, and they are some smart people (by some i mean a alot more than handfull given the population of both countries) whom i can bet US dsnt want to lose to any other country, what about them? another point culd be,illegal people here, might have theie relatives working for govt services (police dept...etc), how otugh would it be to throw out everyone? how much resources do you have? how do you make sure no one sneaks in again after you send the latinos ( and everyone else)back to their country..?.....there are always good and bad with anything you do...words like My country and Your country will only hurt the entire world...
Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Talk about a crisis. Our country is about to become another Mexico and it is sickenly obvious that the sole cause is illegal and legal immigration.When will the American people wake up? If we do not start now with an orderly removal process of all people who should not be here we are doomed and our once wonderful country will become another Mexico.
"The answer is an immigration “time-out” for two to five years..."
We have 15 million Americans out of work right now. We should get rid of ALL the illegal aliens and STOP all VISAS for a few years till we find out where we are. Illegal immigration is destroying this Country, and if one can't see that, they be almost blind. Illegal aliens get FREE healthcare, use our schools and social services at a tremendous cost to the American taxpayer. This has to STOP!
It's time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these illegal aliens. It's time for them get out of this Country and back in their own Country where they belong. When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!
All lawbreaking illegal aliens have shown a lack of honesty and integrity that disqualifies them from being acceptable as immigrants. The same lack of ethics and morality is shown by the greedy criminal employers that hire them. Deport all illegal aliens and jail all such employers. Then for good measure vote out all elected officials that have refused to enforce our laws of immigration.
Give them a chance.Legalize them so they can start paying taxes and contributing!Shut down the borders! Or you guys want to deport 30 million? Thats absolutely impossible! Even if it is its gonna cost so much money! Better let them stay and pay 5000$ each thats about 150.000 million dollars! How about that?
can u explain how a legal immigrant like myself (who came to us as student, paid tuition, got a job, paying taxes, medicare and social security now..) is draining the us economy?
It is immigrants who once made this country great, and it is their f@t and l@zy offspring a few generations later who are messing it up. The decision who stays and who goes should be made based on the IQ, but then the whole bunch of xen0ph0bes here would get kicked into the Atlantic.
And since you seem to be an expert, let us know what's the carbon footprint of sh1t for br@ins.
very well said article! system thats what we are not on a system of law and order! we pay for a person who's own goverment encourages them to come to america? these people anything they get is better than nothing they get from own dictator goverment? this is a good deal for U.S.? i would think not! poll says amnesty would encourage more immigrants into country one need not be a a expert or quiz kid to figure this logic out? immigration time out sounds like right thing to do! yet with secured borders too? law and order accountability transparency too? system of all on one page. for the good and prosperity of america and it's citizens future. peace AMEN.
Fortunately for all of us, most Americans believe that immigrants work hard and contribute to our society. Americans also want Congress to come up with reasonable ideas soon about reforming our immigration system so that it recognizes the labor needs we do have, and allows for people to immigrate here legally. Extremist, hateful views are quickly losing any interest among MOST Americans, because that's not who we are. People who invest their time and energy in fomenting hatred of others don't contribute anything to moving our communities forward. I appreciate immigrants and their hard-working, family oriented, entrepreneurial energy. I'm also for making ways for them to contribute to our society openly as lawful residents. That's what I'm for, and I consider those American values.
People like Carl Braun are a net drain in the economy. No one can drain the economy as much as a few over-consuming, under-contributing, wasteful, intolerant, hatred-spreading, xenophobic, morons carrying s%@$ for brains in their heads.
You are a complete idiot. Obviously you do not understand the whole complex issue of immigration. Let's just take a look at your #1 reason. What about people who are working here legally as engineers, nurses, doctors, and other professionals and have pending green card applications. Are you going to ask them all to leave ?
America is doomed not bcuz of immigratants but bcuz of some fat lazy descendants of immigrants who think that if they can send away 200 million people from USA they can be more rich. but what they dont know is it wont work that way. may god save america.
4. Are immigrants, both legal and illegal a net gain or a net drain on the economy? Statistics seem to suggest that immigrants, at least initially, are indeed an expense to the taxpayer. At one time, immigrants needed to prove they had a job and a means to support themselves and their families.
You obviously know very little about immigration laws. A legal immigrant is required to have a sponsor and or prove that they can in fact support themselves. Also note that a legal immigrant can not take advantage of any means tested public benefit and if they do the government has the right to obtain those funds back from the sponsor.
I know very few legal immigrants that drain the economy and I know many immigrants!
Respected financial columnist Scott Burns, in a Dallas Morning News article today, reports a unique proposition to solve our country's housing crisis by opening the borders to immigrants who can afford to buy homes in the United States, and then granting citizenship to those immigrants. While this is an economic solution and not an immigration solution, I thought the article was worth mentioning. Here are excerpts from the column:
Our friends in Washington continue to reward witless members of the financial sector. Meanwhile, those of us who don't fly Bonus Class are thinking about importing guillotines from France.
Thankfully, we may not need to place the order.
All we have to do is to get Washington to listen to the best idea I've heard to end the decline of housing prices and restore our confidence in the most important asset most Americans ever own. The idea comes from economist A. Gary Shilling and real estate developer Richard S. Lefrak.
Their suggestion: Don't think about ar
economist A. Gary Shilling and real estate developer Richard S. Lefrak.
Don't think about artificially low mortgage interest rates and other stopgaps. Instead, eliminate the oversupply of houses. And, by the way, don't spend a dime of taxpayer money doing it.
All we have to do is to get Washington to listen to the best idea I've heard to end the decline of housing prices and restore our confidence in the most important asset most Americans ever own. The idea comes from economist A. Gary Shilling and real estate developer Richard S. Lefrak.
Their suggestion: Don't think about artificially low mortgage interest rates and other stopgaps. Instead, eliminate the oversupply of houses. And, by the way, don't spend a dime of taxpayer money doing it.
How can this be done? Simple: Open our borders to immigrants who can buy a home in the U.S. Let a million immigrants a year do this for two years, and the entire oversupply of homes and condos will be absorbed. Supply will no longer dwarf deman
Prices will stabilize. The most important asset owned by the vast majority of Americans will, once again, be a source of pride and security.
There has been much attention paid to the incredible decline of equity markets around the world, but the vast majority of Americans have far more at risk in the housing market than in any financial asset (bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc). Indeed, many Americans have more at risk in the used-car market than in the stock market.
The middle-income
Households in the middle of the income distribution owned a primary home worth a median of $150,000 but had median financial assets of only $18,600. Middle-income Americans, in other words, have about eight times as much to lose in the home resale market as in all of the financial markets.
Shilling estimates that we built 6.7 million excess houses during the boom from 1996 to 2005. Of that number, 3.9 million were built to make up for underbuilding during the 1987-1991 S&L collapse. That
That leaves an excess of 2.8 million homes – about two years of building. He estimates that less building in 2007 and 2008 reduced the surplus to about 2.4 million houses.
Influx of buyers
Reducing interest rates or resetting mortgage payments won't reduce that surplus. The only way it will disappear is if new customers appear and buy those homes. The fastest way to do this is to offer citizenship to immigrants as a reward for buying a home in America.
Here's the formula: Buy a home. Save America. Become a citizen. It's a suggestion that's admirably direct compared to the expensive, complex programs that Congress has already funded.
Shilling writes: "If the current excess of 2.4 million houses were purchased at today's median home price of about $184,000, the inflow from foreigners would be $88 billion, assuming they put 20 percent down and borrowed the rest in this country.
"If they paid cash, the inflow would be $442 billion. Besides stimulating the domestic economy, this would
Besides stimulating the domestic economy, this would vastly help the U.S. foreign accounts and support the dollar. The mere announcement of this program would probably go a long way toward stabilizing house prices."
And stabilizing house prices is very important. It may be the whole ballgame. Without productive action, Shilling estimates home prices will fall an additional 20 percent by the end of 2010. That would leave nearly 25 million homeowners upside down, or owing more on their homes than they are worth.
This is something worth writing about to your representative or senator.
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