It Needs Amending

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The Fourteenth Amendment. I like to call it a good deed gone terribly wrong. This was one of the amendments enacted after the Civil War and was originally intended to provide more rights to African Americans. Unfortunately, over time, its interpretation has granted a number of rights to people living in the United States - including automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants.

The Associated press recently published an article titled, "Illegal immigrants having more kids in U.S. - They're nearly twice as likely to live in poverty, study says." You can read the entire article [HERE].

The study, released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, speaks to the struggles of Illegal immigrants' children born in the U.S. The 14th Amendment gives those children U.S. citizenship, yet - as the study concluded - "they struggle in poverty and uncertainty along with parents who fear deportation, toil largely in low-wage jobs and face layoffs in an ailing economy."

Call me a cold-hearted bitch silly, but since when did being a U.S. citizen guarantee anyone an income above the poverty level? And shouldn't their parents fear deportation? They are here ILLEGALLY!

Just a few of the study's findings:

• About 59 percent of illegal immigrants, or 7 million, came from Mexico. Other regions included Asia (11 percent), Central America (11 percent), South America (7 percent), the Caribbean (4 percent) and the Middle East (2 percent).
• Gee. No surprise there. Those with the easiest path here make up the majority of the problem.
• One-third of the children of illegal immigrants live in poverty, nearly double the rate for children of U.S.-born parents.
• Maybe if their parents came here legally they could secured higher paying jobs?
  
• Illegal immigrants' share of low-wage jobs has grown in recent years, from 10 percent of construction jobs in 2003 to 17 percent in 2008. They also make up 25 percent of workers in farming and 19 percent in building maintenance.
• Until we hold employers accountable - hitting them with hefty fines - and get past the entitlement issues of our own population, these numbers will likely continue to rise
  
• The 2007 median household income of illegal immigrants was $36,000, compared with $50,000 for U.S.-born residents.
• $36,000 per year FAR exceeds the poverty levels in Mexico where almost 40% of the population makes less that $2,000 (no, that is not a typo) per year. I'm having a difficult time finding any sympathy here ...
  
• About 47 percent of illegal immigrant households have children, compared with 21 percent for U.S.-born residents and 35 percent for legal immigrants.
• Of course there may be many factors contributing to this statistic, but one has to wonder if coming to the U.S. - illegally - to have children who then automatically become citizens isn't rewarding bad behavior. Hello?
  

President Obama claims he'll address the issue of immigration reform later this year, including a proposal to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. I'm not a fan of amnesty programs (we've seen the result of those in the past), but I am well aware that a deportation program just won't happen.

Does it bother me that immigration reform will likely reward those who are here illegally? Bother would be an understatement. What I don't understand is how a path to legal citizenship addresses what I see as two glaring deficiencies in our immigration policy - unsecured borders and a system that rewards the children of those entering the country illegally.

What do you think? Is it time for another Constitutional amendment?

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Social Security Number-Only Identity Theft

Have you heard of it? I have smart ass readers, I have no doubt you have, but here's the real question, do you know how this impacts you? First, a little story ...

I was the victim of Identity theft about six and a half years ago. I went to the gym, put my backpack in my trunk, locked my door and went inside to work out. When I came out 90 minutes later, my driver's side window was shattered to access my trunk release and my wallet was gone. I was one of those people who kept their Social Security card in their wallet (if yours is there take it out NOW!). It was two weeks before Christmas and in a matter of hours, these thieves had managed to rack up over $30K in debt in my name, including two $5K instant credit lines (Sears and Best Buy), several thousand dollars in Target purchases and, a $15K car! Yes, they were able to pose as me and actually finance a car!! This is what most of us know as Identity Theft, but there is another Identity Theft beast out there, one that can happen without our knowledge, one that seems "harmless," but isn't.

I've posted about illegal immigration in the past. It is a hot button of mine and one of my top three issues in determining who I will vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Immigration is one of the foundations of this country, and it should continue to be, when done legally.

Each year, over 10 MILLION people pay taxes under incorrect Social Security numbers (the number and the name associated with it do not match). Some of these are administrative issues, but the common thought is that the majority of these tax payments are the result of Social Security number-only identity theft. In my own backyard, for the bargain price of about $200, one can purchase the documentation needed to secure a job here in the U.S, including a "valid" Social Security number.

The scam goes something like this. Illegal immigrants provide a "fraudulent" Social Security card to their employer on their first day of work. This fulfills the employer's “I-9” requirement. Employers can call the Social Security Administration to perform a limited verification of the information, but most just make sure they have the documentation to cover their ass meet the requirements. In other words, it's common that employees’ names and Social Security numbers don't match.

The "You're a meanie - illegal immigration doesn't hurt anyone" argument that I've heard always includes the statement that taxes paid under your Social Security number are credited to your account, but guess what? When the name/number doesn't, match NO ONE gets credit for the taxes paid by the worker. The money goes into a general account at the U.S. Treasury. Even better? Since 1983, more than $500 billion in uncredited Social Security wages have been earned by "no match" employees - $500 BILLION! You don't suppose this might be why local, state and federal agencies drag their feet on this issue, do you?

What's even more bothersome is that when another person is using your Social Security Number for employment purposes only, it's almost impossible to find out about it. It won't show up on your credit report and it won't be detected by credit monitoring. There is also no way to for any of us to inspect the history of their Social Security Number - to find out where and when it's been used.

Disturbing? Yes! It really is time we addressed illegal immigration in a meaningful way in this country!

May Day

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WARNING
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What you are about to read is a rant regarding illegal immigration and those same illegal immigrants who routinely demand immigrant rights.
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Let me preface this rant by stating that I think immigration is a WONDERFUL thing - legal immigration that is. The majority of us have immigrant roots. Our families came to this country from faraway lands, hoping to build a better life for themselves and for their future generations. My own family immigrated from Germany just four generations ago. Immigration has always been a cornerstone in the foundation of this country and continues to be one of the things that make it great. In no way do I support any movement to eliminate immigration to our country, however I fully support enforcing current immigration laws, enacting more stringent immigration laws and deporting known illegal immigrants.

This year was the third year immigrants (both legal and illegal) set out to organize marches across the country in support of immigrant and immigration "rights." I find it somewhat ironic that these individuals choose May Day, a day that celebrates a history of violence in the U.S., to support their cause. As Barry Chiswick, University of Illinois Chicago economics Professor said in an interview yesterday, "My advice to some of these organizers would be to pick a day other than May 1, which is associated with rebellion, leftist ideals and anarchy."

**NOTE**: If you are not familiar with the history
of May Day (or International Workers' Day), you
might want to read up on its history at the
Industrial Worker's of the World web site. If
nothing else, you might find it interesting that
many of the concepts embraced by the IWW more
than 100 years ago are now being pedaled as
"change" in this election year.

I was appalled by some of the quotes I read from participants in the 2008 rallies, many echoing this Chicagoan's:

"We come here to fight for legalization. We're people. We have rights."

Yes, you do have rights ... in the country that you hold citizenship in. Just because you've managed to get yourself onto U.S. soil does not mean you are entitled to the same rights given to U.S. citizens.

Participation in this year's demonstrations was significantly lower than in previous years. In 2006, at least 400,000 people in Chicago alone, participated in the first nationwide rally. This year's Chicago attendance was estimated at only 15,000. Activists claim participation likely was lower because many immigrants increasingly fear deportation.

I've got news for you - you should fear deportation if you are not here legally. I find it impossible to support your claims that you are not criminals when you come to this country illegally. That, in itself, makes you a criminal. If you want me to respect your desire be in this country, at the very least show some respect for this country and its laws.