The late Senator Everett Dirksen had a famous saying on federal spending: "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."
When it comes to the immigration bill currently being considered by the Senate, Old Media apparently believes: "A trillion here, a trillion there, if it's a cause we're okay with, we won't talk about it."
The Senior Citizens League issued a press release on Tuesday (HT One News Now) on what it believes is a trillion-dollar (rounded) Social Security-related loophole in the bill:
June 19, 2007 (Washington, DC) – The immigration bill being debated by the Senate would allow over two million illegal workers who received Social Security numbers prior to 2004 to receive more than $966 billion in Social Security benefits by 2040.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced an amendment to the bill (S.A. 1415), subsequently passed by voice vote, that would prevent illegal workers who performed illegal work and then obtained a Social Security number after January 1, 2004 from receiving credit for Social Security taxes paid in previous years. However, the amendment does nothing to prevent aliens who obtained "non-work" Social Security numbers prior to 2004 and then performed illegal work from claiming benefits.
The loophole was revealed by TREA Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan seniors advocacy organization with 1.2 million supporters, based in Alexandria, Virginia.
..... Between 1974 and 2003, the Social Security Administration issued more than seven million "non-work" Social Security numbers, which entitled some foreign nationals – some of whom were illegal aliens – to services such as Medicaid and food stamps. The majority of non-work Social Security numbers were issued during an era of less restrictive immigration policy; in some cases, aliens didn't need proof of citizenship to receive a number.
Despite their "non-work" status, millions performed unlawful work. Under the Senate legislation currently being considered, this group would be eligible for Social Security benefits.
I have done the math, and believe that if the League is correct about the 2 million eligible illegals, the $966 billion in estimated payouts between now and 2040 is an accurate estimate.
Previously, Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation has looked at the burdens taxpayers would take on if the immigration bill passes, and has estimated (quote is from a National Review column by Heritage's Brian Darling) "that this bill will cost the taxpayers $2.6 trillion dollars in retirement costs for the beneficiaries of this bill." It is not clear whether the amount noted earlier by the Senior Citizens League is in addition to or is already part of what Rector has estimated.
Regardless, Old Media's coverage of the huge costs of the bill has been rare to non-existent. By contrast, those who remember the late 1990s will recall that media coverage of impeachment-related events rarely failed to mention the cost of Ken Starr's legal efforts, which ended up being in the neighborhood of $40 ..... million.
A Google News search on "immigration trillion" (without quotes) shows virtually no Old Media items within the past week. The same search at the New York Times on the last 30 days comes up bone dry. The Washington Post? A few op-eds, but no hard-news stories.
How are Old Media's readers to evaluate the bill without information about its costs? This journalistic failure is one more reason why more and more news consumers are turning to New Media to get basic facts.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
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Not to mention Ward Connerly'
June 23, 2007 - 11:10 ET by daveinbocaNot to mention Ward Connerly's contention that the 12 million scofflaws in the US that will be instantly sanitized will be "under-represented minority" status and thus have priority over your sons and daughters in getting federal subsidies and affirmative action head starts.
Big government getting bigger, and doing what it always does. SNAFU or FUBAR are its bye-words for operational efficiency.
More than 9 million phony social security numbers last year
June 23, 2007 - 12:36 ET by RJIt was reported that more than 9 million false social security numbers were filed last year. This means three things:
1) The guessed-at figure of 2 million who would become eligible for benefits under this bill is probably vastly underestimated...as is the cost.
2) The government knows RIGHT NOW where many of the illegals are employed.
3) The easiest way to tackle the illegal problem is by punishing employers.
SSN debacle
June 23, 2007 - 13:12 ET by Pragmatic-ManUtter amazement... that is what I experience when I think about the millions and millions of falsified SSN documents filed by illegals.
If a citizen of the USA did that, there would be jail time to serve. But let the poor little illegals commit the same felony, and justice turns a blind eye.
They wreck our culture, our welfare system, our healthcare infrastructure, poison our cities with their wretched gangs, steal jobs, pummel wages, crash the neighborhoods they inhabit with their clown houses, bad-mouth us as racists, stuff our prisons to the brim with their thugs.... should I go on? There's more.
And what are many of our leaders doing about the problem? Encouraging it.
So why should us American citizens en masse not start wrecking the fabric of our nation, and rip off the healthcare system, steal welfare benefits, undercut unions with low wages, put fifteen people and ten cars in and around every house on the street, yell at everyone else that they are racist bigots, and push our youth into brutal murderous gangs and prison?
Maybe then the democrats, Lott, Bush and the rest of the worthless shamnesty supporters would give us their time. But right now, the people who we pay to represent us are trying to represent illegal immigrants, felons, trying at every turn.
I think these shamnesty politicians would eat piles of poo if it would get them votes.
</rant>
I heard Rector this morning..
June 23, 2007 - 15:22 ET by bigtimerI heard Rector this morning...great segment it was.
We have to stop this maddness.
Coming soon to the Senate near you...be prepared for next week or two.
I am hoping this info is true and gains members by us calling emailing doing whatever it takes...
Also here is a great site to keep updated too.
It seems to me
June 23, 2007 - 17:18 ET by c5thenThe most economical solution to this problem is to errect the fence and man it properly so as to eliminate (as much as possible) anyone sneaking in. Then simply enforce the laws now on the books and eventually half of the current illegal aliens will be caught and deported. Those that aren't caught will be forced to remain "underground" and in the gray employment market and will be ineligable for SS.
Probably not the most "compasionate" response, but then they all came accross the border illegally not expecting amnesty or citizenship, but simply looking for higher paying work.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
Immigration and Global Warming
June 23, 2007 - 17:36 ET by Gary HallTom, another "expert view on an issue" associated with out of control immigration and illegal immigration is the effect on the environment, which the media won't talk about follows this quite logical analysis:
Now, that is a position that the entire MSM would be speaking of day in and day out - if only they were not, in the moment, conflicted with their other more important to them, political bias. In fact - it is difficult to imagine that it is not Al Gore's opening line in each and every one of his speeches.
Enviro
June 23, 2007 - 23:37 ET by Tom BlumerGary, great point. Occasionally enviros have been tempted to heavily criticize illegal immigration because of enviro impact, but they've either held back or have been held back by the PC crowd or their own PC "ethic." The population density impacts (sewage, roads, parking space) of having thousands of households that are double or triple the size of the existing population are potentially staggering. Some Cali towns are already choking on this problem.
Then there's the environmental havoc being wreaked on the Arizona desert and surely other desert areas that the MSM "somehow" never gets around to covering.
One other trillion-dollar hypocrisy I didn't note is that Old Media told us quite often how many trillion dollars Soc Sec partial privatization would cost -- but nary a word about how adding untold millions of low earners to the Soc Sec rolls will surely bankrupt the system and/or force us into France or Germany's obscene Soc Sec-type taxes.
$2.6 trillion extra? Not to
June 25, 2007 - 09:05 ET by dscott$2.6 trillion extra? Not to worry Tom, it won't affect us today or 10 years from now, the extra money will be tacked onto the National Debt like the rest of the SS taxes collected and spent. So instead of SS going bust in 2042, it will happen a lot earlier. <sarcasm> Of course none of the politicians in office today will be around to take responsibility for their foolishness, they got their's.
Let's see SS holds about $4 trillion in current national debt, system goes bust 2042, that's 35 years from now, which is a spending rate of 8.75 years per trillion dollars. So $2.6 trillion represents 22.75 years of payments, which SS was counting on before saying sorry there isn't anymore money and we have to jack up your SS taxes to 50%. 35 years minus 22.75 is 12.25 years which puts the SS trust fund going bust in 2019, just two years after the annual SS tax receipts no longer cover the current expenses.
Yup, the whole PONZI scheme is going to fall apart in 12 years IF they pass this immigration bill and allow illegally earned money to be credited toward SS benefits. Well, I guess I might be wrong about none of the politicians being in office to take responsibility, in fact, they may not be able to collect on their retirement either. Small consolation to the rest of us who paid in for years to get nothing back. You know I am beginning to question whether being an Amercian citizen has any value to it. It looks like all debts and minuses to me.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
How about one word INFRAS
June 24, 2007 - 00:24 ET by upcountrywaterHow about one word INFRASTRUCTURE !
small little things like "running water" , in locations like AZ, NM, ETC or another thing "electricity" the juice is here this second, year after year.
"gasoline" all being used by 12-20-100 MILLION , GUESS WHAT they are in front of you, yes they are plugging the isles, roads.. Quadrillions $ LOST man?
Are things just fine ,because of our abiliy to go further into dept?
letting Congress know
June 24, 2007 - 00:50 ET by JudithEVERYONE--FREE FAX CAPABILITY AT NUMBERS USA. FREE TO JOIN, FAXES ALREADY SET UP, JUST ADD YOUR PERSONAL COMMENTS AND IT GOES TO YOUR SENATORS AND REPS, ALSO TO BUSH AND SOME OTHER SENS AND REPS WHOM WE NEED TO TARGET. IF EVERYONE WOULD TAKE FIVE MINUTES, IT COULD CHANGE HISTORY. www.NumbersUSA.com
judith --yes, yes, yes---
June 25, 2007 - 09:25 ET by misterbilljudith --yes, yes, yes---I have been a member of grassfire, newsmax and a couple of others. The groundswell of objections via these organizations is what stopped the cloture on the latest sneak attack by Kennedy etal.
....also Please call your Sen
June 25, 2007 - 21:54 ET by bigtimer....also Please call your Senators offices too...not just statewide..but their individual offices in DC...it is easy to do.
When they closed tonight on the floor this vote is going to be early on the west coast for the Senate.(theymay change this, as the Senate is prone to do with the fearless leader Reid in Charge) .....so...be prepared.
We have to fight back and make sure they hear us once again!
Whatever means let our voices be heard.
The Cost of Illegal Immigration
June 25, 2007 - 21:26 ET by StokeyBobI’m getting a kick out of this article because I’m NOT an
economist.
I can sort of see how a myopic economist may be able to see
an increase in profits by snuffing the descendants of the founders of this
country. That makes room for the criminals in business’s illegal labor. Not
only can many of the illegal invaders be paid off in token wages but that also
leaves the honest workers stiffed with the criminal’s taxes, medical and social
services. It’s a pure genius way of eliminating any competition. They won’t be
able to compete on that playing field. Every day more and more will go under.
The part that confuses me is I can see examples of some of
the illegal aliens previous work. And… How will all of the crime that surrounds
illegal immigration be helping you out when the honest people are forced to
join in, in the lawlessness?