Illegals bolster Social Security (Contribute $6.5 - 7 Billion a Year)

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/311951p-266724c.html

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(Illegals) They contribute an estimated $6.5 to $7 billion to Social Security each year, according to researchers and federal government estimates. The money is held in a trust fund called the "earnings suspense file."

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A top Social Security official acknowledged that if it were not for undocumented immigrants who work with false numbers, the system would be in even worse fiscal shape.

"It is obvious - they are helping us," Social Security chief actuary Stephen Goss said. "If we did not have any of those undocumented immigrants coming in, the size of our shortfall would be about 10% bigger."

And if immigration continues increasing, as expected, the predicted deficits of Social Security would shrink to 1.9% over a 75-year-period, Goss said.

up for SS the guy asked me if I'd worked in California. I said no, why? He said there's a (spanish name) that's using your SS number. Apparently they just generate a number at random. This guy is doing real good in constuction, go guy go!!

double didn't pay income taxes on her job. The original got the bill and the IRS wasn't impressed with the logic that it would be impossible to work two jobs at the same time on opposite sides of the country.

I don't feel bad about taking illegal aliens' social security payments considering that a vastly disproportionate amount of their medical care is paid for by taxpayers. Maybe it all evens out in the end.

I do think Democrats need to think carefully before embracing illegal immigration - poor working folks are our core constiuency and they are hurt the most by having to compete against immigrants who live 10 to a house and are able to work for much less than American workers. It's a difficult issue that defies sound bites on either side.

medical care ?

But we can embrace illegal immigrants and working citizens at the same time. Keep in mind its in the best interests of rethug businesses to hire illegal immigrants. They work for lower wages, thereby increasing biz profits. In addition, the practice lowers the prevailing wage for everyone, allowing the WalMarts to pay pennies to the desperate, both citizens and illegals.

One solution would be a serious crackdown on employers who hire illegals for starvation wages. The selfishness of these so-called "business leaders" is contemptible. However, I don't expect such a crackdown until at least 2009, or until hell freezes over.

I refuse to scapegoat illegals. They're just following the money, as abysmal as that is.

Especially in states like Texas, where there's NO State Income Tax?

Sales Tax? Everybody pays that.

Property Tax? Few undocumented workers own property--but landlords DO pass on increases in property tax. Sorry, they don't just suck up the difference out of the goodness of their hearts.

because of 'Totalization Agreements'

http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Library/Archives/SaveSS.htm

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"Many people believe that foreign workers offer a fairly painless way out of the Social Security dilemma. Immigrants pay billions in payroll taxes. Many, especially illegals, do not stick around to receive retirement benefits. Even non-U.S. citizens are required to pay Social Security taxes on income earned in the U.S. unless specifically exempt. So on balance immigrants and guest workers are a positive for the Social Security System, and by increasing their numbers we can reduce the funding shortfall. At least that’s the assumption.

In reality many foreign workers, including highly-skilled employees here on H-1b visas, pay no Social Security taxes whatsoever. Since the 1970s the Social Security Administration has concluded so-called “Totalization Agreements” with about 18 different countries, under which foreign workers may have their Social Security deductions sent to their home country program (rather than the SSA), and vice-versa. One of the primary objectives of the agreements is to eliminate dual Social Security taxation as would occur when a worker sent to the U.S. by his employer must pay tax to both the United States and his home country."

Hmmmm. No SS tax payments for many...So I hope you're not counting also the billions foreigners send back home daily as not a drain on the economy either.

I spent seven years in the SW writing about immigration for newspapers. It's a known fact that they come here and make up social security numbers in order to get hired.
The employers know they're making up the numbers, but they're keeping it legit by reporting the numbers to the feds, who withhold money from their checks.
At the end of the year, when we all file tax returns and get money back, they don't file tax returns so that money remains unclaimed.

It seems to me that a computer at least would be able to catch a phony number, or catch it when two or more people were using the same number. There's got to be a record of the original application somewhere.

us US programmers asked * if he could work it out that they wouldn't have to pay payroll taxes. That was a year or two ago. I've me programmers and engineers who are going to retire to their home countries and live like kings and queens off SS because they will get a whole lot more money for the bang in their home country.

:evilgrin:

citizens much higher wages due to corporate competition FOR labor.

That some agricultural jobs can ever pay enough for Americans to want to work at. You can't pay the laborers $10.00 an hour to pick Strawberries and have a sustainable business. I think the only thing that keeps this country from revolution is relatively cheap food.

U.S. workers displaced by offshoring often end up paying less into SS due to reduced wages if they can find another job. I'd like to know how big the SS (and other tax) losses are due to offshoring.

and other nations economies.

Immigrants in U.S. send billions back to Mexico
http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special03/articles/0920phx-remit.html

"The amount of money Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans send to Mexico this year will easily exceed the record-setting $13.3 billion sent last year, experts say, and is now the second-highest source of foreign income after oil exports"

These amounts, drained from consumption inside the US, easily surpass the estimated $6.5 to $7 billion paid to Social Security each year, that are mentioned in the original post ! So a net LOSS to the US economy in HUGE proportions. Why don't the reporters mention any of this ?

No wonder Pres. Fox wants even more illegal immigration ! He doesn't have to provide for the people he's got. I've often wondered why, with the huge oil reserves Mexico has, that they don't do what Alaska does and provide the socialist-styled Permanent Fund royalties system Alaska has with annual refunds to each Mexican citizen.

'Alaska oil reserves total 6.5 billion barrels of oil, which accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. oil reserves'--
http://www.akrdc.org/issues/oilgas/overview.htm

Mexico
Oil - Proved Reserves (BBL): 18 billion BBL 2004 est.,
According to http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2178.html

Mexico
Population: 106,202,903
According to http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html

Price of oil per barrel today, around $45-50 dollars US. at around 170 barrels per person, TODAY means about $7500-8500 per person. But according to Goldman Sachs the price of oil could end up going to $100 or more per barrel, in which case around $17,000 per person starts looking very enticing indeed. With accounts set up for each Mexican citizen and a deal with the US to guarantee the oil was sold mostly to the US, you've got the basis for a mutually beneficial economic arrangement based on the Mexican oil reserves.

And people would want to stay in Mexico and benefit that national economy.

The Irish were guilty in past centuries.

Those troubled by current immigration levels should hope that violent revolution does NOT break out in Mexico. Vast numbers came during the last bloody mess than ran from 1910 to 1920.